Feet or Brains?

A few thoughts...

Close crop of a news photo. Instead of balancing on their toes all day, men walk in comfort.

Before 1920, we women could not vote. Slowly we are gaining ground at many levels, including the political arena, but not enough and not fast enough. "Over the course of our nation's history, we have had nearly two thousand men in the Senate--but only fifty women!" [Nevertheless She Persisted by Senator Amy Klobuchar] Despite progress in female political representation, a woman has yet to be elected to the highest office

A hundred years ago, many men believed "women shouldn't worry their pretty little heads about politics." The best option for our gender to gain power used to be through the men we "caught" and married. In those times, surface impressions were especially important for a woman's climb upward but today, in the 21st century, women seem to continue to seek power through outward appearances. 

I am talking especially about women's feet. We torture ourselves with our footwear choices. Why? Studies have shown that women get more positive attention from men when wearing stilettos.* This helps our self-esteem. We feel sexier because of how high heels make our legs look longer and how these shoes force our hips to move in an alluring way. There is also the additional height that brings us closer to eye-to-eye contact with men.

But this is at a cost to our spines and the health of our feet. Is it really worth it? Perhaps, instead of accepting what has long been the norm, we should work on changing universal perceptions.

Think about this. What man would go through this type of pain to attract attention? What man would sacrifice his feet for power? What man would wear stilettos and accept that it is necessary to be successful?

We women are at least as smart as men but our choices do not always show it. When it comes to raising ourselves up, stilettos only accomplish this on a superficial level.  It's about time we used our brains instead of our feet!

* For a much better perspective on this topic, readers should check out an informative and balanced article by Stacey Hutson. 

https://www.thelist.com/33317/real-reasons-women-wear-heels/

(Like all females, Bonnie Schupp once coveted very high heels as a teenager, looking forward to the sophistication and status associated with this footwear. After a short time, however, she concluded that she was not a masochist and does not own high heeled shoes. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Liberal Arts and a Doctor of Communication Design. Her feet are happy.)

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Other articles you might want to explore: 

"Some female festival-goers were barred from the red carpet for wearing flat shoes. Mais naturellement – because in order to be truly chic, a woman should be hobbled and in physical pain from her footwear." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/20/heels-cannes-red-carpet-flat-shoes   

The Most Unfeminist Clothing in History. https://www.bustle.com/articles/158188-the-most-unfeminist-clothing-in-history 

The Fate of Women. http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-fate-of-women.html

The Fate of Women

Her poor feet!

Photo crop of Melania Trump's feet with toes crunched

into unnatural points. Stilettos force the

body forward so that the balls of the feet must

 support weight in an unnatural manner. (1)   

Recent images from the news media have drawn my attention to women’s dress but before I explain what bothers me, let me make some things clear from the start:

- I am a woman. I am not a prude.

- I do not blame women for being assaulted if they are wearing skimpy clothing. It is the man’s fault for not controlling himself. 

- I also feel women should dress sexy in appropriate settings if they wish. Show some cleavage and strut your stuff. Have fun!

- I have experienced beaches in France and have no problem with topless women (or men) on the beach.

- I am not a fan of shaming women. There has been too much of that throughout history.

I do, however, have a problem with expectations concerning women’s dress in today’s professional world.

For example, why do women continue to wear tortuous footwear such as pointy toes, high heels and stilettos? Men say it is sexy and women say it makes them feel sexy. A 2015 study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior concluded that the higher the heel, the more attention men paid to women. (1) Some women say it makes them feel and look more powerful. Some say it helps them advance in their careers. Really? 

When I was 12-years-old, my mother told me I was finally old enough to wear high heels. I was excited; I had come of age! This was a big deal for me—until I started wearing pointy shoes with high heels and realized that it wasn’t all it was chalked up to be. Although it was uncomfortable, as a teen, I followed female fashion and was always eager to kick off my shoes as soon as I could. It has been more than 50 years since I’ve attempted to wear really high heels and, although I’m in my 70’s now, my feet look rather young. I’ve never had bunions, hammertoes, metatarsalgia or pump bump—conditions resulting from fashionable footwear. Personally, I am not a masochist.

Podiatrist Michael Liebow claimed to the Washington Post, “Women will wear their high-heeled shoes until their feet are bloody stumps.” (2) In a 2014 study, the American Podiatric Association found that 38 percent of women reported they would wear shoes they liked even if they were uncomfortable. And 71 percent said they have foot problems related to high heels. (3)

In 2018, we are participating in a modern version of the ancient Chinese tradition of foot binding, the result of societal pressure. "The practice of binding feet was not only considered beautiful, it was considered necessary in order to get married and to have a better life." (4) Does this sound familiar to the claim today that high heels are sexy and help women to succeed? We may not bind feet but we certainly shackle women’s ability to be pain free and to move with the same ease as men.

Television screen shot of CNN

I also wonder why women feel obligated to wear dresses and skirts for state events. Notice on television, when women sit while wearing skirts and dresses, they wind up  constantly tugging at their clothing to pull it down. It is okay in an entertainment situation but not in professional situations. Look at the image of Sarah Sanders in her “professional” situation, showing most of her thigh. Can you imagine a man in a professional situation unbuttoning his shirt so you can see his chest hair? Of course not! It would be too undignified. And it is too undignified for a professional woman to expose herself as Sarah did in her press conference setting. Hillary Clinton has received a lot of flak about her pants suits but she’s one of the few serious women in politics who consistently goes against the “expectation” that women should wear skirts and dresses. And she doesn’t wear stilettos either. Good for her! Some might argue that professional men are expected to wear a tie. Okay, but wearing a tie does not demean or damage health.

Women may “hold up half the sky” but we are not yet represented equally in professional and government positions. Why do women continue to dress according to “expectations” even at the expense of our health, dignity and freedom? Social expectations can subjugate women. When it comes to dress in the professional world, women make themselves victims. We will never hold up half the sky professionally until we quit bowing to men’s dress expectations.

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(1) Photo crop of Melania Trump’s feet at the National Gallery of Art on Tuesday. Credit Erin Schaff for The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/style/melania-trump-white-hat.html   
(2) https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/high-heeled-shoes-may-look-good-but-theyre-bad-for-your-feet/2013/06/17/54945c14-c22d-11e2-914f-a7aba60512a7_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9f818f0275f2

(3) https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/05/arch-enemies/478350/

(4) https://www.buzzfeed.com/hayleycampbell/lotus-feet?utm_term=.ljBjBJlOO#.aixoaq4kk

More

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/women-high-heels-at-work_us_5734a3fce4b08f96c1825bbd

http://www.thespinehealthinstitute.com/news-room/health-blog/how-high-heels-affect-your-body

http://www.thelist.com/33317/real-reasons-women-wear-heels/

http://time.com/3595843/women-high-heels/ 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10508-014-0422-z     

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-footbinding-persisted-china-millennium-180953971/

“Foot-binding is said to have been inspired by a tenth-century court dancer named Yao Niang who bound her feet into the shape of a new moon. She entranced Emperor Li Yu by dancing on her toes inside a six-foot golden lotus festooned with ribbons and precious stones. In addition to altering the shape of the foot, the practice also produced a particular sort of gait that relied on the thigh and buttock muscles for support. From the start, foot-binding was imbued with erotic overtones. Gradually, other court ladies—with money, time and a void to fill—took up foot-binding, making it a status symbol among the elite.”

Day 122 Onomatopoeia

April 10, 2015

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and illustrate a blog on each day's gift.)

It was a sound that resonated to my bones and vibrated my heart. It was a sound that was an invisible touch.  It was purr-fect music and therapy from Misty, a senior cat with one green eye and one blue eye.

Misty lives with us now but she has a checkered past. My mother hated cats and would not allow any in her house but after she died, my father went to the shelter and picked out what turned out to be a very special cat he named Misty. She had been pregnant when the shelter got her but not much else is known about her early life. Misty brought comfort to my father who so missed his wife of more than 50 years, but when his Parkinson’s progressed, he had to sell his home and eventually move into a senior community. There was not enough physical space in his small apartment for a litter box. That was when David and I offered to take her. Then when we went to New Zealand and Australia, my father’s friend Ann, a childless widow, said she would look after Misty. They became so attached that we relinquished Misty to continue her mission in life as healer to the elderly. After six years, Ann passed away and now Misty has returned to us. 

This morning, Misty greeted and followed me around the house with her soft motor never stopping. It is a good sound that strokes the emotions. Some research has found that the vibrational frequency of a cat’s purr is beneficial to both cats and humans: it lowers stress, decreases symptoms of dyspnea, lowers blood pressure, promotes bone strength, reduces risk of heart attacks, helps healing of infection and swelling, helps with pain relief and helps healing of soft tissue. A cat lives in the assisted living facility at Oak Crest and it seems for good reasons. I cannot prove the science but I am witness to the psychological advantages. I would like to receive all of these physical benefits except I am allergic to cats. But that does not stop me from hearing and feeling Misty’s purr.

My gift today is a cat’s purr.

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> Day 123 - Steeples

You can find links to my other posts on this project here: http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html

Day 8 - Good News / Bad News

December 17, 2014

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year. Each day I will find a gift the day brings, write about it and illustrate it.)

Part of being alive is the “good news”/ “bad news” seesaw. For example, “Good news—you will live.” “Bad news—you will feel miserable for a week with that bad cold.” The good news regarding this example is that right now I do not have a bad cold. The bad news is that there is no cure for the common cold.

Today I saw my ophthalmologist. Several years ago I had cataract surgery in both eyes and now I enjoy 20-20 distant vision. However, my arms have grown too short for reading so I wear cheap drugstore magnifying reading glasses for close-up vision.

Not bad at my age, but eyes, like parts of an old car, always show signs of wear over the years. One of my eyes is beginning to show the type of deterioration that eventually leads to macular degeneration. Definitely not good news. However, as I ride to the top of the seesaw, I remind myself that I am lucky to live at this time in history. Medical research offers so much these days. My doctor reminded me that vitamins and dark green leafy vegetables appear to slow down the degenerative process. I guess there will be extra helpings of certain vegetables on my plate from now on.

The good news is that I love spinach and kale. The bad news is that my digestive system does not.

Today’s gift is incentive.

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> DAY 9 Board Games
 

You can read my other posts on this project here:

http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html

Mosquito Pool Update

October 2014 Still a mess but no longer a cess pool.

August 2014 Some progress

Mosquito nursery site in Pasadena. July 2014

This is the third summer that my next door neighbor has been breeding mosquitoes. The first and second years, other concerned neighbors on my block added bleach to the pool to try to kill mosquito larvae. This year, I finally notified the health department. Not long after that, the side poles were dismantled but now this is four weeks later. The defunct pool is still breeding just as many mosquitoes.

Anne Arundel County has a huge mosquito problem and our neighborhood has been sprayed recently. I suspect that this pool has negated the spraying on our block because I am itching more than ever.

Here is the original post on the second year of this mosquito nursery:

http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2013/06/itching-in-anne-arundel-county-maryland.html