Earlier this year, fashion icon and life-long stiletto enthusiast, Victoria Beckham, shocked the world when she announced that she had finally thrown in the towel on painful pumps.
“I just can’t do heels any more. At least not when I’m working,” she said to The Telegraph. “I travel a lot. Clothes have to be simple and comfortable.”
While we were surprised at the former Spice Girl’s decision to hang up her heels, we, along with women everywhere, breathed a sigh of relief at this news. We were officially off the hook!
After VB claimed that the days of tippy toes were so yesterday, a slew of celebs followed suit, opting for comfort, support and style over a few extra centimeters.
In 2014, Emma Thompson stood on the Golden Globes stage, sans shoes and martini in hand, and threw her pair of platform Louboutins over her shoulder.
“I’ve taken my heels off as a feminist statement really, because why do we wear them? They’re so painful. And pointless, really,” she said.
“You know, I really would like to urge everyone to stop it. Just stop it. Don’t wear them anymore. You just can’t walk in them, and I’m so comfortable now!”
Considering that heels have been proven to cause nerve damage, spider veins, osteoarthritis, back pain, bunions and ingrown toenails (as well as a bad mood), we think we’ll be taking both Emma and Victoria’s advice, thank you very much!
From now on, we’ll be embracing both the style and comfort of loafers, slides, sandals, sneakers, ballet flats, brogues and, of course, boots!
Click through to discover more celebrities who have chosen flats over heels!
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This year, Victoria Beckham opted for stylish comfort when she stepped out to take a bow as she closed her Spring/Summer runway show at New York Fashion Week.
“I just want you to know, this red, it’s my blood,” Emma Thompson said as she presented the award for Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes. Watch her hilarious speech in the next slide! Gallery continues…
Emma Thompson throws her heels at the Golden Globes.
Blake Lively was rarely seen without heels on her hit show Gossip Girl, but in between takes, she always has a pair of chic espadrilles on hand.
After her slinky stilettos or rather “Satan’s shoes” (as she fondly put it) got the better of her at the 2013 Oscars, Jennifer Lawrence now chooses a classic pair of loafers to go about her busy days.
Amy Poehler, who admits she simply can “not improvise in heels”, proves you can do smart and casual without stepping into painful pumps!
Julia Roberts, who is renowned for her effortless style, has famously ditched her tippy-toed shoes at more than one Hollywood event.
At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the edgy Kristen Stewart began her night in high heels, but quickly slipped into something more comfortable! “I feel I can experience about half of my night that I would be able to experience if I was just wearing shoes and I could run around. Literally, these slow you down,” she later admitted.
“I hate high heels, more than anything,” says supermodel Cara Delevingne, who is living proof that fashion doesn’t always require you to be six inches off the ground.
During the 2012 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards, Girls star Lena Dunham removed her shoes a few words into her acceptance speech. “I have to take my shoes off, you guys, I’m so sorry,” she said, adding: “It was never going to go OK that way.”
“When I’m wearing heels at events, my feet feel like they’re sitting in pools of blood,” confessed Elizabeth Olsen.