They are not called killer heels for nothing.
Pinchy, uncomfortable and, occasionally, downright dangerous, the high-heeled shoe is a source of ambivalence. But the millions of women who will squeeze their feet into them on New Year’s Eve can at least take comfort from scientific confirmation that high heels really do make them look good.
Researchers at the University of Portsmouth say heels change the way the entire body moves, including the pelvis, hips, legs, knees, feet and even the shoulders, to emphasise femininity. Women wearing heels are rated as more attractive than when wearing flat shoes, even when those making the judgement are unable to see faces or bodies.
The researchers, whose study appears in the scientific journal Evolution and Human Behavior, suggest that “evolution may partly explain the continuing popularity of high heels as an article of the female wardrobe. If wearing high heels emphasises some sex-specific aspects of the female form they may make women more attractive, and one motivation, which may be conscious or unconscious, for wearing heels is that it is part of mate selection.”
photo credit: Armando Moreschi via photopin cc