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The High Heel Problem

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Re: The High Heel Problem

#41

Post by jordanb »

crazygringo wrote: post #29
littlestymaar wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy did the same. It's quite fascinating to me that you can become so powerful while having such a lame insecurity at the same time.

If they do it in private, then yes you might call it a lame insecurity. If they do it only at public events where they're constantly being photographed in groups of people, it's smart image control. A leader is a symbol, and different height differences project different messages visually. That doesn't mean you need to be the tallest, but being the shortest in every photo may give voters a perception that works again…

Counterpoint: Zelenski is a short guy and I don't think it hurts his image. He comes off as something of a bulldog. The fact that he's fit helps a lot mostly he's good at using what he has and crafting an image off of that, rather than trying to fake something.

The high heels haven't hurt Putin politically since he's a dictator but it's ruined the careers of other politicians like Ron DeSantis.

Re: The High Heel Problem

#42

Post by hnbad »

jordanb wrote: post #41
crazygringo wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they do it in private, then yes you might call it a lame insecurity. If they do it only at public events where they're constantly being photographed in groups of people, it's smart image control. A leader is a symbol, and different height differences project different messages visually. That doesn't mean you need to be the tallest, but being the shortest in every photo may give voters a perception that works again…

Counterpoint: Zelenski is a short guy and I don't think it hurts his image. He comes off as something of a bulldog. The fact that he's fit helps a lot mostly he's good at using what he has and crafting an image off of that, rather than trying to fake something. The high heels haven't hurt Putin politically since he's a dictator but it's ruined the careers of other politicians like Ron DeSantis.

Thank you for mentioning DeSantis. It helps that Zelenski also built an image of being a battle-hardened soldier.

When Zelenski was criticized by a reporter during the meeting with Trump for not wearing a suit, his comeback was that he'll go back to wearing suits ("costumes" though I hear that may have been a mistranslation on his part) when the war is over. The reporter was trying to frame his attire as disrespectful to the President, Zelenski's response made it clear that he'd have found wearing a suit disrespectful to his people who don't have the luxury of returning to civil life until the war ends. Make of that what you will but it signalled confidence and empathy. It came off as authentic. Trying to compensate his height with footwear would have had the opposite effect and conflicted with this.

DeSantis on the other hand tried to appear "tough" and decisive but was ridiculed for his footwear because it was so obvious and so exaggerated that it made him appear extremely insecure about his height. But I think it would have looked even worse if he had been in Zelenski's position (and wearing a uniform) because of this contradiction.

Re: The High Heel Problem

#44

Post by nvahalik »

bobthepanda wrote: post #34
nvahalik wrote: post #31

Not only do heels modify someone's height, they also modify the range of motion for doing something like squatting down. For kids this isn't a problem, they can squat all the way down without issue. But as an adult, regaining that lost mobility is a process! But, try this: elevate your heels by an inch. Then try 2 inches. You'll find that you can more comfortably squat down the more your heels are elevated. It also i…

There are weightlifting shoes with an elevated heel for this reason

There are also wedges/slant boards for this purpose.

Lifters also have another purpose: they provide stability by connecting your feet more "solidly" to the ground. Other gym shoes (cross-trainers, running shoes) have padding in them... which is awesome for running but that squishiness can translate to instability when you're literally doubling or tripling the amount of weight.

Consequently, some lifters who have the ankle mobility will lift without shoes. Given the state of most gym floors, that's a no from me, dawg, but hey to each their own.

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