I promise this is not a Mechanics of Materials or Structural Engineering related post, but a concept that I will use to explain my thoughts on women wearing heels.
It’s too bad , but you just have to suck it up if you were born 4′-11 ¾” tall. Although, adding a 4¾” stilletoincreases your height by almost 8%, I cannot begin to describe what that does to a person’s gait.
Nature is wonderful in its ways. You may wonder why there is so much contact area underneath a person. A person’s feet size is roughly proportional to that person’s height and built (and no, this is not by accident). It is to help distribute the persons weight over a larger contact area that reduces the contact stress.
When I am sitting down waiting for board an airplane or sitting down at the mall (while the wife is shopping), I look at woman’s shoes and their gait. You can stop with the Ooohs!! and the aaaahs!!! now..
A stilleto with a contact area of about 1 in2 at the ground and maybe 4 in2 at the point the stilleto meets your foot increases the contact stress by a few times. All you men (and women): Look real south next time you stare down an opposite sex and you will see how much stress is put on the calf muscles and heels.
Is it really worth being 10% taller and limp?
