Heels on the Hill: a trend before our time

As I walked through campus on the first day of class, I noticed the array of fashion and the ability that some ladies have to walk around campus in high heels. 

While many students may think wearing high heels on campus is absurd, others do not–in fact, they are quite fond of it. 

After conducting research on the history of ladies and their stilettos on Florida A&M University’s campus, I was intrigued by the results. 

According to one of FAMU’s librarians, Cornelia “Connie” Taylor, the legacy of ladies wearing high heels on “the Hill” dates back to the 1970s when she was a student at FAMU. 

“I remember when the sororities would walk around the football field during halftime in their dressy outfits and their high heel shoes, it was beautiful. I used to also dress up and wear my high heels to class, certainly when we had presentations,” said Taylor.

Nearly forty years after Taylor was strutting around campus in her stilettos, the trend is still very popular to date.

Vionni Brown, a 19-year-old early childhood education student, has no problems wearing her high heels around campus.

“I have been wearing heels since I was a child, and with each year I grew older, my heels became higher,” said Brown.

Brown also went on to say she wears her heels according to what outfit she is wearing, and flat shoes usually do not compliment her outfits because she has predominantly dressy clothes.

Veneesha Francis, a 20-year-old broadcast journalism student said she has been sporting high heels since high school, and it makes her feel feminine and empowered, also, she simply likes to dress the part for the career she desires.

Nonetheless, beyond the talk of the phenomenal appearance of high heel shoes, everyone should take note of the possible health issues that heels may produce from continuous wear.

In 1998, Dr. D. Casey Kerrigan, professor of physical medicine at Harvard Medical School, along with a panel of Harvard researchers, performed a study on stiletto pumps. Their results were astonishing.

According to research done by the Yale-New Haven Hospital in 2008, wearing heels not only has the ability to cause health conditions such as calluses, arthritis, ankle strains, and back problems, but they are also connected with a painful joint disease called osteoarthritis.

So be careful my sisters who are continuing the legacy of sparkling shoe fashion. Remember the facts and as you decide to continue sporting your high heels, please do not hesitate to wear your flat shoes when you feel you need them.

This is a matter of keeping ourselves healthy because as females, we carry the responsibility to produce, raise, and teach the next generations.

Remember, our power is not in our shoes–but our power generates from our mind, spirit, and soul. As long as we understand that we can be confident with or without heels, there is nothing wrong with having a little fun with fashion.

While I prefer flat shoes around campus, I still commend the past and present sisters who have mastered the art of “heels on the hill.”

Three years ago, I would have considered walking in heels around campus. However, my common sense caught up with me and said, “Girl please! You think you’ll be strolling around the hill; but instead, you end up rolling down the hill!”

Until next time, rock on girls–or shall I say, walk on girls. Long live the legacy of high heel shoes…and flats!