Are You a Surgical Slave to Fashion? Surgery to Fit a Stiletto - RealSelf blog

Are You a Surgical Slave to Fashion? Surgery to Fit a Stiletto

Princess 19 on 21 Oct 2011 at 10:00am

Would you have surgery to fit a pointy, narrow shoe?  Would you surgically create a heel to mimic a stiletto?  One writer ponders the thought process of physically changing yourself to just be fashionable.

Author Richard Darell recently commented on his site, Bit Rebels, about people’s need to perfect themselves – even to the point of causing bodily harm. Body piercing is mentioned as an example of how many people alter their appearance just for attention-sake.  The author went so far as to create a rather uncomfortable imagery of what one would look like if they got plastic surgery to create a permanent stiletto heel - mimicking today’s trendy shoe of choice. 

He failed to realize that altering a foot for fashion is actually nothing new.

A pair of imaginary surgical kitten heels

Styleite pointed out that bone shaving and a procedure called Cinderella surgery (used to correct bunions and narrow the feet) have both been done by Fashionista women in order to get one’s feet into über trendy skinnier heels.  Toe shortening has been done by women who just consider a toe to be too long. (But, it is not recommended for multiple toes). 

One Manhattan doctor even offers a "pinky tuck" to correct the small toe deformities from wearing those designer heels.  Well, if you are going to pay $800 for those Louboutins, you might as well be able to wear them….right? 

But, is all this too much just for the chance to wear pretty shoes?  Some doctors think so.

"Our function is to relieve pain and correct deformities," Dr. Kathleen Stone, an Arizona podiatrist and President of The American Podiatric Medical Association told The Wall Street Journal. 

"We are not trained to allow women to fit into a narrower shoe," she added.

So even though the options are out there, it may not be something one should just "jump into" just to make an outfit.  It is surgery and it is permanent.

Thank goodness ancient foot binding is no longer in vogue.  Not being able to walk and having unrecognizable (almost ostrich-like looking) feet can’t possibly be worthwhile – let alone impossible to shop for at the mall these days. 

Watch the video regarding the Cinderella surgery featured on The Doctors below.  Warning:  It's quite graphic.

Photo Credits:  Bit Rebels

Comments (13)

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Sharon at RealSelf (Community Manager) 28 Oct 2011

I completely disagree with Richard, the original author. I don't think people get piercings, or plastic surgery for that matter, to "stand out." They get things done because it is their vision of a better aesthetic.

Yes, there will always be extreme examples of people who do want to attract attention, but the vast majority of people get work done because they think it looks good. As far as these extremes becoming the new "normal," I personally think he's creating a slippery slope where there just isn't one.

Andy Castillo 1 Nov 2011
Sharon, I absolutely agree with you. And I think it's wonderful that different people find different things attractive. I just don't like seeing people do things to themselves that affect their health or the proper functioning of their body. For example, enormous breast enlargement is likely to cause back problems. But aside from that sort of thing, do what makes you happy!

~ Dr. Andy
Ssha 13 Nov 2011
I completely agree with you, Sharon. I think the way this article was written was incredibly biased, as are most plastic surgery articles.

The truth of the matter is that this surgery was primarily plastic, as opposed to simply cosmetic. Yes, her motivations might be called into question, but the fact that she has, by having this surgery, reduced her chances for arthritis--not just in the feet, but throughout the joints up and down her body on both sides--is undeniable, and 'elevates' (to use a dangerous characterization bias of my own) this surgery beyond the cosmetic.

That this surgery would be compared to ancient Chinese foot binding is ludicrous and disingenuous in the extreme. As someone who has foot problems related, among other issues, to acromegaly, I can absolutely see beyond the cosmetic benefits, as well as those perceived as petty by most.
Ssha 13 Nov 2011
I completely agree with you, Sharon. I think the way this article was written was incredibly biased, as are most plastic surgery articles.

The truth of the matter is that this surgery was primarily plastic, as opposed to simply cosmetic. Yes, her motivations might be called into question, but the fact that she has, by having this surgery, reduced her chances for arthritis--not just in the feet, but throughout the joints up and down her body on both sides--is undeniable, and 'elevates' (to use a dangerous characterization bias of my own) this surgery beyond the cosmetic.

That this surgery would be compared to ancient Chinese foot binding is ludicrous and disingenuous in the extreme. As someone who has foot problems related, among other issues, to acromegaly, I can absolutely see beyond the cosmetic benefits, as well as those perceived as petty by most.
Ssha 13 Nov 2011
I completely agree with you, Sharon. I think the way this article was written was incredibly biased, as are most plastic surgery articles.

The truth of the matter is that this surgery was primarily plastic, as opposed to simply cosmetic. Yes, her motivations might be called into question, but the fact that she has, by having this surgery, reduced her chances for arthritis--not just in the feet, but throughout the joints up and down her body on both sides--is undeniable, and 'elevates' (to use a dangerous characterization bias of my own) this surgery beyond the cosmetic.

That this surgery would be compared to ancient Chinese foot binding is ludicrous and disingenuous in the extreme. As someone who has foot problems related, among other issues, to acromegaly, I can absolutely see beyond the cosmetic benefits, as well as those perceived as petty by most.
Sinologist100 17 Nov 2011
It looks as bad as "Chinese Foot-binding!"
ekellyr 24 Nov 2011
this kind of thing goes WAY further back - the Chinese used to bind the feet of girls, breaking their bones and then binding them tight, doing this over and over again as the girls became women, until their feet eventually ended up about 6 inches long. they couldn't even walk - and that was the point, it was a male effort at dominating them by taking away their ability to move around - this went on for generations, and it was only stopped less than 100 years ago! it kind of bothers me when articles like this say, "this isn't new" only to look back to the past 5 or 10 years -- go back decades or hundreds of years and you will find even more physical abuse. this is NOT new - modern society will not find much that hasn't been attempted in the past, only our surgical techniques and our technology has changed. people were getting nose jobs before plastic surgery was even an actual medical practice.
brandice 26 Nov 2011
WHAT THE HELL?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! WHEN U HAVE TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS IT'S NO LONGER BEAUTIFUL, ITS INSANE!!
number131 9 Dec 2011
wow! seriously?
rugratz2222 15 Dec 2011
She was already having foot problems ... partly from her choice of shoes, but also just everyday common things, like working out and walking. The surgery is not that radical - it has improved her health as well as her perception of herself. Isn't a lot of cosmetic surgery the same? Do we need to fault people for that? Some things go extreme, but I don't see this as one of them. It was a tool to help her AND make her feel good about herself. I thought it was a bad idea, but then I watched the video and I changed my mind. More power to her! Wish they would have done a follow-up story much later to see how well it worked today!
Pancake 31 Jan 2012
Bunions are extremely painful, even with supportive shoes. I can barely walk a mile without it throbbing with pain and swelling. I can't wait to get the surgery. I hope I recover quickly, like she did!

I just want some relief from the physical pain. I think for her, both her physical pain and mental distress was alleviated by having this necessary surgery.
yokelmotif 8 Feb 2012
on an evolutionary level their ankles would eventually develop into something akin to the juncture of the skin and feathers on a chicken's leg.i guess the term 'chick' was way ahead of it's time.
RonR 15 Mar 2012
Cosmetic podiatry procedures. In this country, with the economy in bad shape, most are dealing with CHF, COPD, DM, rotting teeth and high blood pressure--most cannot pay a non MD to perform bunion procedures or straightening crooked toes.

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