My ongoing battle with the High Heel

A friend of mine almost twisted her ankles last Sunday from wearing 3 inch heels. On her defense, she wasn't used to wearing heels and she forgot she wore heels when she ran down the stairs. The next day, we wasted several SMS rounds on the condition of her ankles (100 sms per day ain't no problem for me till date, I'm a lazy 'texter'). But the incident reminded me of my ongoing battling with mastering the art of wearing high heels.

I got my first pair of heels the Christmas after I turned 17. Two inch heels. Nothing glorious. My peers that time could have run a marathon on my new heels. But for me, I spend Christmas Eve practicing on how to walk in my new heels without walking awkward. My brother laughed at me on Christmas morning when he found me preparing breakfast with PJs and heels! I ignored his snigger. I will not be caught walking like a duck on Christmas day. 

Turns out I was wrong, he told some of his friends and my friends about my kitchen fashion. Loudmouth! It so happened that right in the middle of Christmas Tea at church, my wicked friend Jona yelled "Hey! Seni.... nice heels! You ain't walking funny at all. Geat job!!". I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me then and there! 

In spite of that encounter, I will always have fond memories of  those heels. Everytime I wore them, my dad would tease "I pheikhawk atang khan lo chhuk la, in kawm ang hmiang". I still keep the pair back home, though I never wore them anymore. I tired, several times, to pass them on to my younger cousins but was always rejected with a whiff of "a style a hlui tawh em mai"!  So I decided to keep them as souvenirs!

Ten years down the line... improvement came slow. Improvement with the height of the heels. The highest pair of heels I own is a 3 inch strap (Yes, I measured it just now!) and I wore it only once in four months. And the only time I wore it, I took a pair of flats to change into once church got over. Yes, it's much better to relax in flats during song practice! 

I don't walk like a duck anymore while wearing heels. Wait, I never walked like one! It's just that I never get scared of walking like a duck anymore. I guess I've covered a milestone. But I wear heels only in formal occasions and  to church and I've never lasted for more than 5 hours in heels. That is why I always carry a pair of flats on Sundays to change into, once service gets over. Well, most of us, at least here in Delhi do!

Once a friend of mine in the choir complained "You girls always do this! And you don't even wear that much of high heels. The PussyCat Dolls can sing and dance for hours in much higher heels!" He quipped. "The reason??" I retorted "I'm not a Pussy Cat Doll!" Isn't it obvious?

My problem wearing high heels. First things first, I wear high heels only to church or other formal occasions. And I teach in Sunday School. Well, aren't half of the high-heeled-marathon-running young women back home Sunday School teachers too?? And then I add, Delhi Mizo Sunday School is crazy. We spend half the time running after kids, jumping and prancing to action songs and sitting on the floor during art and craft hour. Sangtei, the pre-beginner teacher, I noticed, is always the first one to remove her shoes once she enters the hall. So I guess I'm not the only one! Between the heat, the 40 hyperactive kids stuffed in a painfully small room, the crazy action songs, the bible lessons and weird questions that 9 year olds would ask, the last thing I need to worry about is my feet!

I admire women who wear high heels and make it look comfortable. And as much as I want to master the art of wearing high heels, I still can't. But why bother wearing heels at all? Well, I know the majority of Mizo women will agree when I say that the Mizo puan is much more presentable when worn with heels. The higher, the better. With heels, suddenly you're puan-clad body look more svelte and suave, your curves more defined and you, all of a sudden, walk with such feminine gait. I love wearing puan and hence the heels become essential.

Battling the Delhi August heat in Puanchei and heels!! This is why if we've gone 3 inch, we've gone high enough!!

I salute the Mizo women who have master the difficult art in such a rugged terrain as our hilly abode. If you've ever worn high heels while walking downhill, you'll know what I'm talking about!! A friend of mine once told me there's a very steep road in her locality (Mission Vengthlang) that at first she thought no one would be able to walk down with heels. But no! She later told me that girls wearing 5 inch heels walked comfortably on those roads. The magic techinque??? They backed downhill!!! Smart Mission Vengthlang girls! It would be quite a sight watching girls back down the road without missing a step! I should remember to visit the friend on a Sunday afternoon the next time I go home!

I tried the same magic technique when I was in Aizawl during the summer. My dad and I were walking home from church and I was with a 3 inch heel, which suddenly felt like a 6 inch on a certain slope. I tell you, the magic technique is the smartest thing that you can do in such a situation.

Yet, my dad stared at me as if I've got some screws loose in my head.

"What are you doing?"

"Please stop"

"People are staring at you"

"Seni, walk properly please"

"Stop doing that"

And ultimately

"Stop right there and wait. I'll go home and come pick you up in a car".

He did!!!

And needless to say, the battle continues...