Cat in Heels

I once had a sales associate at at shoe store tell me that I would ruin the sole of my shoes if I wore them outside. On the list of dumb shit I've heard in my life, this ranks up there. Aside from the obvious fact that a main purpose of any kind of footwear is to protect your feet from the elements, I was unaware that there are shoes that have soles not meant for outside. Sure, there's a billion different materials, accouterments, designs, styles and materials that can make shoes a little more difficult to wear in various outside weather, but to not be able to wear them on concrete seems a little insane. One of the first ways I break in a new pair of heels is to take them on a stroll around the neighborhood, wear them on my commute to work, or walk the dog around the block in them. It helps the shoe conform to your foot, gives you an idea of where the problem points will be (if any) and tears up the bottom a little so when you are inevitably inside on carpet you don...

Today an article about model's feet hit the Internet and made people all over want to gag.  What happens when models are in runway shows day after day, tromping around in heels, acting as human coat hangers for the newest fashions? Their feet look damaged, and probably hurt like hell.  My initial reaction was that it was awful, but once I thought about it a little, I decided it's really not that bad. Especially once you take all the various factors into account.  For one, models don't always get to wear shoes that fit. Sometimes they jam their feet into shoes that are too small, and sometimes they have to strap on shoes that are too big. In both cases they then have to walk like there's no problem.  Lucky for them those runways are usually pretty short.  Photo courtesy of Fashionista.com So really, what are the big problems that heels cause when you spend Fashion Week walking runways? Runaway pinkie toes in strappy sandals, blisters, ...