So I read this article yesterday about the connection between high heels and the effect they have on men. In a French study researchers did several separate experiments to examine how women wearing shoes of different height got treated differently. For the first part of the experiment the woman (dressed in a black straight skirt, a white long sleeved shirt and a black suit jacket) would ask people in the street to complete a survey, and in the second part she would pretend to accidentally drop her glove to see how many people would help her pick it up, while altering between wearing black flat shoes, black shoes with a 5cm heel (2 inches) and a black pair of shoes with a 9cm (3.5 inches) heel. And for the third part of the experiment a group of women, all wearing heels with different heights sat in a bar while researchers kept tabs on how many times each women was approached.
In all three experiments the woman wearing the highest heels got the most positive feedback from men, they were most inclined to help her with her survey and pick up her glove, while women treated the woman the same no matter what shoe she wore. The people conducting this experiment believe that the reason for men to answer more positive to women in high heels is because high heels are portrayed in our society (at least in France where the study was conducted) as something sexual.
I very much agree with high heels being a sexual symbol in our society. You don’t see Victoria’s Secret models walking down the runway in lingerie and sneakers, do you? And when it comes to really any kind of sexy commercial, music video, movie or photo shoot, you can be sure the female will take off 95% of her clothes before taking off her heels. But apart from heels being a symbol for sexiness, I think there are also some other factors to why men seems to be more inclined to give a helping hand to a woman in heels.
1.Helplessness.
However good you are at walking (or even running) in heels there are a certain unsteadiness that comes from wearing them. You have to really look where you are walking and also walk more carefully than you would compare to wearing flats. So this will bring out a protective instinct in a man, consciously or not. He is more inclined to help the woman because she is not as steady on her feet as a woman wearing flats is. Ask yourself this; who would you be more likely to give your seat to, a woman in heels or sneakers?
2.Femininity
Heels will make any woman look more feminine, which will draw the attention of the opposite sex. The heels help elevate everything on your body, lifting your butt and boobs, as well as making you appear more statuesque. And when you are walking, the heels will give your hips a swaying and alluring kind of movement.
3.Confidence
From a person who wear heels on a daily basis and can tell you that the way I feel and move with or without heels are very different. Wearing heels make me feel powerful, a “top of the world” kind of feeling. It makes me move with more confidence and a certain assertiveness that flat shoes just does not manage to bring out. So I think that the woman in the experiment, while wearing high heels, unconsciously was sending out signals of confidence, that men picked up on, compared to when she was wearing the flat shoes.
So, do you believe there is something to this theory? Are men really more inclined to help women wearing heels compared to women wearing flats? What do you think?
