Maybe that’s true for HS kids (dunno), but not for us old geezers!
I don’t wear heels all that often, but do wear nice, comfortable shoes to work. Wedges are very comfortable. Love them in the summer months.
This is not what I am wearing, but its the kind of style. Remarkably comfortable http://www.stuartweitzman.com/store/item/?itemid=80270&mktid=PLA&gclid=CLyo24u2uc4CFYphfgod2ZwCog
I’m 5’4", spouse is 5’10". Rarely wear heels for everyday - mostly just for special occasions. Without measuring, my guess is that most are 2-3". I’ve never been a stiletto heel wearer. I get the most use out of black leather slingbacks and nude patent peep toes. I also have a black patent Mary Jane wedge that looks great in winter with tights and heavy clothing, and a gold Gucci print kitten heel that sasses it up in the summer 
I have started taking note of how some young women walk, when I see those high heels. Most don’t do well.
I stick to 1.5" for dressy occasions, down from 2" a few years ago. My arthritic knees complain otherwise.
As an aside- I am short, and shrinking. Need some height and length to detract from my kankles. Only wear “heels” (and not skinny ones-- can’t walk on those) when in a professional setting ans dome social settings. Also have low heels too (the 1-2" ones). Wear them more in the winter.
The size of your foot will determine how comfortable a 4-5" heel is going to be. For someone wearing size 35, 4" heel will mean tiptoeing on stilts, for someone wearing 41, 4" heel can be no problem. Because foot size generally tracks height, high heels on shorter folks usually look worse than on taller folks.
Size 40 foot, just under 5’ 6" on a well-rested morning, I prefer heels 3" and under, usually wear .5-1" chunky heels or small wedges.
BTW, many women erroneously assume that walking on heels should mimic tiptoeing, resulting in ridiculous gait. Take a look at how models sashay down the catwalk - straight back, looking tall, landing on the ball of the foot.
I’m 5’7" and I’m comfortable in 3 to 4 inch heels and wedges. I wear lots of cute wedges with sundresses and rolled jeans in the summer. In the winter I love booties with a heel to wear with jeans and dresses and skirts. My H is 6’2" so no problem with the size of heels I wear!
Very interested about the foot size and heel height comfort level. I didn’t know that. I’m a size 10, or 41 in European and I am quite comfortable in heels up to 3.5 inches and walk natural. Up to 4" would be for going out.
I’m the exact same height as my DH, and my height in heels had never bothered me at all nor him. The only exception I made was our wedding, I wore Satin flats.
I never thought about foot size and the ability to wear heels, but that makes so much sense. My size 6.5 feet have never handled heels well, and after I had my kids, kind of decided I preferred comfort over fashion. My younger D is a size 10 and can wear very high heels with little problem, though these days she’s into flat sandals of all styles.
I did have a pair of wedge sandals by Easy Spirit a few years ago that I loved. I could walk for miles and miles all day long and still feel like I had just stepped out. But I wore them out and they don’t make the same type of sole any longer. The new ones are narrower, stiffer and not nearly as comfortable. I returned the pair I’d bought to replace the others.
I’m 5’9", and I have a pair of wedges that have a 6" heel. Rarefied air up there at 6’3", and my husband can look me in the eye, lol.
I have a size 8 foot, it doesn’t seem to matter what kind of heel I wear in terms of comfort. I think it’s probably more about foot mechanics and foot build than size.
FWIW, I was a runway model, and if I walked like that in real life I’d trash my joints-it’s a very specific gait and you can’t keep it up for long. It’s hard on your knees, you’re off-balance because you’re walking like you’re on a stripe (one foot exactly in front of the other, and in some cases with a slight crossover), and you can not let your hips shift and absorb the impact. You end up lifting your legs weirdly high to compensate for the stillness in the hips, and it’s tiring and you don’t cover a lot of ground.
You don’t want to walk perched over with your butt sticking out, either (Carol Burnette as the secretary comes to mind).
I think the secret is not to walk too fast in heels, not to take huge steps, to keep your shoulders back, and to let your hips absorb the impact of the heel by swaying (think Marilyn Monroe in the train scene from Some Like It Hot where Jack Lemmon comments “it’s like she’s on springs!”)
I’m barely 5’4" and only wear heels for special occasions. I used to wear 3" heels when I was younger, and still have a pair, but now I prefer 2.5" for those occasions. When I wear 3" heels now for an evening out or a wedding, my feet cramp after I take the shoes off. I didn’t have any of those problems wearing 2.5" heels at S1’s wedding.
On a daily basis I wear flats or wedges with no more than a 1-1.5" heel/wedge.
I’m 5’8" and the tallest I own are 3". They are in fact, the only heels I own any more and are reserved for dressy events like corporate Christmas party, etc. i mostly wear flats or low wedges and my feet give me no trouble. My best friend is very short and says she has always needed to wear shoes with a heel to look professional. Now at 60, her feet are a mess. Maybe some of it is genetic, but all that walking and standing on the balls of your feet can’t be good for you.
Maybe all of you who wear them regularly know this, but those little cushiony pads that you can insert under the ball of your foot made a huge difference for me. We had to park three blocks from a wedding reception recently and I was fine walking both ways. Coming down the steep steps at the exit was a challenge. How do you gracefully manage stairs in tall heels?
My mom was 5’ if she stood on something. I am 5’6" (give or take, probably taking now) She always wore heels for herself. Usually 2". When I was of age, she bought me heels as well. 2" also. I could run down a NYC street, down a subway stairway, and catch a train in heels without effort (then). (Now, not so much). D isn’t comfortable in any height.
I just wish I didn’t get blisters.
@MomofWildChild …fascinating reading about the runway gait. I just read somewhere, or was it on TV, that the Brazilian Griselle Bundchen invented that horse gait.
Conmama- I don’t think you meant to tag me! I’ve been absent from this discussion.
Now that I’m here… I have also observed the “let’s see who can wear the highest heels” competition" on occasion- with younger folks or at the company Christmas party (dressy).
I can’t walk in high heels. I can do up to a 2 inch heel if I have to, but try to avoid it. These days, there are so many comfortable options even for dressier occasions (of which I don’t have many, fortunately) that it’s not an issue in my wardrobe. I’m more of the cowboy boots or running shoes type. I’m 5’4".
I am 5’ 5.5". H is perhaps an inch taller. When I was about 19, I had a pair of brand new wavy-bottomed Famalore shoes. After wearing them for only two days, I literally was in such pain, I had to go to a podiatrist and get a special orthodox made and wear special hideous oxfords for the next two years to be able to walk at all. It was a unique fashion choice and I never got my footwear mixed up with anyone else in college!
Needless to say, I’ve been VERY careful about footwear ever since and pay close attention to comfort. Nearly all my footwear are flats–mostly walking shoes. I did on a whim but two pairs of sandals–one a platform and the other with a 2" heel, but wear each only once a month or less. On a daily basis, I wear cross trainers and black walking shoes nearly everywhere.
I never have felt very comfortable walking in high heels and never liked sling backs or peep toes. I have VERY high arches, wide toes and narrow heels. My feet are now pretty healthy and I can walk for literally miles as needed–at airports and daily.
@MomofWildChild …oops…sorry. I meant to tag @MotherOfDragons . I suppose not much difference in the meaning, eh?
I gave up heels about twenty years ago after a bad car accident and many months of crutches etc. I probably could wear them now if I had to, but choose not to. Found lovely almost flat sandals for my D’s wedding three years ago. But even the slight lift to them hurt (after four hours of dancing–should have gone barefoot!)
I’m 5’4" on a good day, but am content to stay short.
Neigh, er, I mean, nay. We were doing it when Giselle was in diapers 
You could totally go down a rabbit hole of how the runway walk has evolved over the decades.
GREAT typo!