Why I Ditched My Heels for Wedges

Designer’s Intern’s Perspective

I’m Alyssa, 5’3” with a big personality, fueled by curiosity to know what is happening at all times around me. I have always wished I were taller. Just two inches would have made such a difference. Unfortunately my mother is 5’3″ and both my grandmothers were 5’2”. In other words, the chance of me being tall was slim to none. Being vertically challenged, it didn’t take me long to discover this little invention called heels. As soon as I was 17 and able to afford to buy heels for myself, I had a collection of very beautiful, very “impractical” (my mother’s word, not mine) heels. I was in love! My love story came to an end, though, when I realized these beautiful, impractical heels also made my feet feel as if I was walking on glass, in a fire mixed with hot sand if I wore them too long. Maybe it was the fake leather, or that I have a wide foot, but over two hours in those puppies and my nonexistent bunion bone would hurt, my little toe would be crushed, and the ball of my foot would feel as though I was walking on bone because my skin burned off.

Ladies, I know you know what I’m talking about. Every step hurts, and if you could, you would walk home barefoot, but you know taking the shoe off is only going to make it worse. So instead you cry in your mind, and try to find a place to sit wherever and whenever you can. I am 40% convinced piggyback rides were invented for women with tortured  feet.

Now I’ve always heard that beauty is pain, but whoever made up that rule is probably the same person who invented the ‘walking on fire’ heels at the end of the night (you know the ones, they look so good yet hurt so much). I’m the kind of girl who married my heels every night and never took them off. I was never caught walking through a bar at 1 a.m. with my shoes off and my feet sticking to the floor because they hurt too much. Pain was written all over my face, and whoever didn’t notice, I told repeatedly. Just when I thought there was no hope for women and we were all going to need foot surgery later in life, or be stuck taking that weird exercise class for our feet, wedges came along!

The first time I wore wedges, I instantly fell in love, and this is why. Firstly, they didn’t hurt as much as heels, and I could last almost the whole night in my wedges without crying. They were wide enough for my foot, the material didn’t make my foot burn at the end of the night, and my arch wouldn’t be sore the next day because my toes were gripping the front of my shoe all night. My feet were happy and thanked me in the morning. Secondly, they didn’t hurt as much. Wait… Secondly, they were easier to walk in. Maybe it’s the surface area, or maybe it’s because I didn’t have a heel that got stuck in the cracks on the sidewalk, or because I didn’t have to worry about uneven pavement anymore causing me to take baby steps so I didn’t fall. Thirdly, they dressed up any casual outfit as much as heels did.

Let’s say you are wearing jeans on a casual Friday and need to rush to happy hour to meet your friend who is newly single. It wouldn’t be acceptable to deny her a wingman on the count of hurting feet. If you hated flats like me because you’re shorter and heels weren’t practical for you, the right pair of wedges would dress up any outfit. Lastly, there were many style options with wedges of varying heights, different colors and patterns, and even different areas of surface contact. In case you are like me and find yourself slightly unbalanced by the end of a long Saturday night out, larger areas of surface contact can be a lifesaver.

Now I know heel lovers out there will challenge me or maybe disagree. Listen, I am not saying I don’t wear heels, or never buy them, because I do. Inevitably, there are certain outfits and occasions in which you need heels. And if you are able to afford the nicer heels that won’t make you want to chop your foot off at the end of the night, then hey, my dream is to be you one day. But if you are looking for an easy shoe that can go from day to night, with the right look and accessories, then I say try the wedges! And if you hate them, exchange them for an 8.5 and send the wedges over to me.  -Alyssa Guzman