There is something special about a girl in highheels. It brings to mind the grace and charm of the deer. Remember how they walk? Each step is delicate, graceful, hesitant. You notice the slimness of the leg and the care with which they use it. It can be quite charming to watch. (This picture is from Body Play magazine).

A girl in very highheeled shoes does some of the same kinds of things as that deer. The highheels definitely make her legs look longer and more delicate. They definitely affect her ability to walk, in particular by shortening her stride. Of course, she is on the verge of becoming unstable at any moment, and so she must pay careful attention to her balance and the ground under her feet.

Notice the difference in the photo at the right. Two girls with lovely legs are standing together, yet the one with the significantly higher heel definitely grabs the viewer's attention. This illustrates a basic principle that higher heels are in general more aesthetically pleasing and generate more attention. Of course, there are less attractive higher heeled shoes than ones with lower heels, yet other things being equal a higher heel is better.

The behavior of the girl on highheels brings out another aspect of appreciation for those who enjoy the DS lifestyle, because when she is on highheels she is submitting herself to a challenge and obstacle for no more than aesthetic reasons. So,the aesthetic of highheels goes beyond the visual -- it also includes an appreciation of the personality of the girl who is perched -- and at times even tottering -- on her highheels.

Of course, the shoe does not exist in isolation. It is only part of the entire leg, and so a "goodlooking" highheel also requires the proper visual complement from the leg. This typically means suitable stockings, although interplay with the skirt is also often desirable. The adjacent picture from Bizarre shows how effectively the stockings and the buckles on the shoe complement the artistic value of the foot and heel. Notice that a high arch on the top of the foot indicates a foot which has been trained to be comfortable wearing highheels.

The aesthetic of the highheel is that the higher the heel, the more entrancing they are. This, then, defines our goal. The truly highheeled girl is capable of wearing the highest highheels available. These highheels we will call ultraheels, and a section will discuss them in more detail later. Of more importance for the sake of this "How-To" article are the practicalities of how a highheeled girl is created and how the highheel can be made to function in real, eveyday life. The key to the first part of this -- creating a higheeled girl -- is through foot training.

2. What Can Foot Training Do?

Proper foot training is absolutely essential. Even though highheels are commonplace, virtually no girl is wearing them correctly. You didn't know that there was a "correct" way to learn to wear them? Indeed, understanding this is essential for success.

The highheel is a killer shoe. Women know this, which is one reason why they are so often hated so. However, as difficult as they are, girl are usually their own worst enemies in wearing them by making the situation worse. It is important to understand that the body is to some degree adaptable. Proper foot training can adapt ordinary flat-soled feet into high-arched feet which can comfortably wear high heels. This is why some highheels can potentially be viable footwear -- assuming that the shoes are properly designed, constructed, and used. The arch in the foot can be gradually stretched over time so that it can fit comfortably into the position required by the highheeled shoe. Then, if the shoe properly distributes the stress, the wearer can spend hours in them without undue distress. The following diagram (excerpted from Body Play illustrates the basic change required in the foot dynamics.

Unfortunately, girl typically pick out shoes they should not wear. This is due to a combination of choosing style over form, and choosing self-image over physical need. Thus, the key to successfully wearing highheels is a combination of the proper foot training and finding shoes that work well on the foot. The small picture here shows a girl who has been properly trained to wear ultraheels, as illustrated by her well-trained foot arch.

Even a girl who wears ordinary highheels frequently can improve her arch over time. I suspect that this girl has acquired her arch through much highheel wearing. Notice that it is not extreme, yet it is quite lovely.

3. Implementing a Basic Foot Training Program.

Commitment. You cannot implement a foot training program for adapting your feet for highheels without first making a sincere personal commitment. To be truly able to wear the highest highheels and be comfortable in them means adapting the arch of your foot to the high arch required.

Selecting the method. As noted above, there are two different methods which can be chosen.

The Exercise Method. The basis for this method is how the ballet dancer does foot training. Ballet dancers have trained their feet for flexibility. They are able to run around a dance floor flat-footed, or they can instantly bounce up on top of their toes, the highest and most extreme arch possible. They are able to do this because of three basic tools they have mastered. First, they have gradually stretched and flexed the arches in their feet so that they can work in either extreme or anywhere between. Second, they warm up carefully. They realize that to go from a flat-foot up to on-toe without a warm up would be disastrously harmful and could cause serious (possibly even permanent) damage. Third, they maintain this capability for their foot by a vigorous program of exercise. That is, stretching and moving the foot in these positions for a good amount of time frequently, that is, at least every day or two.

€ Advantages: The advantages of the Exercise Method are (1) this provides the healthiest, strongest, and most versatile foot, and (2) it can be accomplished more quickly than the Lifestyle Method.

€ Disadvantages: The disadvantages of the Exercise Method are (1) this requires a major commitment to continue exercising to keep the foot in its prime, and (2) care must be taken to not suddenly stress the foot by going from one extreme to the other without proper warm up and preparation.

The Lifestyle Method. The basis for this method is normal, natural adaptation for your specific lifestyle. Unlike the ballet dancer, this approach does not attempt to make the foot perform perfectly in all modes. Rather, it uses your natural trade offs. The reason you can't easily wear highheels now is that your foot isn't adapted to them. However, if in your lifestyle you really wanted to adapt to higher heels, you could easily do so.

€ Advantages: The advantages of the Lifestyle Method are (1) this provides the easiest transition to wearing highheels, (2) it does not require a major commitment of time for exercising feet, and (3) it does not require special foot training equipment.

€ Disadvantages: There are two signficant disadvantages of the Lifestyle Method: (1) You loose some flexibility to wear what you might want otherwise. Now, this is not necessarily bad, but it means that you are programming your feet for certain kinds of shoes. For instance, if you now find hiking boots comfortable and highheels uncomfortable, if you train your feet for wearing 4" highheels all the time, then they will not adapt well to hiking boots. Well, all life is a series of tradeoffs, and to truly use this course requires determining what your "shoe lifestyle" is going to be and basically sticking with that range of shoe. (2) This adaptation takes place more slowly than the Exercise Method.

Your Potential. Next, you must take stock of your potential. Foot training is most easily done when you are young, say before age 20 or so. The older you become the less easily and quickly the changes can be made to your foot. However, even into middle age adapting to highheels should be feasible. Do expect, however, that it takes more time the older you are. Thus, the Exercise Method is most easily done by the young, and the Lifestyle Method by those older, but any age can do either as long as it is done properly. Always remember -- if there are any questions or doubts concerning the health of the feet, it is always wise to seek competent medical advice.

The Key Idea. The key idea behind foot training is remarkably simple. Stretch the foot to a position which stretches the arch, and continue doing this until gradually the foot is stretched enough to adapt to the stress of being in that position. So, the basic idea is not the issue, but rather how best to implement it.

In the Exercise Method, the foot is pushed more vigorously and moved about more. As in all stretching exercises, very great care must be taken not to push too far or too hard. Lots of exercise is needed. The foot can also be stretched while asleep or resting using special "foot trainers." Good ballet supply stores carry them, and versions can also be made at home. These devices (shown below) can stretch the arch when there is no load on the foot.

In the Lifestyle Method, the foot is moved gradually and held there for long periods. When the foot adapts and feels comfortable in this training position, shift the training position to stretch the arch a little more. Eventually your arch will have attained a high enough arc. This method just basically requires wearing the right shoes, and gradually changing them for ones with higher heels. As long as the shoes fit properly and height progression is carefully controlled, the result will be a "long-term" shift in the arch. Since the arch is less flexible than that made by the Exercise Method, there is a definite "comfort zone" which the foot is adapted to. For example, if your feet are adapted to "normal" shoes with a 3" heel, then you likely could easily wear between 4" heel and 1" heel shoes, but going higher or all the way down to flats stresses your foot more and is less comfortable.

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4. Implementing an Advanced Foot Training Program.

Purpose. The advanced foot training program differs from the basic in that it is designed to train feet for ultraheels -- that is, highheels with 6" of arch elevation (or even more).

Implementation. John Wiley's pioneering magazine "Bizarre" has a number of useful references to those desiring an advanced foot training program.

In 1958 (in issue number 24) there was a long letter by Paula Sanchez giving part of her grandmother's corset and highheel training as described in her diary. The technique she identified -- using foot trainers -- is perhaps the optimal one for advanced highheel training. On pages 24 and 25 she said:

One of the difficulties in walking had to do with the fact that Gmother could scarcely stand in the high-heeled shoes without bending her knees. Quite aside from the adjustment to the corset she began feeling stretched muscles in her legs. The girls told her that the leg muscles must also adjust to the new vertical position of the foot, and that this too would take much time and practice.

"I found foot-corsets of great use in my first days here," Marta said. "The difficulty about heels is that the minute you sit down the muscles spring back to their old position. You can cause them to adjust sooner if you keep them in the high-heel position even in bed. It is a little like Chinese foot-binding. Slowly you get used to walking on your toes."

A pair of curious little boots with no heels, but with stiffening along the sole and up the ankle, with straps across the lower leg and across the foot, to hold it in position against the shaped metal were brought. These were not for walking, but for foot training while resting. They held the foot in the position of a ballet dancer on her toes.

Fakir Musafar's Body Play magazine has had some good discussions on foot training. (See the "Body Play" website ). Here a couple different types of foot trainers are illustrated in Vol. 3, No. 1 on pages 22 and 23. One is a homemade device, the other is a ballet toe-shoe trainer which can be bought commercially through dance supply stores. Here is the toe-shoe trainer (which is also shown on the following highheel page).

Note that it is possible to stand comfortably in heels which are higher than it is possible to walk in. Thus, as part of foot training for ultrahigh heels, standing quietly for long periods in very high heels is beneficial. This can easily be incorporated into various DS training/exercise situations.

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[Copyright © 1998 by Robert G. Benson]