They’re the mainstay of any glamorous festive look, but high heels have been named as one of our top party peeves.
One in three British women (31 per cent) quizzed by online retailer Simply Be said sore feet are the number one downer at their Christmas do, beating rubbish food, hangovers and cringey organised ‘fun’.
According to the 2,000 women questioned, high heel pain gets so bad that 86 per cent admit to being forced to take them off during a night out.
An agonised nine per cent described the pain as being worse than dental treatment or childbirth, while one in eight felt it was a lot more painful than stubbing their toe.
As a result, half of all those quizzed admitted carrying plasters or foot gel in their handbag to cope with the pain, while 47 per cent added insoles to try and keep them comfy.
A desperate eight per cent even took painkillers along with them on their nights out, but a forward-thinking 76 per cent packed flats to change into.
Speaking about the findings, Ellen Griffiths, Simply Be Footwear Buyer said: “We all love wearing high heels, especially at this time of year, and we’ve all fallen victim to the pain they cause us just a few hours into partying.
“Some people endure real discomfort to look their best and enjoy a night of dancing and others barely make it on to the dance floor before they’ve given up and gone barefoot!
“We want to make sure everyone has the best party season yet by providing comfort without compromising style when it comes to killer heels.
“Our new range of Dance All Night shoes incorporates specialist sole technology in head-turning styles, offering all the glamour of a high heel without the agony, allowing women to really make a statement this party season.”
While women might start the Christmas party looking glam, as high heel hell kicks in, the look unravels as they start flicking their shoes off. Three quarters of women (74 per cent) admitted ditching their stilettos by midnight, with almost a third (31 per cent) removing them while they were still on the dance floor and 60 per cent going barefoot on the journey home.
Midnight was the most popular time to kick off the heels, with almost a quarter of the women questioned (22 per cent) giving up on the fancy footwear as the Cinderella hour approached.
For almost half of us (49 per cent), sitting down and taking off our high-heeled shoes is the best part of getting home – ahead of gossiping with the girls about the do, or having a cuppa.
Despite the pain, it seems our love affair with heels is here to stay. An overwhelming 58 per cent of women said they wouldn’t feel dressed to impress without them, while seven per cent said they’d rather miss their Christmas bash than turn up in flats. Heels even beat little black dresses and festive jumpers in the list of party essentials.
There were some clear regional differences when it comes to adopting a ‘no pain, no gain’ approach too.
Northern girls are the toughest with 15 per cent of those from Sheffield and Newcastle claiming they never take their shoes off, higher than anywhere else, followed by Manchester and Edinburgh (11 per cent).
Heels sit high on the top six list of party essentials this festive season with other firm favourites including:
- High heels
- Blow dried hair
- Little black dress
- New nails
- Christmas jumper
- Fake tan
Simply Be’s new Dance All Night footwear range includes fur trim, all over glitter and metallic star print, expertly created in wide and extra wide fittings. The collection is available to buy now at www.simplybe.co.uk.
