{"id":5078,"date":"2016-07-07T06:56:19","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T01:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078"},"modified":"2016-07-07T06:56:19","modified_gmt":"2016-07-07T01:26:19","slug":"why-i-ditched-high-heels-and-found-empowerment-in-flats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=5078","title":{"rendered":"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

T<\/span>he other day, I found myself fondly recollecting memories from my Class X farewell party. As many will know, this is a historic rite of passage in the life of a secondary schooler in India. For us <\/p>girls<\/span><\/a>, the build-up to the day comprised the reckless ransacking of the closets of our mothers to lock eyes with that one stunning saree that we wanted to carry off with all the poise that a 16-year-old could muster. I was no exception. But what I remember even more vividly was unwrapping my brand new, shiny pair of golden high heels. Like any girl that age, I was convinced that those pair of heels was my secret accessory, my getaway to nirvana.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nBut it took only a few minutes for my dream to turn into a nightmare. That was the day when I noticed that the road I had been merrily skipping along to school for almost a decade, was actually a mud path strewn with stones of all shapes and sizes. On more than one occasion, I struggled to maintain my balance. I hobbled with every step and even when I stood I could not feel my toes, they had numbed. Where was the charm of the heels that I was high on? While my brain berated my silly choice of footwear, my heart sang nervously as I tried to pick my way on my three-inch towers. I kept resisting the urge to kick off my sandals and free my arches but pride told me to hang in there and smile away the painful last few moments of school. <\/span>Tears<\/span><\/a> collected in my kohl-rimmed eyes as the pain of almost twisting my ankles almost overrode the pain of parting ways with my alma-mater. Safe to say, after that fateful day, high heels and I have called it quits.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nIn the years since, did I ever feel like I was missing out? I\u2019d be lying if I say yes. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Along the journey, I have met several women who\u2019ve distanced themselves from the myth of high heels \u2013 that heels make you feminine, they make you feel powerful. But how can you feel powerful when you are <\/span>uncomfortable<\/span><\/a>, I always wondered. And do you really need a pair of spikes to boost your confidence?\u00a0<\/span>\n\nIn a <\/span>Guardian<\/span><\/i> essay journalist Karen Luckhurst <\/span>says<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0 \u201cWearing what we like demonstrates our free will, doesn\u2019t it? Yes it does, but it doesn\u2019t follow that the choices we make are always sensible.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nI\u2019m not arguing that women shouldn\u2019t wear high heels \u2013 but please, let\u2019s give up the pretence that they are anything other than what they are. Glamorous, yes; sexy, yes; empowering, certainly not.\u201d<\/span>\n

I know of friends who\u2019d keep a pair of heels at work and some who\u2019d carry them around in their bags, in case an occasion demanded where they need to assert their stature. But if given a choice, many I believe would almost unanimously zero in on flats as our national footwear.<\/blockquote>\nI couldn\u2019t agree more. Over the years though, I have seen the <\/span>hype<\/span><\/a> around heels die down.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nToday, I see women around me who walk into a <\/span>pub<\/span><\/a> to ring in the weekend in a pair of flats just as nonchalantly as they glide across the stage in elegant flats to collect their \u201cBusinesswoman of the Year\u201d award. I assume like me they are not looking for empowerment in their heels. But for women in the West, some of whom still subscribe to the \u201cKeep your heels, head, and standards high\u201d dictum, the breakup hasn\u2019t been as amiable. In her book <\/span>High Heel<\/span><\/i>, author Summer Brennan explores how women tend to gravitate toward the legend of the high heels, \u201c<\/span>There was an image in my mind of a certain kind of woman \u2013 professional, feminine, poised \u2013 that I wanted to embody. I saw these women daily, year after year, backstage to the halls of power, on benches by the ladies\u2019 room, changing in and out of comfortable and uncomfortable shoes.\u201d<\/span>\n\nI know of friends who\u2019d keep a pair of heels at work and some who\u2019d carry them around in their bags, in case an occasion demanded where they need to assert their stature. But if given a choice, many I believe would almost unanimously zero in on flats as our national footwear. I only have to look outside the window to know why practicality is the overarching factor for most middle-class Indian women. So much of our lives revolve around negotiating the ills of <\/span>public transport<\/span><\/a>, that when it comes to our choice of footwear, the first and last consideration is always whether or not it is commute-friendly.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nAfter all, a seductive gait in a gravity-defying stiletto will be of no use on a crowded suburban <\/span>railway<\/span><\/a> platform or on the footboard of an over-crowded bus. If anything, it\u2019ll be a dangerous hindrance in darting across the road in the maze of motorists and vehicles where traffic lights are but blinking jewels of mockery. There are clues in history as well: In the ancient days, the \u201cpaduka\u201d was the footwear of choice. Little more than a sole, it had a post and a knob between the big toe and the second toe. Soon enough, the creativity of artisans across the length and breadth of the country led to an array of hand-crafted tanned leather Kolhapuris and mirror-embellished mojaris and juttis, now a staple in the lives of so many women.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n\nThe other day, I hobnobbed with a <\/span>public relations<\/span><\/a> executive of a leading firm. She was the epitome of poise and grace in a soft handloom saree and\u2026 a pair of smart, intricately designed mojaris that peeped gallantly from under the paisley printed border of her saree. It made me realise that maybe, we\u2019re at a time when high heels and self-esteem are no longer in an abusive relationship with each other. Although, it\u2019d be foolish to claim that even women who tend to prefer flats have gone through life without being forced to have a relationship with heels. But I can say one thing for sure, whoever said high heels empower women, was obviously fettered by parochialism. Ask the Indian woman if she misses the view from the top of a pair of high-heels, and she will tell you that she can gaze at the stars in the sky while enjoying the stability of a sole that remains grounded.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a nightmarish high school party, where I hobbled with every step, I abandoned high heels. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Some say stilettos are sexy, they add to your stature, but how can you feel glamorous or powerful when you are uncomfortable?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":335,"featured_media":5079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[710,8661,8662,5256,8663,8664,735],"class_list":["post-5078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pov","tag-feminism","tag-high-heels","tag-jootis","tag-patriarchy","tag-shoes","tag-uncomfortable","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\nUnheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After a nightmarish high school party, where I hobbled with every step, I abandoned high heels. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Some say stilettos are sexy, they add to your stature, but how can you feel glamorous or powerful when you are uncomfortable?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a nightmarish high school party, where I hobbled with every step, I abandoned high heels. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Some say stilettos are sexy, they add to your stature, but how can you feel glamorous or powerful when you are uncomfortable?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arr\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-07T01:26:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1563606883.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lata Gwalani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"After a nightmarish high school party, where I hobbled with every step, I abandoned high heels. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Some say stilettos are sexy, they add to your stature, but how can you feel glamorous or powerful when you are uncomfortable?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lata Gwalani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lata Gwalani\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/62a4953bf6913588d5f16c918caf11db\"},\"headline\":\"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-07T01:26:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078\"},\"wordCount\":1111,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1563606883.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Feminism\",\"high heels\",\"jootis\",\"patriarchy\",\"shoes\",\"uncomfortable\",\"Women\"],\"articleSection\":[\"POV\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078\",\"name\":\"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1563606883.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-07T01:26:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/62a4953bf6913588d5f16c918caf11db\"},\"description\":\"After a nightmarish high school party, where I hobbled with every step, I abandoned high heels. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Some say stilettos are sexy, they add to your stature, but how can you feel glamorous or powerful when you are uncomfortable?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1563606883.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1563606883.png\",\"width\":1520,\"height\":850},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?p=5078#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arr\u00e9\",\"description\":\"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.201.39.237\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/62a4953bf6913588d5f16c918caf11db\",\"name\":\"Lata Gwalani\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc45b144d7e30d07f36b0b39b0d50877bfb69b11b3e8993019591456eee23147?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc45b144d7e30d07f36b0b39b0d50877bfb69b11b3e8993019591456eee23147?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc45b144d7e30d07f36b0b39b0d50877bfb69b11b3e8993019591456eee23147?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lata Gwalani\"},\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?author=335\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes","description":"After a nightmarish high school party, where I hobbled with every step, I abandoned high heels. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Some say stilettos are sexy, they add to your stature, but how can you feel glamorous or powerful when you are uncomfortable?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes","og_description":"After a nightmarish high school party, where I hobbled with every step, I abandoned high heels. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Some say stilettos are sexy, they add to your stature, but how can you feel glamorous or powerful when you are uncomfortable?","og_url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078","og_site_name":"Arr\u00e9","article_published_time":"2016-07-07T01:26:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1520,"height":850,"url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1563606883.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Lata Gwalani","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes","twitter_description":"After a nightmarish high school party, where I hobbled with every step, I abandoned high heels. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Some say stilettos are sexy, they add to your stature, but how can you feel glamorous or powerful when you are uncomfortable?","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lata Gwalani","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078"},"author":{"name":"Lata Gwalani","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/62a4953bf6913588d5f16c918caf11db"},"headline":"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes","datePublished":"2016-07-07T01:26:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078"},"wordCount":1111,"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1563606883.png","keywords":["Feminism","high heels","jootis","patriarchy","shoes","uncomfortable","Women"],"articleSection":["POV"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078","url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078","name":"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1563606883.png","datePublished":"2016-07-07T01:26:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/62a4953bf6913588d5f16c918caf11db"},"description":"After a nightmarish high school party, where I hobbled with every step, I abandoned high heels. Grounded in my flats, I have travelled through the ups and downs of life, comfortably and confidently. Some say stilettos are sexy, they add to your stature, but how can you feel glamorous or powerful when you are uncomfortable?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1563606883.png","contentUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1563606883.png","width":1520,"height":850},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5078#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Unheeled and High: Why I Ditched Heels and Found Empowerment in Flat Shoes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#website","url":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/","name":"Arr\u00e9","description":"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/#\/schema\/person\/62a4953bf6913588d5f16c918caf11db","name":"Lata Gwalani","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc45b144d7e30d07f36b0b39b0d50877bfb69b11b3e8993019591456eee23147?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc45b144d7e30d07f36b0b39b0d50877bfb69b11b3e8993019591456eee23147?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc45b144d7e30d07f36b0b39b0d50877bfb69b11b3e8993019591456eee23147?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lata Gwalani"},"url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?author=335"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1563606883.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/335"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}