How high of a heel is too high?
“The angle of the foot with a heel that is three-and-a-half inches or higher can affect the tendons in your foot and ankle, and they also provide an unstable platform,” Zimmerman said.
Typically, you'll find three types of heel height: high heels (over 9cm), mid heels (6.5cm-8.5cm) and low heels (normally between 3-6cms). Common sense would probably tell you that low heels would be the most comfortable.
HEEL STYLE
The height of heel is about 10cm/4 inches thin stiletto high heels, which improves your body proportion, allows you to look slim and sexy.
DAINTY HEIGHT: High-heel measures approx. 12 cm/4.7" (varied slightly by size).
High heels can add 4 in. / 10 cm so the average woman is 5′7 / 172cm high-heeled. So it's close, but not quite. Do you find women attractive who reach over 6 feet in high heels?
4 Inch (10 CM) heels.
First, you don't want to go too high — keeping the heel around two inches is a safe bet. And remember that the wider the heel, the more stability you'll have, especially if you're walking on uneven ground (beware of cobblestones!).
Shorter heels are much easier to walk in than those that put your feet at a more severe angle. The higher the heel, the more you'll have to change your natural gait to accommodate the shoe. Kitten heels that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches in height are the easiest heels to wear because they're the most similar to wearing flats.
Trick 1: Walk Heel to Toe—not toe to heel
The easiest way to look like an amateur in heels is to put your whole foot down at once as if you're wearing flats. When wearing heels, put your heel down first, followed by your toe. This will make your walk look more natural.
Stiletto heels can range from one inch to a sky-scraping seven or eight inches. Stiletto heels that are taller than three inches may be a little more difficult to walk in at first, and are usually reserved for more dressy occasions, like evenings out or a fancy dinner.
How do I choose the right heel size?
Some say high heels sizing is usually bigger than flats, so we should go one to two sizes down when shopping for heels. For instance, if you wear a US7 in flats, go for US5 to US6 when buying heels.
Foot length in cm | D / EU shoe size | US men's shoe size |
---|---|---|
26,5 cm | 42 | 9 |
26,9 cm | 42 1/2 | 9 1/2 |
27,3 cm | 43 | 10 |
27,7 cm | 44 | 10 1/2 |

3 Inch (8 CM) Heels.
We find that most shoes, from women's high heeled pumps to cowboy boots to can be raised or lowered up to 1/2 inch with no problem. Some can be raised or lowered as much as 3/4 inch or even 1 inch. Balance of the shoe determines how high or low.
2.75 Inch (7 CM) Heels.
All women's foot sizes are normal. Heights and weights have increased in the United States over the past several decades. Feet have gotten larger, too. While there are no official statistics about shoe sizes, anecdotally, the average shoe size for women in the United States ranges between 8.5 and 9.
Before even submitting yourself or attending castings for shows, buy a great pair of quality high heels that are no shorter than 4 inches. That's right... 4 inches minimum! Even if you're already over 5'8", you'll more than likely be required to be even taller by wearing super high heels so get used to it, sister!
The girl will be 5 inches taller. A girl who is 5'5 would roughly be around 5'9 to 5'10 if wearing 5-inch heels.
Heels 4 inches and above may be a little too high for running around the office in and might cause you some discomfort when worn for long periods of time. Lower heels are a more professional heel height.
Studies have shown that the most comfortable height of heel for an all day event is anywhere between 3-4 inches. In fact, Beyonce did an article on how all of her performance shoes were 4-inches because that is the most comfortable height to wear.
Are 4 inch heels very high?
No, 4 inches is not too high. It is the perfect height for a girl to start wearing though. If you plan on wearing even higher heels than that, please buy quality heels and have the proper fit.
Of course, if you work in a conservative, business professional environment err on the side of a lower heel. If you work in a fashion-forward and creative industry (lucky!) you can get away with so much more. Best practice, with rare exception, keep your heel hight at or under 3.5″.
Buying a heel that is larger may feel more comfortable and aggravate a bunion slightly less as it gives the great toe a little more wiggle room, but it won't prevent the formation of bunions any less than a smaller sized heel as they will still alter your gait and the natural biomechanics of the foot.
Heels up to 4 inches are very comfortable to walk in as long as the shoe is carefully designed; 4.5-inch heels are manageable by literally everyone if you've had enough practice, and a 1-inch platform can help keep you safe in 5.5-inch heels. Heels higher than that? We'll pass.
For high heels between 2 to 3 1/2 inches — go with 1/2 size larger. For high heels between 4 to 6 inches — go with 1 full size larger. For high heels 6 1/2 inches and above — go with 1-1/2 sizes larger.
A medium heel (1.5 to 3 inches): "These are the shoes you should only wear for show, at weddings, for a dinner date, and so on," says Armstrong. You're probably okay for up to three hours in these heels, but don't push it beyond that.
Never go over 3 inches in heel height because it changes the biomechanics of how you walk. This leads to shorter strides, and more pressure is placed on the balls of your feet, which throws off your center of gravity putting unneeded and unnecessary stress on your knees and lower back."
Stiletto heels may vary in length from 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) to 25 cm (10 inches) or more if a platform sole is used, and are sometimes defined as having a diameter at the ground of less than 1 cm (slightly less than half an inch). Stiletto-style heels 5 cm (2.0 in) or shorter are called kitten heels.
The best heel height for walking is usually within the 2-3 inches range. It's enough to give you the height you want without much of the hurt. Because the less height your heel has, the easier it is to walk in.