It is 9:00 a.m. and the yard is beginning to bustle with the activities of everyday student life. Good mornings are exchanged, birds are chirping, squirrels are scurrying along the grass and the clicking of pointy-toed, 4-5-inch stiletto boots can be heard along the highly inclined concrete hills throughout campus.
For many fashion conscious students, stiletto heels are a dazzling way to make an ordinary outfit standout, especially in the fall and winter seasons, from python, alligator, and snake print, to the classic colors of red and black.
Some female students say stilettos provide a way to walk with confidence, grace, and femininity, and they give the illusion of longer legs.
However, the fact that stiletto heels can be hazardous to one's health is a factor that many female students overlook. In fact, 90 percent of people who suffer from foot problems are women.
Dorothy Pringle is the associate director of nursing services at the Howard University Health Center and recalls wearing high heels to work everyday.
"I didn't think about the harm I was causing to my body from standing on my feet all day with high heels," Pringle said.
Pringle is now suffering from severe knee problems and orthopedic problems and is concerned about seeing students in the health center for ankle sprains and breaks from injuries sustained from high stiletto heels.
"Those heels can throw your entire body alignment off especially walking up concrete hills," Pringle said. "Having your feet in such a tight position all day long can also cause deformity, fungus, corns, and harder toes."
According to a study conducted by Casey Kerrigan, an associate professor of physical medicine at Harvard Medical School, wide clunky heels can increase the risk of knee problems as much, or more than, spindly-heeled stilettos.
"Wide-heeled shoes give you the perception of more stability when you're standing, and they feel comfortable, so women wear them all day long," Kerrigan said. "They are better for your feet than stiletto heels, but just as bad for your knees."
Rachael Jennings, a sophomore biology major, refuses to trade the comfort of causality for the throbbing pain of vanity.
"I have classes all over campus, from Douglass Hall to the valley, then I have to walk down the hill to the East Towers," Jennings said. "It doesn't make sense wearing high heels and to me that's not beauty when you think about how your feet will look later in life."
Florace Juba is a second year business management major and tries to wear stilettos heels everyday and said a little pain is incomparable to the feeling she gets from wearing stilettos.
"I feel taller and powerful in the figurative sense when I wear stilettos," Juba said. "It's not about the fashion, it's about feeling good about yourself and having confidence."
John Early, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas said women pay a high price for their vanity.
"Men don't usually suffer from this kind of foot discomfort because they refuse to wear shoes that are uncomfortable," Early said. "Women, however, are willing to sacrifice their comfort for fashion. They think flat-heeled shoes are unbecoming."
However, Byron Hughes, sophomore biology major, finds that women are more attractive in casual flat shoes.
"I find it very unattractive for females to come in a eight o clock class over-dressed looking for attention," Hughes said. "I prefer girls who are on chill mode and comfortable."
Early suggests women should select a pair of shoes that has ample toe room and has less than a two-inch heel inclination. He also advises walking around the store in shoes, and paying close attention to how one's feet feel while walking.
Although female students may not feel the damaging affects of stiletto heels now, medical experts maintain the effect happens later in life.
According to the Yale New Haven Hospital web site, surgeons perform over 300,000 artificial knee replacements in the U.S. significantly due to wear and tear caused by high-heeled shoes.
