I’ve got an embarrassing confession to make. I’m 26 years old and I can barely walk in heels.
It doesn’t matter if they’re kitten heels, pumps, wedges, or platforms. If those bad boys exceed an inch, then chances are you’ll catch me either moving at a snail’s pace or falling flat on my face after a few steps. It’s quite shameful, really. But at the same time, it’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one who understands the struggle.
We all know that heels can offer a great height boost, accentuate the legs, and best of all, upgrade any outfit. That’s more than enough inspiration to actually train ourselves to master the craft, but sometimes, even practicing doesn’t feel like enough. And while some ladies manage to make it look super easy, we’re constantly reminded of the fact that walking in heels is actually tough and quite painful too.
See all the struggles you’ll totally relate to if walking in heels isn’t your forte.
1. Spotting a pair of gorgeous high heels at the store and knowing you’ll never ever get to own them.
You’d be walking down the street, minding your own business when suddenly, a pair of gorgeous heels catch your eye in a store display. It’s love at first sight. But there’s just one problem: the heels are insanely high.
Nothing’s quite as disappointing as falling in love with shoes that you can’t even wear. And if you happen to spot them in your size and they’re on sale… That’s just way too painful.
2. But trying them on anyway, just to admire how amazing they look on your feet.
Have you ever fallen so deeply in love with heels that you tried them on, even though you had no intention of buying them? That’s basically us every time we happen to walk into a shoe store. Even if we aren’t shopping for heels, we can’t resist trying on a cute pair and snapping a ton of pics.
The most heartbreaking moment is when we’re forced to take them off and let them go. Unless there’s a once-in-a-lifetime sale going on. Because in that case, we just might purchase them…
3. Growing so obsessed with a pair that you actually buy them… Only to keep them in the corner of your closet as they gather dust.
Well, who hasn’t given in to the temptation at least once? Yeah, it’s a struggle to stand up straight in those heels, but that won’t stop you because they look oh-so pretty on your feet and you’re getting the deal of a lifetime. Besides, who’s to say you won’t (eventually) learn how to walk in them?
In some cases, days, weeks, and months will pass… and still, you can’t walk in heels. Once in a while, you might feel brave and try them out for a special occasion. But honestly, those heels will barely see the light of day.
4. The amount of tutorials you’ve watched on how to walk in heels is embarrassing.
Growing up, we assumed that flawlessly walking in heels was an instant reflex that would develop once we grew boobs. As if. To our dismay, we realized it’s a skill that takes tons of practice.
Those YouTube tutorials can be really helpful. However, they can only do so much. Sometimes we wish we could just wave a magic wand to make ourselves walk gracefully in heels.
5. Failing to take more than two steps in heels without losing your balance and falling.
Honestly though, balancing yourself in heels feels as tough as walking on a tight rope. And it’s especially hard when those heels are thin! All it takes is one little misstep and you can tip over and fall, so when we do wear them, people can’t blame you for grabbing at anything and everything to help you keep your balance.
This is exactly why it’s best to have someone around when you’re trying to walk in heels. They could honestly save you from destroying your precious feet (and your face when you’re saved from falling on it).
6. And if you do manage to take more than two steps, you either do it at a snail’s pace or end up walking like this.
When you’re walking in heels, you are the opposite of graceful. But you power through it and pretend to be fine anyway because your heels look gorgeous and they were the only thing in your closet that went with your outfit.
We’ve all had at least one awkward experience where we kept waddling or limping in heels. But despite the pain, we kept on smiling. Or grimacing, rather.
7. Freaking out because you feel like you’ll break your feet.
There is literally nothing worse than being stuck in heels for hours at a time (with no sneakers or flats for backup). You can already feel the blisters forming and with every step you make, you feel like your feet will burst into flames. Beauty should not be so painful, guys!
This is exactly why famous ladies like Shailene Woodley and Kristen Stewart have ditched their heels at public events to be more comfortable on the red carpet. Like, why go through the torture when you can just let your feet be free?
8. Feeling like you’re less dressed up at special events because you’re the only one not wearing heels.
It is such a bummer when you feel like the only female without heels at a party or special occasion. Even if your outfit looks amazing, you can’t help but feel a bit left out. Because everyone else is decked out in pumps, stilettos, and platforms while you’re stuck in a pair of flats.
Still, you can take solace in the fact that you don’t have to feel so much pain. Your toes will be free of blisters the next morning!
9. And feeling extra tiny too (even if you’re not that short).
One of the benefits of wearing heels is that they give you a major height boost. So when you’re in flat shoes and you’re standing among tall women in heels, it’s pretty awkward. Especially if you’re really short and you have to look up at *literally* everyone.
Even if you’re quite tall compared to your friends, you’ll tend to feel a bit out of place too. Trust us, we’ve been there.
10. Totally ignoring your lack of skill and wearing heels anyway.
And by this we mean going out with literally no preparation at all. Sometimes, we’ll convince ourselves that we can magically develop the ability to walk in them as soon as we put them on. But of course, a few steps out the door will tell us otherwise.
We’ll admit, we’re totally guilty of doing this (and quite a few times, actually). But can you really blame us for our wishful thinking?
11. Trying to look like a pro and hide your pain when you walk in heels, but failing miserably
Your heels don’t care that you’re trying to impress your date or have a good time with your coworkers. They don’t care that you’re at a public event where tons of eyes are on you. And they don’t care that you actually spent time trying to train before hand. Come hell or high water, they will bring you bucket loads of pain. The struggle is real, guys.
12. Feeling like your feet are on fire the next morning.
Waking up the next morning with blistered feet is just as bad as (if not worse than) walking around in heels for hours. It’s like a constant reminder that we shouldn’t have worn heels in the first place. But you know what’s insane? We still don’t learn our lesson. Because another time will come where we feel like we can totally handle the heels. And then the cycle will just repeat itself all over again.
13. And the same applies whenever you try high platform wedges.
When we say we can barely walk in heels, we don’t just mean your typical pair of pumps. We mean literally every kind of heel, including wedges. These are supposed to be a bit easier to walk in because they have more surface area. So technically, it should feel a bit like you’re walking on your bare feet. But seriously, even these are a challenge.
14. Legit staring at women in awe when you see how flawlessly they walk in their stilettos.
There are ladies who can walk, run at full speed, and even dance in heels. So really, it’s more like a mixture of awe and envy.
But to be fair, they most likely trained themselves to walk in heels so well. And maybe they even struggled like we do now. Still, we can’t help but marvel at the fact that they make it look so easy.
15. Carrying an extra pair of flats in your bag whenever you go out for interviews.
We might not be able to walk well in heels, but that won’t stop us from sporting a pair to an important interview. The trick, though, is to carry the heels along while wearing comfy flats. And once you get there, you can make the swap and just pray for the best.
Now of course, no one shows up for interviews in six-inch heels. Low heels are totally acceptable, but even in low heels, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
16. Doing your happy dance whenever flats are back on trend.
This isn’t to say that you should always wear whatever’s on trend at the moment. But it’s so refreshing to see cute ballet flats on store displays. And words can’t really explain the joy we feel when we see more ladies wearing them.
At the end of the day, while heels are awesome, flats are pretty great too. And we’re so happy that more people are realizing it too so that we don’t have to walk in heels so often!