A Take on High Heels

TW: Discussion on feet. Mention of belly buttons.

A few weeks ago, I was interning under a barrister for some awesome work experience. As an avid law enthusiast, I wanted to make sure that everything from my performance as a mini pupil to my attire was perfect during this internship…I won’t bore you with the lawyer details, but I do want to talk about high heels.

I read the rules of court-room etiquette and appropriate wardrobe, and, seeing that my school shoes, Doc Martens, were unfit for my week of work, I decided to purchase (well, factually, I asked my Dad to purchase) my first pair of high heels. 

Very cutesy, very demure. Black mary janes with a diamond buckle and an appropriate height for heels. It looked good. Especially paired with my Mom’s work dresses and blazer. 

I totally identify myself as your typical ‘girly girl’. I like dressing up, getting my nails done every month and curling my hair. So for me, it was kind of a no-brainer to wear high heels to work (I liked to think of myself as Elle Woods if she had brown hair, wore black, and was still in high school). But I’m clumsy, and have no sense of balance; you can imagine the amount of times I tripped over myself and the near-misses of falling on my face. The aura-loss could have sent me to an early grave. 

As much as I love them, these heels are agonising to walk around in. On the first day, I came home feeling proud and accomplished with my new connections, but I was in absolute pain. My feet had blisters, my toes were cramped, and my quad muscles were pulled. I admit, I probably shouldn’t have asked for the highest heels, considering this was my first time wearing them, but still, I didn’t think it would be that bad…I mean, Ms Tsui, my history teacher, made them look so easy to walk in!

Anyways, the purpose of this article was not meant to be a story about how much heels hurt. You get used to it. I had to walk gracefully while entering the courtroom, I had to run after my boss to keep up with her crazy-fast walking pace (while carrying her coffees, legal documents, and lunch left-overs, of course), and I had to chase after mini buses so I could get to work on time; all in high heels. Eventually, your feet become molded by the heel, and you’ve formed enough callouses that your feet don’t chafe and it feels natural. 

So, you may be thinking, why was I complaining if I got used to those darn shoes? It’s all to do with the confidence I gained from wearing them, I suppose. 

These heels make loud sounds. Everyone turns around to see who's making all the clip-clops behind them. I don’t know why, but your aura just multiplies and you feel important whenever you walk into the room. As someone who’s 152 centimeters tall, and always felt somewhat physically inferior to others around me, I felt more powerful. I didn’t have to look up as much to the person I was talking to. In all honesty, despite my small role in the courtroom and (possibly) being the youngest person there, surrounded by intimidating and all-confident-all-knowing lawyers, I felt less intimidated than I usually am. Maybe it was the way my boss made me feel, or maybe I liked how people were shocked by my age or the internship I landed, but honestly? I think the heels added to it too. I truly felt like a young lady. A girlboss. I felt older, more mature. And for me, those qualities equate to success. It’s like I’ve accomplished something bigger than myself.

It did get me thinking about the common saying “beauty is pain”. It’s true to some extent! But it’s also this newfound confidence that I never really appreciated before. In my opinion, everyone is inherently beautiful; we are blessed with eyes and ears and feet and belly buttons. But the act of putting on makeup in the morning, getting dressed in stylish clothes, and putting on my high heels made me feel better about myself in a way that getting ready for school never did— I took pride in how I looked, which made me feel better letting others see the best version of myself. 

I must say, I’ve come to appreciate the way my Mum puts in effort to get ready for work every morning. She takes a full hour sometimes! But I see why. She thrives in the office, I’ve seen it firsthand. The way she talks, the way she walks (in heels, of course), it just looks ten times better knowing she feels confident in her appearance and that she looks stunning without hesitation. 

I’m not telling my readers that you should spend hours in the morning getting ready for school or something like that. My classmates have seen me on days when I don’t even brush my hair before coming into the classroom, let alone put on mascara. 

I feel like the big takeaway is the importance of feeling beautiful and feeling important. So what if that means putting on some makeup or wearing loud shoes? What if it means feeling some pain for the first two weeks before you get used to it? If it makes you feel more confident in yourself, go for it.