My black leather stiletto boots click-clacked against the red stone floor of the elite East Coast university, echoing down the aged marble hallways, attracting darting eyes and bashful stares from the students milling about, chatting in hushed tones. I loved the catlike feminine power I felt swaying languorously about in high heels, a redhead elevated above the pedestrian crowd, a stunning figure towering over others. I'm 5'7 barefoot so heels made me frequently taller than the average 5'10 male, much to their chagrin. Fellas, short guys are hot. Tall guys are hot. It's about being a good person.
Anyway, I digress.
I was 20 years old and visiting my college boyfriend at his school on a chilly fall weekend. He had a high heels fetish and had just bought me a pair of luscious Stuart Weitzman thigh high stiletto boots (I've attached a photo of the boots above, which, interestingly enough, are still sold online). We were headed to a lecture by a well known artist and I dressed up for the occasion, loving the attention my high heels always attracted. I wore them with a denim mini skirt and a black turtle neck, feeling very much the slutty college girl that I was (actually, I had the same boyfriend throughout college so I really only got slutty with him, sorry to disappoint).
That night we sat around a large desk listening to an esteemed artist lecture, our legs hidden from view and I took advantage of the situation, using my high heels to massage my lover underneath the table. After 90 minutes of this erotic teasing, my date was more than ready to return back to his dorm room where my heels most definitely stayed on.
Years later, I am livid that I gave those gorgeous boots away. But they immediately spring to mind when I sat down to write about a topic that's near and dear to my heart, while asking myself: Why are high heels so popular with sex workers? Long before my days as the elite NYC redhead escort du jour, I found myself obsessed with high heels. Why are they so erotically appealing?
In this post I'll also be exploring altocalciphilia, also known as high heel fetishism, or a sexual attraction to high-heeled shoes. The fetish can manifest as a desire to wear high heels, see others wear them, or touch, smell, and taste the shoes. The sensation of wearing heels and the clacking sounds they make are also often a part of this fetish.
High heels are a paradox. On the one hand, they symbolize femininity, totally and utterly. There is nothing about a pair of heels that makes you think of the masculine. Yet they simultaneously symbolize power, something not inherently feminine. Not to get all feministy on you, but we live in a culture where our politicians, community leaders, Hollywood studio managers, CEO's and the majority of powerful roles are given to men. Power is a masculine trait. So why do high heels symbolize power?
Sexual power/eroticism is associated with high heels because they quite literally make a woman appear more attractive. Many scientific studies have found that high heels “serve to signal, subtly, women's interest in engaging in a sexual relationship, since sexual desire is linked with inclination to purchase high heel shoes” A study featured women walking on treadmills with lights on the high heels, while darkness obscured any other characteristics and men found the women wearing high heels to be more attractive than women wearing flats. It's a signal to men that we're willing to undergo discomfort to appear more attractive. High heels say, hey fellas, look at me, I want you.
Heels also quite literally make our feminine physiques more attractive to the male gaze. Did you know that high heels can make your butt look lifted by 20%? They also lengthen the legs and elongate the wearer's figure. We literally look thinner when wearing high heels. Thinness is often associated with beauty in our culture. Additionally, our butt is tilted out when in heels, mimicking the "lordosis" position that most mammals assume before consummating their relationship so ancient biological instincts are reinforcing the appeal of heels. The way women walk in high heels is also perceived by men to be more elegant and feminine. High heels adjust the posture of your spine, increase pelvic tilt, and enhance the appearance of the chest and hips, all of which contribute to men perceiving a woman’s gait in heels as more erotic.
Since a woman with sexual power is a powerful woman, high heels signify power because men find women wearing high heels to be more sexually attractive than women wearing regular shoes. High heels are a powerful tool for companions because they make us look damn good physically. And men perceive us to be more "elegant and feminine" when wearing heels according to studies that have been done. Most sex workers don't want to look "cheap and masculine" during an appointment so most of us wear heels during dates and in ads. Unless your very crunchy granola, and I mean VERY crunchy granola, you're wearing heels in your marketing photos. It doesn't make sense NOT to wear heels, unless you want to appear sloppy. If we're doing a casual or nature nymph shoot then maybe we ditch the heels, but otherwise, it's a prerequisite for many boudoir and fetish photoshoots.
High heels are also a focal point for many BDSM scenes. When I'm domming, I'm able to enter a totally different headspace and like any performer, I need a costume. This often includes high heels. Many subs enjoy wearing my heels as part of a session, as it is quite funny watching them teeter over and attempt to fetch me things while off balance. The clicking sound of high heels, the visual appeal of the lengthened leg, touching the soft leather: heels provide a source of entertainment and creativity in many of the scenes I play out with kinky friends. One of my subs loves to clean my heels with his tongue. To him it is the ultimate act of service. He also is a foot guy and loves to slowly massage my tired feet after I've worn my stilettos for a while. Some subs enjoy being trampled by a beautiful woman wearing high heels, which can be quite dangerous so do your research before attempting this. We don't want any busted organs.
Most of my experience with heels is of a more "vanilla" kind. My suitors enjoy how my already lithe legs appear lengthened in a pair of spikey heels and often request that I wear them to dinner or out on dates to the movies, an art gallery or even an arcade because heels can be dressed up or down. Part of the allure of being with a beautiful woman is showing off her beauty in public. For clients that are turned on by heels, the public wearing of gifted heels provides an erotic thrill. They know how other men are watching and admiring my legs as I strut by in a pair of sexy heels. This is a powerful ego booster and gets a high heels lover even more revved up for the activities soon to be enjoyed in the bedroom suite.
I've found that high heel guys aren't always into feet, quite the opposite for some. They find feet to be repulsive and one lover of high heels told me, "Please keep your heels on for our date, don't ever take them off. I have an aversion to feet" so I was careful to keep them on, even when it came time to roll in the hay after dinner. The disgust some men feel around feet is part of their fetish for heels. Heels are safe, sexy and contain the nasty, oh-so-dangerous feet.
And let's not forget that feet and sex organs are linked within our brains. According to neurologist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, they occupy adjacent areas of the somatosensory cortex and could, as he describes, interchange. This blog post isn't about feet but since heels are worn on the feet, I find it an important aspect to mention. Foot/high heels fetishes feature prominently in today's popular culture, with many a Quentin Tarantino film referencing shoes/feet as it's well known he has a thing for heels. My first thought when it comes to pop culture and feet is the Sex and the City episode where Charlotte meets a foot fetishist shoe salesman. Basically, she is a foot fetish sex worker for a bit, letting the salesman feel her feet in exchange for some gorgeous (and expensive) high heels.
It's pretty ridiculous and entertaining, reminding me of my college days working in the high end "Salon" shoes department at Nordstrom. I was promoted there after the Hosiery department because commission was high and so were the price tags so I requested a move to this highly lucrative department. I almost sold Judge Judy a pair of Staurt Weitzman heels, my brush with fame. Many of my coworkers were men and I wondered if they were secret foot or high heel worshippers because some of them could sell shoes better than I could and with an expert touch, always ranking top in the entire store for sales. They gave a male perspective to female customers, and when they said a woman looked great in a pair of shoes, it often held more weight than when a female salesperson said the same because most of our customers sought approval from the male gaze.
I'm leaving the downer bit of info for the ending of this blog. Let's discuss how horrific high heels are for women's health. I have damage in my lower back, knees and ankles from wearing high heels so religiously from a young age. High heels transfer weight onto the balls of our feet, when our weight should be evenly distributed throughout the heel. Our toes are designed for flexibility and not strength and can't hold our weight, causing foot pain, calluses, ingrown toenails, corns and stress fractures. I know this is a sexy blog, but the dangers of high heels should be considered. I think heels should be reserved for special occasions, dinners, dates, romps in the hay, but not something we wear 24/7.
Our lower body leans forward to balance on our toes, which means our upper body must lean backward to compensate. This posture places an excessive amount of stress on our knees, hip flexors, and lower back. Joints can even be pulled out of alignment.
Our muscles and tendons (namely the Achilles tendon) can actually shorten and contract if we wear heels daily, making it difficult to walk—even in flats!
Let's also consider how our center of gravity changes, putting muscles, tendons, and joints under the physical strain from walking in such an unnatural way. Additionally, being off-balance makes ankle sprains, trips, and falls more likely. I fell in heels too many times to count, but that also was due to my being drunk in college during icy winters.
The connection between men's attraction to women wearing high heels and the fact that heels slow us down/cause women to be "weaker" and in need of saving is an interesting facet to explore. Some believe that a woman wearing high heels brings out that deeper instinct to "protect" and save women that some men have. We obviously walk differently and at a slower pace, women literally can't keep up with the pack when strutting in heels. But we also no longer live in packs.
All I know is how high heels make me feel, how they give me a heightened feeling of feminine sensuality. I love admiring beautiful boudoir photos of other providers wearing elegant heels with a matching lingerie set. There's something erotic about high heels and I'm obviously one of many who feel an attraction to high heels.
If you read this far, thank you so much! It would really help me out if you could retweet my Twitter/X post advertising this blog! I'd also love it if you answered the following questions by leaving me a comment on my Twitter: Do you think high heels are sexy? Have you ever bought a woman high heels? What is so attractive to you about high heels?
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