Sure, high heels can be sexy… in moderation. However, what is not sexy is the thought of suffering in 4- to 6-inch heels just for the sake of fashion. To some, these heels may symbolize wealth and privilege, but not even Posh Spice or Dita Von Teese can avoid the painful truth:

At the fashion shows in Paris early this month, I saw a woman who looked, to all intents and purposes, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, tilting by at least 45 degrees. Sensing that she was being quizzically watched, she straightened herself up and took tentative baby steps to her seat, barely able to move more than a cobblestone at a time.

It was Dita Von Teese – a burlesque dancer who has achieved a certain level of fame thanks largely to her diligently maintained cartoonish sexiness, which was certainly on display at the Louis Vuitton show – hoiked up on heels higher than the length of my hand.

Three years ago when I interviewed Von Teese, she claimed that she “literally” could not put her feet flat on the floor, having worn such high stilettos for so long. “So you stand on your tiptoes in the shower and stuff?” I asked. “Yes,” she replied, with a solemn purse of blood-red lips.

Such a self-induced deformity seems rather ridiculous considering one only receives one pair of feet, which are meant to last a lifetime. Dita isn’t alone in her pain, however, for Victoria Beckham has ruined her own feet and dire need of corrective surgery. Yet, she refuses an operation because it would cause her to miss out on several months of high-heeled hell, for which she pays dearly for in terms of both money and comfort. Is it worth it? Fuck, no.