Fashion pains

In the 1950s/60s, Buster Brown, Gregg Shoes, and Ang Tibay were the most popular brands for school shoes.  The style for girls was called Mary Jane.  They were closed and low-cut shoes with one or two straps across the instep.  The straps protected the feet so you had no worries about losing the shoes when playing rough in school.  They were typically made of black leather, worn with bobby socks, and built to last through several summers.  My feet stopped growing at 7.0 inches (Western size 4 or European 34), blame that on my Chinese genes, which meant I hardly replaced school shoes.

 At 13, I bugged my mother, “Please, please buy me high heels.”  “If you can find any shoe store that carries ‘sample’ sizes, I’ll get a pair for you,” she replied. That ended my harping.  On my first trip to Spain, I was bent on tracking down my shoe size.  “What is your smallest pair of shoes?”  I asked.  The sales attendant didn’t flinch, she replied, “Size 4.”  Whoa!  Size 4?”  She disappeared to the stock room and emerged with four boxes.  I slipped into the first pair and tadah, they fit!  My mom had no choice but to buy them.  I quickly dumped Mary Jane for my Lollobrigida heels and wore them around El Escorial, Valle de los Caidos and other historical spots in Spain.  However, after a full day of touring, I was dying.  First, I could not keep my balance.  Second, the leather was so thick that it rubbed against my heel and broke my skin.  I was too proud (and scared) to tell my mom that I wanted my old Mary Jane back for relief and comfort.  When we returned to Manila, I had wretched, ugly calluses on my heels, the silly price I paid to feel grown-up.  To this day, I still have those horrible scars that not even a podiatrist could remove. “Even if I operate on you,” he said,  “you will still get those red bumps on your heels; your bone has actually protruded as a defense against the constant rubbing.  Those are not calluses anymore, only thickened bones.”  Were the high heels worth the torture?  Inakupo, no-no-no.

High heels are pincers from hell.  Although they can flatter your figure, making you look taller and slimmer, they throw off the balance of your entire body.  Your body weight is not evenly distributed — explains why shoes get worn out on one side first — and it is forced forward, which puts a lot of dangerous strain and pain on your knees, hips, and lower back.

I bite my knuckles whenever I see fashion models parade in ruler-high killer heels that could result in nasty accidents and broken hips and bones. 

• High heels are considered one of the health risks of fashion’s sometimes extreme styles.  An Internet survey cautioned, “Watch out for painful bunions from tight-fitting shoes.”  (Tell me about it).  For special occasions, wear high heels, but make sure they’re the old broken-in pair so that you can literally walk on air, dance, and enjoy the affair without resorting to taking them off.  On the other hand, I was surprised to learn that ballet flats are not the answer either (Shoot!  They are my uniform footwear these days).  “Their lack of structure and support can lead to Achilles tendon inflammation, calf tightness, and plantar fasciitis.”  The latter is the pain and inflammation of a thick band of tissue — the plantar fascia — that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes.  Fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain.  Be sure to stretch out your calves if you wear flats.  Otherwise, try to alternate between shoe styles and never wear the same pair on consecutive days.

The other extreme styles to avoid:

• Stretch jeans.  The survey gave a test:  “If you feel constricted when you sit down, the jeans are too tight.”  What’s the harm? They can put unwanted pressure on vital spinal nerves. “They can clamp down the lateral femoral nerve, leading to a tingly, numb feeling known as meralgia paresthetica compression.”  To avoid this, wear slightly loose, stretchy pants that don’t put too much pressure on the abdomen.   Choose from breathable material like cotton or linen to avoid fungal infections.  When on long-haul trips, consider wearing jogging pants that come in a variety of styles and colors.  They are also easy to wash and dry.  

• Huge heavy bags.  Weigh the empty bag first to check how heavy it is.  Funny how we are already overweight even before we begin our journey.  Be aware that carrying heavy bags can lead to speedy inflammation and wear of the shoulder joint.  “Chronic, one-sided use can lead to imbalanced back muscles and a slanted, disfigured posture.”  Limit what you carry to under 10 lbs.  Be sure to switch the bag between the two shoulders, often. 

• Belts and corsets.  Everybody has discovered the miracle undergarment called “Spanx” to get rid of all body ridges, humps, and bumps.  What we fail to realize is that anything that holds your tummy is pressing in on your internal organs and weakening your abdominal muscles.  Being made of synthetic material, they are also hot and uncomfortable.  Wear them only if you want to cover your Botero figure.  Sara Blakely, inventor of Spanx, wanted to get rid of ugly panty lines and body imperfection.  But imagine a plastic bottle filled with water; if you pinch the middle portion, the liquid must exit on top or at the bottom.  Might not your whole body turn blue if you self-strangulate?

We can still follow fashion trends so long as we’ve taken all the right precautions to avoid pain-bearing and self-choking accessories.  Remember, you should be able to breathe easy without snapping out your zipper and buttons.