Yes, today the Washington Post tells us that wearing stiletto heels is powerful.
Rice's coat and boots speak of sex and power -- such a volatile combination, and one that in political circles rarely leads to anything but scandal. When looking at the image of Rice in Wiesbaden, the mind searches for ways to put it all into context. It turns to fiction, to caricature. To shadowy daydreams. Dominatrix! It is as though sex and power can only co-exist in a fantasy. When a woman combines them in the real world, stubborn stereotypes have her power devolving into a form that is purely sexual.
Hogwash. Perching your body atop two thin pegs just makes it impossible for a woman to run. The body's weight is concentrated on the balls of the feet, and the heel is taken out of a woman's walk. If you can't put down your heel, you can't use the long muscles in your legs. If all your weight is on the balls of your feet, they hurt unmercifully. A woman in stiletto heels is hobbled.
The Post thinks she's more powerful because those heels are so sexy:
Countless essays and books have been written about the erotic nature of high heels. There is no need to reiterate in detail the reasons why so many women swear by uncomfortable three-inch heels and why so many men are happy that they do. Heels change the way a woman walks, forcing her hips to sway. They alter her posture in myriad enticing ways, all of which are politically incorrect to discuss.
"There is not need to reiterate in detail the reasons why so many women swear by uncomfortable three-inch heels....." Well, maybe there is such a reason. If heels were so great, wouldn't men wear them? They've taken up manicures, moisturizers, and face lifts. But men have never taken to heels, and certainly not to heels which are smaller than the foot that sits above them. Maybe the reason "why so many men are happy that they do" has more to do with the hobbling effect.
I'm going out for a walk. In my flat bottomed shoes.
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