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By Betsy Rothstein and Emily Belz
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Posted: 07/26/07 07:08 PM [ET] |
For the woman who works on Capitol Hill, high heels can present a fashion dilemma. Does she slip on a pair and risk the discomfort keeping up with her tall boss while walking down those marble hallways? Or does she sacrifice style and scrap the pumps?
Some women wouldn’t be caught dead in flats.
“I’m a heels gal, even though it’s risky when your boss is a fast-walking Marine,” said Jessica Smith, deputy spokeswoman for Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.).
Others don’t care for heels. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) has been known to don sparkly sneakers, and former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) often wore gym shoes on the House floor.
Male staffers have a hard time understanding the power of feminine footwear. “They look uncomfortable,” one male aide said. “The women who wear them are stronger than I. I would just walk around in flip-flops.”
Oh, the horror.
A female staffer tried to help the above male aide comprehend the importance of stepping up. “I hate high heels,” she admitted, “but I do wear them. They make you look professional.”
She went on to confess, “I do have a blister kit that I carry with me, actually.” Yet she’s appalled to see women walking around the Hill in stilettos, dismissing them as “inappropriate.”
Rachel Cothran, creator of Project Beltway, a D.C. fashion blog, has mixed feelings. “I love and hate heels all at once,” she said. “While they do make your legs look longer and inject a tried-and-true dose of femininity to your boring Hill outfit, they can literally be a pain.
“There’s nothing worse than limping through the Hart [Senate Office Building] hallways with five Band-Aids flapping around your ankles. And I will never understand why those cobblestone walkways were installed outside of Union Station, of all places. That being said, I know plenty of women who say they simply don’t feel pretty or in charge in flats.”
Style can override comfort. “I firmly believe that you should wear what makes you feel confident and attractive, and if flats are going to make you feel frumpy, then certainly steer clear,” she said. At the same time, she added, “If heels make you miserable, you’ll look miserable.”
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