(WASHINGTON POST)  Danielle Paquette – Our passion for heels mingles with a certain pressure to wear them

Heels, as many wearers know, present a physical problem. They can harm your feet and your spine and your general ability to stay upright. But they’re still nearly institutionalized in white-collar workplaces and Hollywood parties.

Marlene Reid, a podiatric surgeon in Chicago and spokesperson for theAmerican Podiatric Medical Association, said her patients who regularly wear heels often push through discomfort for months, coming to her with torn ligaments and stress fractures. “My male patients come in as soon as they have pain,” Reid said. “My female patients ignore pain and just deal with it. They feel pressured to look feminine and want to wear heels everywhere — not just the workplace.”

Source: Everything that’s wrong with high heels – The Washington Post