Thud! — I land on my bottom. It’s most unglamorous. Emulating Beyonce’s dance moves can be a challenge; getting them right in high heels is an even bigger challenge. Remember how we tried the steps to ‘Single Ladies’ — first in sneakers, then when we stepped into those stilettos, well you know what happened.
Heels (not the body part but the shoes) are fascinating. Walking in them isn’t the easiest thing. Not the best walkers in stilettos, my friends and I often find ourselves enviously staring at other women who elegantly shimmy away in 5-inches. And as if that isn’t enough competition, now there’s the video by choreographer Yanis Marshall and his two friends Arnaud Boursain and Mehdi Mamine, which has added to our jealousy by going viral. Shot in a studio in London, it features the three bearded men dancing in pencil-heeled boots to Beyonce’s peppy songs — ‘Ring the alarm’, ‘Naughty Girl’ and ‘Crazy in Love’. They strut, bend and snap, do the trenches, and basically give Beyonce a run for her money while putting wobblers like me to shame.
Marshall, a popular dancer from France, specialises in dancing in heels and also in teaching people how to do the same. Now, that’s a skill a lot of us would love to learn. No wonder the Internet has numerous pages by experts instructing us on how to work our heels. Like a lot of women, heels are one of Marshall’s favourite accessories. What is it that makes them so popular? Why do we go through the hassle of climbing into them? The most common answers are: they add poise, femininity and height. They accentuate our legs, and helpfully make us look thinner.
Glamorous movies and television shows always have the stunning go-getters in high heels. The women in Sex and The City wore them all the time (ah, those delicious Choos). Certain studies and reports suggest that men find women in heels more attractive, but are these the reasons we are wearing them? Yes, no, maybe. When I asked my gang of girls, the conclusion we came to is — it’s the easiest way to feel good. The best part is, unlike chocolate it has no calories.
Heels often fetch us compliments.
Unfortunately, for dear old Cannes Film Festival, it got them into trouble. A group of women were denied entry to the screening of Carol . Why? Because they were wearing flats! I exclaim because I am surprised. Yes, they should have been let in, but the question is who wears flats to a red carpet event at Cannes? Don’t roll your eyes at me. I wouldn’t. And I know you wouldn’t either. Let’s not pretend. Most of us like looking glamorous and feeling confident, and heels are the easiest way of getting there.
Yes, I won’t deny that there have been times when I have stood in 4-inch pumps wincing in pain and dreaming of the frumpy ballerina flats lying in the car — ah! the feeling of pulling my tired feet out of the stiletto and slipping them into that comfy pair. Absolute bliss! But then, comfort isn’t the point of wearing these high beauties. As Christian Louboutin famously said, “I would hate for someone to look at my shoes and say, “Oh my God, they look so comfortable!”
The love-hate relationship between women and heels is certainly going to go on and till you make up your mind about how you feel about them, here’s a trick to remember: lean back and walk heel to toe.
