Women in high heels and diving

[theskull]

Same here. Can't tell you how many jaws have dropped as I walked into the shop in stiletto heels... carrying a set of double 104's to the fill station.

A lady carrying double 104's is hot enough. In heels might make me faint!

theskull

 

[Santa]

Never will understand high heels ...but one out of two ain't bad !!

'Slogger

Well, mr long distance backpacker ;0), you are not supposed to understand them.

I feel the need to take a moment here ...

If high heels were all about comfort and practicality they would probably not be considered very hot items - which is probably why they never really took hold in arctic or desert environments.

From a darwinistic point of view (always popular on scubaboard) it's about social and not physical survival - and I'll let the whole gender issue rest on this score because I appreciate them so much. Very flexible.

So what is the deal with high heels? Aestethics of course

... And here's my completely subjective view. Being a bit of an artist I appreciate shape and line and - it goes without saying but I'll do it anyway - the female anatomy (that goes beyond the art part).

Actually a foot is very complex from a shape point of view and embodies many qualities of the whole body: It's curvy, flexible and unlike, say, a football, very different to look at in different positions and from different angles.

The high heeled shoe plays with and amplifies the harmony of this complexity - of the whole leg actually - and minute changes in the shape of the shoe may, in my view, result in very different visual/social statements. It's very easy to screw this up and just make a mish-mash - which is why high heels are also high fashion. You gotta have an eye to pull it off. Try drawing one. It's very hard to get the lines completely harmonious.

I'll refrain from going much further down the alley of psycho-social analysis of a shoe but just finally remark on the obvious sexual context that has to do with what I said about curviness and then social and physical elevation and consequently a certain concept of power. High heels, to me, are cultural symbols invested with not a little libido, and they are to be appreciated the same way as one would a beautiful and/or well-dressed woman (not ignoring her capacity for lethal action and tank-slinging).

Whoops. Tried to make you understand them anyway. Sorry (not really ;0).

 

[stardiver]

After moving across the country, I was in search of a new dive shop. Before school, I placed 2 sets of doubles in the back of my Explorer. That afternoon, I drove to said new shop and popped in the door.

Nice man at fill station: "Can we help you?"

Me: "May I get some 32% fills?"

NMAFS: "Of course. Do you need any help?"

Me: "I'll be right back."

NMAFS and 2 guys behind the counter dropped jaws when I walked in, wearing heels, with the 95's on my back and slung them to the floor without help. One guy behind the counter promptly ran to the car to get the other set for me.

I've gotten a good bit or respect at that shop since then.....

;-)

* , no photos