by Ailee Slater 

"These shoes are killing me" is a hyperbole readily understood by most women. Those three inch stilettos might have seemed like a good idea at 7:00 in the evening, but after five hours of partying and one too many mojito, your toes are crying out for sympathy. And high heels are just one of the many ways that Looking Like a Million Bucks turns into paying a million bucks to sort out the physical effects of torturous fashion. When considering fashionable discomfort, two examples of painful clothing readily spring to mind: The high heel, and the corset.

Although it is disputed among historians exactly when the high heel was first invented, it is widely believed to have appeared in wardrobes of the upper crust in the mid 16th century, within both French and Asian society. Noblemen of France wore heels even before their wives; donning height-producing shoes in order to display superiority and power. After a short period of time, the fashion trend shifted to well to do women, who again wore high heels to distinguish themselves from the lower classes. Not surprisingly, one of the reasons given by historians for the quick dissipation of high heels from men's wardrobes is the fact that the shoes were painful to wear, and hindered everyday activities. In the early days of French high heels, shoe height could reach up to thirteen inches; forcing men and women to carry a long cane in order to walk without toppling over.

Chinese women, desperate to fit their feet into the small and oddly shaped shoes of the time, would tightly bind the entire length of the foot, and fold the toes either under or over, to achieve a fashionable foot appearance.The glamor and historical path of the high heel, however, is nothing in stature when compared to the torturous aspect of this more than 500 year old fashion trend.Not only did women of the past fear the injury associated with falling over in their shoes,  by the end of the 16th century doctors had already begun to notice posture damage caused by high heels. Modern health practitioners would agree: Heels cause (among many other problems) an unnatural tilt of the pelvis, back and neck problems, and deformation of the pelvis. And because early aristocrats were unlikely to trade in their five inch heels for a relaxed Saturday in Converse sneakers, one can only imagine that the bodily problems of those men and women far outweighed the decidedly torturous pain experienced by heel wearers today. Besides posture problems, high heels can also cause nerve problems in the toe, knee and ankle, a buildup of skin tissue on the ball of the forefoot, shortening of the Achilles tendon, and shin splints. Within the last five years, scientists have even begun to look at the correlation between high heels, and the fact that twice as many women as men suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee.Permanent health issues aside, the actual act of wearing high heels is, in and of itself, is damn painful. Although body weight is normally distributed across the foot, high heels point the foot downward and put all of that weight on the toes; this is especially true with pointy-toed shoes. Severely aching toes are a common complaint from most any woman who has spent an hour or two walking in a pair of high heels, and some women have even experienced a complete numbness of the pedis digits. Depending on the height of the heels, a woman will also experience a faster heart rate and higher oxygen intake, potentially leading to exhaustion after only a short period of time.

Shoes are not the only way in which fashion tortures. No recount (however short) of the history of torturous fashion would be complete without paying homage to the ultimate piece of painful clothing: The corset. As with the invention of high heels, it is unclear as to when the corset first appeared, though the date is thought to be sometime during the 14th century. Corsets were almost always constructed from such uncomfortable materials as rigid whaleback rods and metal; in fact, one 19th century corset featured a triangular piece of metal at the top of the corset, which separated the breasts.

Not only was painful corset material in constant contact with the skin (most likely leading to chaffing, cuts and bruising), the very purpose of the corset is to constrict the body into an unnatural, highly uncomfortable state. Corsets reduced womens' waists to anywhere from 17 to 20 inches. To put those numbers in perspective, 23 inches is the average waist size of a seven year old living in Britain.

And what happens to those extra inches which seemingly disappear due to a corset? The body mass is compressed into internal organs, leading to extreme pain, damage to internal organs, faining due to pressure against the chest and lungs, and even death.

It would be easy enough to claim that painful fashion is a relic of the past, but as any modern woman can attest to, that statement is simply untrue. High heels are as popular as ever; and although the corset has been obsolete for nearly a century, the lace-up bustier top, with its allusion to fashion relics past, can be seen on runways world wide. And although these bustiers are hardly the breath-constraining fashion pieces of yesteryear, popular undergarments such as the BodyShaper continue to serve the same function as a traditional corset: To create a particular shape by restricting the body in an uncomfortable, perchance torturous manner.


Impress your friends and colleagues with these Fun Facts About Torture:

* Little known type of torture: Injecting saltwater into the jaw muscles makes the victim feel as though they are experiencing temporo-mandibular joint disorder (TMJ); a painful condition which causes tenderness and pain in the jaw.
* When pain is slowly induced into a person, the body releases opioid chemicals, otherwise known as endorphins. These chemicals can block and dull the pain, by preventing the brain from sending pain messages to the rest of the body. Heroin and morphine do the same thing. So next time you want to get high, don't turn to illegal activities; just ask a friend to torture you!
* Countries where torture is either legal, or widely practiced: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Syria and Uzbekistan, Jordan, Morocco, Uzbekistan,
* He said what! (But are we really surprised?)”: Alan Dershowitz, also known as O.J. Simpson's defense attorney, said in 2002 that U.S. law should be bent to allow torture in cases involving terrorist suspects.
* “We don't kick the shit out of them. We send them to other countries so they can kick the shit out of them.”: Quote in 2002 from an anonymous source, on the U.S. Government's practice of expediting terrorist suspects to countries where torture is practiced.
* Approximately 400 men remain detained at Guantanamo Bay. Of those 400, only 10 have been charged with a crime.
* Positive aspects of torture: In earlier times, the practice of public torture brought the community together to taunt prisoners shackled and on display in the center of town. Also, torture releases endorphins, giving the body a natural high; and, it has been noted in the field of psychology that torture survivors can more easily overcome future pain and trauma. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!
* Negative aspects of torture: It is often used against defenseless or even innocent victims, usually by corrupt governments. Apart from the issue of bodily harm, torture subjects may internalize their pain and experience a severe mental as well as physical crisis. Also, torture really, really hurts.

Average user rating

   (0 vote)