WOMEN ’ S
The lows of high heels
Hollywood star Julia Roberts may have protested against high heels at Cannes , but they are catching on in urban India . Doctors are waving the red card as the trend could trigger health issues . Reena Tej is 5ft 3 " in her plimsolls . She is slender , closing in on her 40th birthday , and works in an industry where there is no dress code . In the past , when she got ready for work , she went for her three-inch wedges each morning . Cushioned and comfortable , it gave her valuable inches . A couple of summers ago , on a shopping spree , she spent the best part of three days on her trusted wedges . By the end of the third day , she was in pain . Attacked by spasms in her lower back , which felt like a hundred hammers coming down on her all at once , she was barely able to stand . Reena was bedridden for more than a week , and took almost a month to recover . She experimented with heels again --hesitant, one-off ventures which her back protested against . At 38 years of age , she kissed goodbye to her expensive wedges , blocks and stilettos . Flat is her new solemate . Reena says she feels disadvantaged without heels but she did what was best for her body . " I ' m a fan of high heels ," she says wistfully . " I wish I was a little smarter when I was younger -- given my back more rest , juggled it with fl ats ." High heels --more fashionable than functional -- are the unlikely topic of international debate . It is also news . A multinational fi red a temporary hire from its London offi ce for daring to go fl at . A waitress in a Canadian diner posted a picture of her bloodied toes after being forced to wear high heels . Hollywood superstar Julia Roberts launched the noisiest counter , turning up barefoot on the Cannes red carpet . RULES OF THE GAME While heels --kitten to killer stilettoes --are a part of dressing up in the West , they are still relatively new in
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India . Only certain sectors-- hospitality and airline industries , besides some corporates , -- have dress codes where employees are even advised on the height of the heel . The only choice is two inches , or four . Bengaluru-based Michelle , who started out in the airline industry before shifting to hospitality and fi nally branching out on her own , says heels lend elegance to the attire , especially a sari . " Even now , when I have an important client meeting , I pair high heels ( four inches ) with a sari or a dress , it completes the power dressing . But if I ' m getting off an airplane and rushing for a meeting , then I go for fl ats ." When asked to detail the struggle of negotiating 8-10 hour work days in heels , Michelle refuses to drop her guard . " When I had to wear heels all the time , I envied people wearing fl ats ," she says , " It ' s easy to take these choices for granted ." Suffering to look good is the oldest beauty tip . It came down from fairy and folk tales , and was largely considered a female thing . Not heels though ; they were fi rst worn by men . MEN IN HEELS Their origins can be traced to Persian horse riders of the 9th century , who used them ( two inches ) to secure feet in stirrups . They were also used by the cavalries for better grip when shooting arrows at the enemy . In medieval Europe , the high heel was a status symbol , used by the ruling class as a sign of authority . The taller the shoe , the higher the position of the wearer . French designers turned the status symbol into a feminine style statement following the second World War . The stiletto has been credited to Roger Vivier , who created ' the needle ' in 1954 . Chytra Anand , a cosmetic dermatologist , whose footwear collection has gone over the 250-plus mark , of which 90 % are of the skyscraper range , argues that sometimes the only choice you have is whether or not