Photo credit: 123RF / Antonio Ribeiro
I’ll admit it! I haven’t seen the new summer blockbuster, Jurassic World. And I’m not sure if I’ll go to see it or not. But I’ve certainly been intrigued by all of the media coverage about the main female character’s choice of footwear – high heels – throughout her ordeal of evading dinosaurs. So much so that I had to do a little more research on what was being said in the media.
In the movie, Claire Dearing, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, is the theme park’s operations manager. She is an icy, career-oriented businesswoman who’s obsessed with her company’s profit margins. She is supposed to be meeting with some important investors that day about funding for bigger dinosaur attractions.
Granted, I can understand that a character like hers would be wearing a skirt suit and pumps for this type of meeting. That makes sense. That’s entirely appropriate for her job.
What doesn’t make sense is why she would continue wearing 3.5 inch heels once the Indominus rex – a really scary, hybrid dinosaur escapes its enclosure – and her nephews wander off to explore the grounds even though everyone is supposed to be evacuating the theme park. Any normal person would have ditched the shoes as soon as possible, but not this woman. Somehow, she manages to run across slick stone floors and through the muddy jungle – all while never stumbling, tripping, rolling an ankle or even breaking a heel. It’s a little too unbelievable! (As if cloned and genetically-modified dinosaurs are believable in the first place. But it’s a sci-fi movie – so you’re supposed to suspend belief for that kind of stuff.)
How High Heels Change Your Posture and Gait
When you wear high heels, they cause you to shift your posture which alters your gait. High heels push the center of mass in your body forward which takes your hips and spine out of alignment. Also, your knees must stay bent and forward as you walk. To compensate for the forward shift of your lower body, your upper body has to adjust backward to help you maintain your balance. Because your weight is forced forward, the metatarsal heads in your feet have to bear most of your body weight. And as the height of the heels goes up, so does the amount of pressure on your forefoot.
High heels force you to walk with your feet in a fixed downward position, so your feet aren’t able to help “push off” as you walk. This action causes the hip flexor muscles in your legs to work harder.
While high heels can give you the appearance of a “sexy” curve in your spine and long, toned legs, the adjustments in your body can lead to chronic pain in your feet, legs, knees, lower back and spine. Some foot and ankle problems you can suffer from due to high heel usage include bunions, hammertoes, neuromas, metatarsalgia and Achilles tendonitis.
Additionally, high heels can cause you to lose your balance more easily. Since high heels shoes have less surface area on the ground than flats, they’re not as stable. Also, high heels cause your calf muscles to shorten and your Achilles tendon to become boarder and stiffer. This action forces the muscles on the outside of your lower legs to work harder to keep you balanced on unstable ankles. Eventually, your lower leg muscles become more and more fatigued, increasing your risk of losing your balance which can lead to ankle sprains.
High Heels and Dinosaurs – A Disaster that Should Have Happened
Photo credit: 123RF / Olena Zackochenko
So, as you can see, the plausibility of someone fleeing from giant, terrifying dinosaurs while wearing high heels is highly unlikely – especially if you never slip, get stuck in the mud, or take a tumble once. In fact, the character’s high heels are so absurd that they become the source of running joke within the movie.
While Bryce Dallas Howard may think her character’s high heels show the character’s femininity and strength, I don’t think the character’s femininity or strength would be much of a match against “real” dinosaurs – in or out of high heels – if dinosaurs really did still exist.
What I can say is, while I don’t advise wearing heels over 2 inches in height or wearing high heels for long periods of time in real life, Howard’s choice of having her movie character wear high heels maybe wasn’t such a dumb idea. After all, it did get everyone talking about the movie and her character – so maybe it’s a stupid idea that wasn’t so stupid.
Give Your Feet the Support They Need
In real life, you may not be running from dinosaurs in high heels, but you may need to run to a meeting or to catch a bus. Therefore, you need to provide your feet with a proper foundation for better support and stability. ezWalker® Performance Custom Orthotics are biomechanically designed to the contour of each of your feet, so your feet receive the customized support they need. Our custom orthotics help relieve the pressure on the balls of your feet and toes. So you’ll not only walk better, but your feet and entire body will experience less stress and fatigue.
ezWalker® Performance Custom Orthotics are ultra thin and ¾ length, so they fit in any type of footwear – even sandals with the help of a piece of Velcro. Visit the WalkEZStore for more information. Or, order your pair of ezWalker® custom orthotics today.
Because … when your feet feel good, you feel good.®
