They are a serious threat to the nation's health. A burden on the NHS. A source of torment to women (and a few men) all over the country.
Killer heels are costing British wearers £29 million a year in corrective foot surgery according to a study by shoe brand MBT. And presumably the NHS is picking up a hefty proportion of this staggering (sorry) bill.
The study reveals that common operations such as bunion and corn removal, which cost £4,000 each, add up to £13.8 million a year, while more complex surgery like toe straightening (around £1,200 per operation) comes to £10.4 million. A further £3.3 million a year is spent on big toe joint replacement; £2 million removing trapped nerves;and £200,000 correcting ingrowing toenails.
Meanwhile, the long-term health of teenagers is at risk, thanks to the growing number of under 18s wearing high heels before their bodies have fully developed. Current teenagers are apparently 50 times more likely to have hip trouble than their mothers (storing up future trouble for the health service!) while the number of girls suffering from back problems has also increased ten-fold in the last generation.
It has even been reported that 5 inch heels might cause fertility problems in women due to the excess pressure on the abdomen and pelvis.
With warnings like these, I wonder if it's time to threaten stiletto addicts with the sort of sanctions handed out to compulsive eaters and smokers: wear sensible shoes or expect to be denied NHS treatment!
After all, experts are not telling women never to wear heels, simply to mix and match their choices of footwear to give their bodies ‘time to recover'. How hard can that be?
Well, quite hard actually since podiatrists claim that ballet pumps are as problematic as heels, offering no foot support at all, while even Croc-wearing has been vitoed - for nurses at least.
The truth is that if we value our toes; hips; backs; and fertility we've all got to stop being so vain and - temporarily at least - swap our leg-lengthening killer heels for comfortable clogs, complete with ‘elastic goring along the sides for flexibility and comfort; leather uppers; breathable linings; removable, moulded footbeds; shock absorbent midsoles; and anti-slip rubber soles.'
Apparently, our feet will thank us for wearing them. Even if our boyfriends do not.