I remember the moment I got my first pair of heels. Even though they were my mom’s hand-me-downs, as soon as I saw the heels, I felt a rush of excitement accompanied by a smidge of awe. As a girl who always fell on the short side, I saw this as an opportunity to become a new person, an opportunity to be no longer short. I would no longer look up at people, and they would no longer have to lean down to kiss me on the cheek. I was tall now; therefore, I was an adult. When I was a twelve-year-old, heels were a BIG deal. Not only was the added height a bonus, but I also felt that heels would make all of my outfits look better. It did not take long for reality to hit me, and you all know that the higher your fantasy takes you, the harder you fall.
After wearing heels for about thirty minutes, my feet ached; I’d never felt such pain in my life. It’s safe to say, I have no pain tolerance, and walking with what felt like needles pricking my feet did NOT feel good whatsoever. So, I made it my mission to wear heels for a whole day and still manage to look pristine. Sometimes I feel like I have two left feet, at least when it comes to wearing heels, and I found myself tripping over everything every five minutes. So not only did my feet ache, but my legs did too. I’m not one to give up so easily, but there is only so much pain a girl can tolerate. Nowadays, I still cannot walk very well in heels, but now I trip around only every ten minutes. I can also last around three hours in heels, but that solely depends on the type of heel and how much of that time I’m sitting down. Then my friend gave me a few tips about how to walk in heels for longer periods of time. First off, she said the pain will always be there; over time it could hurt less, but there could also be repercussions to wearing heels too much. Here are some other helpful tips:
1. Walk properly
To walk properly, you need to walk by placing the point of your foot and then the ball. One of the biggest problems is that people walk in hard steps, or they do ball first and then point. This increases pain because of the impact made on the floor, and over time your feet will hurt more.
2. Use orthodontic inserts
These will help because they keep your foot slanted in a way that helps with walking, and they absorb some of the impact you make with the floor. They can help you last longer wearing heels.
3. Sand paper your soles
Even if they are the most expensive heels, sand paper your soles! This makes the heels less slippery and increases traction. It stops the skidding, which improves the grip you have on the heels. You will no longer trip your way to a party or a friend’s house.
These are just a few tips of many, and they are the ones that worked best for me. Personally, taping my feet didn’t work very well. Even though that is one of the most popular hacks, and it works for other people, it didn’t work for me. Everyone is different, so other hacks might be best for you. Hope these tips help!