It sounds like such a moral judgment to ask what age a woman should stop wearing high heels.
And, of course it is: which is why we don’t see articles telling women at what age they should stop wearing their stilettos any more.
But it wasn’t always this way.
What age do women think other women should give up stilettos?
In July 2013, breakfast cereal maker Kellogg’s trumpeted that a study had shown that “stilettos are a no-no if you are in the 41 plus age group“.
Kellogg’s also claimed that the same “study” found that 34 was “the exact age British women should ditch the crop top and put their bellies away“.
This conclusion was said to be the result of “research” which was “carried out.. on 2000 women of various ages” by the All-Bran Five Day Challenge, All-Bran being a Kellogg’s breakfast cereal.
Ruth Gresty, a spokeswoman for the research claimed the crop top views were “alarming” but of course the secret to a flat tummy could just be eating a fibre rich breakfast cereal every day.
Gresty offered no such criticism of the apparent finding that stiletto heels should be ditched after the age of 41.
Looking back today, what really is so bizarre about this “study” is that a breakfast cereal manufacturer would spend the time and money asking 2,000 women at what age they think other women should stop wearing high heels.
The suggestion from publishing such a “study” seems to be that at the magic age of 41 stilettos should be discarded, sturdy flats adopted and the former fashionista should wait to rage, rage against the dying of the light.
It’s all a nonsense piece of judgment, however exactly the question was framed. And the answers are simply an opinion and shouldn’t be considered study or research carried out on people.
Is there an age at which science shows women are too old for high heels?
The world has hopefully moved beyond telling other people that they’re too old (or too young) to wear items of clothing, or accessories or hair styles.
This is perhaps particularly so when it is women casting moral judgments on other women.
Telling people that they’re too old for something is ageism; but it is also the opposite of empowerment, choice, individuality, freedom and lots of other good things.
The simple answer is that you should wear heels for as big or as small a part of your life as you want to.
Yet most women give up heels eventually.
Could we pose the question more respectfully and ask whether there is an age at which wearing high heels is too uncomfortable and dangerous to continue?
Can science tell us what age a women should stop wearing heels at? Is 50 the age at which stilettos should be swapped for sensible shoes?
The answers to all these questions are not clear cut for a number of reasons.
First of all, it is true that heels can be more challenging with age. The fatty pad under the foot which acts as a cushion between footwear and floor disappears with age.
Less cushioning means more ouch.
On the other hand, women over 50 are more likely to have conditioned their body to wear heels.
This means that they are unlikely to get the muscular aches and pains of a newbie starting out (think ankles, feet, toes, knees, calves and Achilles for starters).
Victoria Beckham was a noted pro at this, although even she gave up stilettos eventually.
Secondly, we do know that older women still love their heels.
While the data is a little old, a Saga Populus survey in 2011 of 4,400 women found that 72% of those aged between 50 and 70 still wore high heels.
Of those, 42% wore heels regularly and the remaining 30% wore them for special occasions. The most popular shoes were a pump or court shoe, followed by kitten heels.
Only 2% wore “super-high” heels and only 10% wore stilettos.
Thankfully those surveyed were not asked was what they thought the correct age to give up high heels was.
Hopefully the answer to the question is obvious: a women should give up heels when she wants to. And not a moment before.
Perhaps it is just as well that there isn’t a magic age at which heel heights should be reduced.
Because age is just a number. And while you should never ask a women her age, you shouldn’t ask her to give up her heels either.
At least not until she wants to, if she wants to at all.