Body Language of High Heels

Body Language of High Heels

Cue: High Heels Body Language.

Synonym(s): Stilettos Body Language.

Description: A type of footwear worn by women where the heel is raise higher than the toe.

In One Sentence: High heels are a super normal nonverbal cue signaling the desire for sexual power and appeal.

How To Use it: High heels are advantageous to women. High heels should be used to attract taller more desirable men. While men are not overly concerned with taller women, research shows that men and women tend to pair relatively. That is, in most relationships, men are normally about 2” taller than women and overall. This may be because, given the choice, men, like women, prefer their counterpart to be tall. Therefore, like short men, short women find it difficult to compete with taller counterparts in dating.

High heels work to make women more attractive because they seem to elongate the legs and at the same time make them appear more toned. Women can use high heels to create the illusion of fitness as they work to thrust the hips forward and protrude the breast.

Sexualizing the body is double edged, however, as it will create a desire in men to take part in benevolent sexism, but will also reduce women’s perceived competence. Thus, high heels should be coupled with conservative dress to preserve the image of professionalism.

The height advantage can also work to a woman’s benefit in a business context by stepping them up to the average height of men and therefore eliminating the dominance advantage that height brings. Further, aiming the heel toward men while sitting, legs cross, toward that whom a woman feels discontent, is akin to striking with a dagger – a power-play.

Context: a) Business b) Dating.

Verbal Translation: “I’m trying to make my legs appear sexy and alluring to gain an advantage over men and women by hyper sexualizing my female features as well as to gain a height advantage over others.”

Variant: Women sometimes use their high heels as daggers especially while sitting where they can be aimed squarely at potential “prey.” See Adornments and Bodifications, Dressing Sexy.

Cue In Action: a) The female boss always made a point of wearing high spikes so she could stand over her employees. None of the female employees dared best her with anything taller. b) Whilst still out of sight, men on the quiet walkway waited with eager anticipation as they heard the unmistakable sound of stilettos. Each step produced a click-and-clock. It was only a matter of time before the object of their attention would reveal itself – an alluring woman.

Meaning and/or Motivation: The high heel is a type of shoe worn by women in effort to draw attention to their sexuality. The high heel lifts the butt by contracting it, tilts the pelvis forward, arches the back thus protruding the chest and breast, makes the legs appear longer, toned and produces a tight flexed calf muscle.

The high heel emphasizes women’s already long legs and hyper-sexualizes them and also gives women the illusion of slimness, virility, youth and hence fertility, by imitating the leg proportions of girls in their upper teens and early twenties. The stiletto also creates the illusion of smaller feet which is universally deemed submissive and ladylike.

Women will use heels during dating and courtship as well as in business in order to fix the height gap between them, and the men in their association, which points to their function as a power play.

Cue Cluster: The high heel is usually accompanied with confident postures as the high heel commands attention. Expect to see an upright posture, head held high, confident and relaxed facial expression, business or club attire, usually skirts, or business pants. Tall boots with high heels over jeans have recently become fashionable.

Body Language Category: Adornments, Courtship displays, Confident body language, Gravity defying body language, High confidence body language, Masked emotions, Power play.

Resources:

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