Walking tall or high risk?

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

But while you're clipping and clopping your way through life, remember that a foot placed wrong here or there could result in a lifetime of problems for you. Remember that while it's all very well to be 'in with it', your feet are a very important part of your body and cannot be ignored and treated badly just because they're way down there.

Platforms and stilettos are still the rage all over the world, and it can't be denied that they do often make an impressive fashion statement. While it may seem like a blessing in disguise for most short women, what can't be denied is the health risk they often pose. Take these real-life examples.

Terani Yusuf, a 24-year-old mother suffered a slight hurt in her spine just eight months after her baby son was born. While the problem was corrected to some extent, she still has difficulty walking and suffers severe back-aches and cannot lift her baby too often. The cause was put down to wearing stiletto heels, which put a strain on her lower spine too soon after a Caesarean section.

Anita Gajendran, an 18-year-old working girl narrowly escaped a serious accident when her foot slipped off the car's brake due to the three-inch platform shoes she was wearing. Or that of 45-year-old Malini Atuko-rale who lost her balance on an uneven pavement and fell, breaking her ankle and requiring emergency surgery. Had she been wearing flat shoes the worst she would have suffered was a mildly sprained ankle, doctors told her.

Dr. Lalith Wijeratne, an orthopaedic surgeon advises people against wearing any type of shoes other than sensible walking shoes. Well girls, looks like the days of tennis shoes are coming back, and what's more, it's comfort in favour of fashion.

"When a heel strikes the ground while walking, it carries five times our body weight for a split second. An ideal shoe would help shock absorption to reduce the strain on the feet," Dr. Wijeratne says.

Platform shoes are the worst shock-absorbers and cause irreparable damage to the wearer. In other words, if you were a car, you'd be going for servicing every three months, and what's more, you can always buy a new car, but your feet are a one-time accessory. Firstly, due to the lack of shock-absorption the feet take the maximum strain. Daily wear could soon lead to knee arthritis, where young girls could be sitting beside their grandmothers, finding it difficult to kneel and going through a lot of pain, including lower back pain. Girls, ask your grandmothers, this can be really painful.

How many of us would give an arm and a leg to have the earth swallow us up when we fall down in public. Well, you'd better keep a lot of arms and legs free if you plan on wearing these shoes. This kind of unnatural heel causes serious falls. For one thing, you often look like a baby just learning the wonders of walking when you teeter and totter on high platforms or shoes. After all, if Naomi Campbell could take a fall on the catwalk, why can't you huh? In addition falls are likely to be more serious and could result in torn ligaments, stretched tendons and a host of other complications. Just think about it, are you really ready to give up six months of dancing over one pair of uncomfortable shoes. Young expectant women who put fashion before health should also think twice as these heels put an unnecessary strain on an already increasing load.

Bad posture is another problem. While not medically damaging unless it continues over a number of years, no amount of smart dressing and smart shoes can redeem one from a bad posture. And girls, forget a career in modelling if you've got a bad posture, because things just don't work that way.

Problems during driving is also another risk factor. Very often unthinkingly, women try their best to keep the car in control while wearing five to six inch platform shoes. Prema Learners' Director S. Bastien pointed out that they often come across women who come for driving lessons with high -heeled and platform shoes. "We immediately ask them to remove the shoes and drive without shoes," he said. 

Work this out for yourselves. A pair of decent platforms could cost you a maximum of Rs. 3000. A decent car would cost your dad Rs. 600,000. Which do you think your dad would rather pay for?

And finally but probably most importantly a point of view that is likely to convince wearers of 'insensible' shoes. The fashion angle.

Designer Senaka de Silva thinks platform and stilettos look "simply hideous" as a fashion statement. "Young girls who wear these shoes look more like they're walking on benches. Far from looking good, the whole way they walk changes and they look more constipated than elegant," he scoffed. "The shoes take you over, instead of it being the other way around, and true enough your attention is first drawn to the feet which is the point of the platforms, but still for all if it's a pair of badly maintained feet, your response is more one of 'Oh, God', than 'Oh, wow', he said.

Designer Michael Wijesuriya is also known for his dislike of platform shoes. On more than one occasion he has remarked that with the slim build of Sri Lankan girls, and with slim feet, platform shoes which are ideally suited for short and plump feet are a definite no-no for most girls here, as they look 'simply ridiculous'.

Sorry, but there really doesn't seem to be an argument in favour of these shoes, and trust me, I really tried to find one. So girls, next time the shop assistants or a friend going abroad asks you what you would like to have, think twice before saying platform shoes.

Looking to the stars

By Ruhanie Perera

Astrology is a subject that seems to intrigue many of us. Sure, we may not really believe in it, but still snatch up the newspapers to 'just check what's in store' next week. Or hurriedly turn the pages of a book on zodiac signs in an effort to figure out what makes us tick. If we do have our future read to us, we walk out looking for the 'right' person to be our partner or to check whether we would be able to get that job we applied for.

Partial believers feel that "reading about what's in store for us does help". Says Nishani (name changed), "Especially when I have to decide on something. Of course, it doesn't rule my life, but just guides me. I still get surprised though when something predicted does happen - though I have had very few financial gains. Reading the horoscope page is fun, especially when you read about what's going to happen to other people." 

"The mystery and intrigue that surround astrology is what I feel women weave into it. Guys want fact, concrete evidence that a particular thing is going to happen," says C. Rodrigo, who "sort of believes" in astrology. To him it's not really about believing, it's an interest. He's one of the types who reads books on the subject. "A lot of it is psychological, though we end up believing only what we like to believe." 

For Jayatissa Dharmadasa of Hewa Astrological Bureau, "Horoscopes are about 75 percent true and very useful in a person's life." Used to reading horoscopes and predicting the 'good and bad' times, he feels that this is a way in which major disasters can be avoided. "Lots of people come to us before taking loans etc, I'm not saying you have to live by your horoscope, but you might as well use it. As long as you use it wisely without being silly about it. For example it would be rather silly not to go to work and get fired, because that particular day wasn't a 'good' day." 

Just like anything else in the life the answers in the stars have to be used wisely. But there's certainly no harm in having a little bit of fun while you're at it. Especially when it's nice things like...'Your sign is about feeling and roots. Though resilient and persistent, you have a nurturing, gentle side and a wonderful sense of humour'. That's what the stars had to say about me. Maybe I don't believe in it, but I sure like what I hear!

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