Fashion & Health

Picture this: A female is walking across campus, through the rain, wearing 4- or even 6-inch heels. Take a look around Jackson State University and you’ll see a lot of high heels, rain or shine.

There have been a lot of fashion crazes on college campuses, but few raise such differing perspectives as wearing those seemingly-uncomfortable, yet great-looking stilettos.

Women on this campus have a variety of ways to wear them. Some dress them up with a nice skirt and blouse. Others dress them down with some jeans.

Regardless of the way they are worn, the question of whether or not fashion supersedes comfort is the main issue.

Maxiene Johnson, a junior marketing major from Jackson said that comfort is the first thing on her mind when she wakes up. She believes being comfortable is important to being able to learn.

“When I am getting dressed for school, I look for something that is going to have me comfortable all day,” she said. “I know that my classes are spread all over campus, so I dress accordingly.”

While Johnson prefers comfort, Nicole Williams, a senior mass communications major from Pensacola, Fla., said she likes “looking cute” and doesn’t believe it takes away from her learning experience.

Sometimes I dress up, and sometimes I am casual,” she said. “But I do love wearing heels. I enjoy all aspects of the fashion scene, whether it is casual or with heels.”

According to podiatrists, wearing high heels a lot can result in a number of foot problems. The most common foot ailment related to high heels are calluses, which are an accumulation of dead skin cells that harden and thicken over the foot.

According to one expert, some of the common problems that attribute to calluses are the constant wearing of high heels that are too small. Also, obesity may be an issue which increases the likelihood of calluses.

To avoid having this foot problem, one podiatrist suggests allowing the foot to “breathe” at regular intervals and emphasizing comfort.