As a 5’ 1” girl, I suffer neck pains from straining to tilt my head upward to talk to anyone. At parties and concerts, I felt at a disadvantage because of my height – literally overlooked. My height, in combination with my love of fashion, fueled my passion for heels and wedges.
Starting at a young age, I would always play dress up with my mom’s heels. To me, heels were the most incredible invention and fashion’s ultimate accessory. Heels and wedges made me both taller and trendier.
I’ve never seen more girls in higher heels than in college. Wearing four, five or six inch platform stilettos or wedges average height girls turn into amazons. A simple jeans and shirt outfit are complete by throwing on a pair of edgy wedges.
I made the mistake once of wearing boots instead of heels. I was an oompa-loompa lost in a room of giants. Never again would I be caught in a social scene wearing less than four-inch heels! My love for heels and wedges grew. My appreciation for them as an art led to my large collection of 20 pairs.
I admit, I still am – despite my unfortunate incident – obsessed with heels and wedges. As a dancer and a compulsive shopper, I was experienced in the heel and wedge department. The taller the heel, the better I was at balancing, walking, dancing, jumping, and even running. One thing, for sure, is I never thought heels would ever slow me down.
I waited months for my dream Jeffrey Campbell’s to go on sale. Excited about my purchase, or should I say investment as they would add height and glamour to my life, I called my mother to inform her about the bargain. The minute I sent her a link to the picture, she joked, “Those look like an accident waiting to happen.” It turned out, she was right and those Jeffrey Campbell Spiked Litas would be the most expensive heels I would ever buy.
Maybe it was my over confidence? Or was it my sheer excitement to break in my new pair of Jeffrey Campbell Black Spiked Litas? Whatever the cause, my brand new on-sale heels have been shelved for a long period of time to remain on display.
My passion and talent for wearing heels failed me. Caught off guard, I was accidentally pushed causing me to lose my balance. Wearing my five and a half inch Lita’s, my heel gave out from under me as I rolled my ankle.
I had seen my fair share of girls tripping over their heels and rolling their ankles. I did not imagine I would ever be one of those girls who had trouble walking in heels. Beyond my worst nightmare, I didn’t think my incident would result in a broken ankle leading to immediate surgery and two screws.
Talking to my doctor and sharing my story, it came to my attention that I am not the first and certainly will not be the last girl to suffer a painful injury and tragic incident from wearing stylish yet dangerously high heels. From going to clubs, walking to and from the bars, and dancing at frat parties, my peers had too rolled their ankles over their four to six inch heels and yet no college girl seems concerned that the reality is heels are dangerous and we need to walk with caution!
My mother had literally said my five and a half inch Jeffrey Campbell Spiked Lita heels were an “accident waiting to happen.” Perhaps it is only appropriate for heels to come with a warning label. Platform and heel heights are continuously getting higher. I have learned to accept my petite height and know to, in the future when I am once again allowed to wear heels, buy a shoe with appropriate height. Though my experience is a rare one, it is important for petite girls like me to be aware of the danger when wearing heels to increase their height and dress up an outfit.
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Article Representation and Photo (Top): Karma Loop