This isn’t rocket science. It’s pure fact. Lower heels for the Follower aren’t exactly the sexiest things in the world. All the attention is on the High Heel and the shape of the foot, calf, and thigh that the high heel generates as a result. The Low heel ? Not so much with that. It’s like the poor cousin, ne’er do-well that comes close but not quite. Uuuugh.
However, there are some things you should realize about the Low Heel.
1.) While the High Heel gets all the attention, it’s not the healthiest thing you could do to your body. It puts undue strain on the nerves of the foot, it creates pressure for the bones for long periods of time that the foot was not designed for. The Low Heel does NOT do this. Because it’s low, the shape of the shoe and the shape of the foot, the impact of stress and pressures on the foot is far less, so therefore it stands to reason that the foot can handle the strains and pressures longer in lower heels.
2.) While the High Heel comes in all sorts of colors, shapes, sizes, and styles…the Low Heel does as well! Just because they’re low doesn’t mean that they don’t sell! They do. Quite frequently.
3.) A good low heel usually has good, if not better padding than the higher heel. This statement is subjective. The reality is that the shoes are made exactly the same way. The only difference is height of the heel and as a result the shape of the arch support. Other than that, the shoes are identical.
4.) You can learn to dance in Low Heels the same way that you dance in High Heels. Actually, truth be told, you can create a more desirable learning environment for yourself by starting out in Low Heels and then when you feel ready you can start your High Heel training. What the Low Heel does is create a stepping stone for the Follower to start their heel work so that they can make a slow, but steady transition into the Higher Heels.
5.) High Heels, Low Heels, the price is usually the same for the shoe. Don’t expect because they’re lower heels that you should pay less for the shoe. The workmanship is the same. The materials are the same. Why would you believe that you should pay less for them ?
6.) While it may sound like the Lower Heel are like training wheels, they’re not. The same work is required in High Heels as it is in Lower Heels or Flats for that matter. The techniques are exactly the same. The only difference is the balancing point, and of course your equilibrium, and learning to manage the same stuff in ever-increasing heights. So just because the heels are low to the ground does not mean that instantly everything is easier. No. It’s the same amount of work. Just a different perception of height!
7.) Believe it or not there are quite a few of the Older Milongueras that danced exclusively in lower heels because they knew they were more comfortable. Not. That’s a fallacy. The reality is that the High Heel in Tango is a recent invention. The Low Heel was the staple of Argentine Tango for DECADES! 😉
8.) The stem of the Lower Heel is usually bigger, and that tends to make the shoe slightly more heavy. However that doesn’t need to be the case. The shoe can be made with a slightly less heavy stem and still be ‘low’.
9.) The fallacy that only old ladies wear these things is just that…a fallacy.
10.) At the end of the day, it’s a shoe to put on your foot, and if it makes you comfortable and you can dance, then there’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t hate just because it’s a lower heel. Don’t judge because it’s a lower heel.
