Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a formula you could use to calculate your ideal high heel height? No thinking would be required, just some simple math.
The ideal heel height formula would just need you to plug in a few factors: your shoe size (of course), and then some other personal details like leg length, weight and height.
And voila! You could then be told whether you’re best suited to a 3.5 inch single sole pump or only a 2 inch “kitten heel”.
If only it were that simple.
There have been a few attempts over the years to devise a heel height formula. An English physicist tried in the early 2000s, but we debunked that one thoroughly. And a podiatrist came up with her own formula a decade later.
These magic “high heel formulas” generated plenty of publicity.
But the simple stiletto truth is that no magic heel height formula exists.
Different women will always have very different tolerances for different heel heights, and no two heel wearers are exactly the same.
Here’s what we do know.
Your “ideal heel height” will depend on what you want to do in your heels and how long you want to do it for. Your body shape and flexibility and the amount of heel-wearing experience you have are important too.
Your tolerance for pain might also be a factor.
Let’s break this down.
First of all, when thinking about your ideal heel height, it is probably best to start by thinking in terms of a maximum height. What is the tallest heel you can actually put up with, even for a short time?
For most women, 5 inches is the absolute maximum heel height for a single sole heel if they want to walk around or stand up in it. Even then, 5 inch heels are generally considered taxi shoes.
Next, consider what you are actually going to do in your heels.
If you’re mostly going to sit down or even lie down in your stilettos then the ideal height is going to be taller than for a woman who is stomping around on the sidewalk all day.
If you take a look around, you’ll see that most women who are wearing heels for a full day or night wear a maximum 4 inch heel.
There’s a good reason for that: anything over 4 inches is uncomfortable for many women if worn for a sustained period.
And while 4 inch heels were very common in the mid 2010s, they are less common now. Heel heights have been dropping and 3 inches is considered the new 4 inches in many cases. Again, you can take a look around and see for yourself.
In summary then, what have we learned about ideal heel height?
The ideal heel height for a woman is somewhere between 3 and 4 inches if you want to walk in or wear your heels for a long period.
If you can’t cope with a heel of that height, then your ideal heel height is lower than that. It’s simple really.
The takeaway from all this is that what matters when it comes to heel height depends on your feet, your taste and your schedule. And there isn’t a formula in a world that can replace what works for you.