When I read this, I wondered what was the purpose of this study. Is it designed to show that men are thick-headed neanderthals who only offer help based on the shoes a woman is wearing? Does this mean women who want a man to help them should wear high heels?
“Would help me move the furniture in my apartment?”
“Will you be wearing high heels?”
“Ah, sure, if that's important to you.”
“There is a study you must read. It'll explain everything.
“Oh.”
This is an actual study. Below are excerpts of the study in bold, and my valuable insights are in italics.
Published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, the study reveals that men are more likely to pay attention to women and be quicker to help them when they are wearing high heels than when they are wearing flat shoes.
I think it always appears to us men that women wearing high heels need more help. The women wearing high heels seem to be on mini-stilts. This is why it gets so much attention. It's difficult to avoid looking at someone on stilts walking in the office or down the street. There's always that tense silence as you wonder if they're going to make it.
Study author Nicolas Guéguen, of the Université de Bretagne-Sud in France, notes that past research has shown that a woman's appearance - including their body size and style of clothing - can influence a man's behavior toward them.
But he says only one study has looked at how the size of woman’s shoe heels affects men's attitudes. As such, he set out to investigate further.
Those French are something. If I were able to speak to this researcher I would say “Nicolas, Nico buddy, what's going on? Aye, like what are you doing here? Trying to say that men are influenced by a woman's shoes? Do you see the outfits women wear when they have on high heels? I think the high heel and outfit combo should be taken into consideration if you know what I mean. It ain't like women are wearing high heels and have on a muumuu, know what I'm saying? Think about that next time you're busy scarfing down some snails with your Bordeaux.”
The study consisted of four experiments. In the first experiment - which involved 90 men - Guéguen analyzed their responses to a 19-year-old woman wearing either flat shoes or high heels after she asked them to complete a survey on gender equality.
Were these French men? They look at women differently than men from other countries. So, what did this 19-year-old woman look like? Was she a piece of eye candy wearing high heels? What did she wear with her flat shoes? A muumuu? How much Bordeaux did this guy have while analyzing these responses? I'm just saying.
In a second experiment - involving 180 women and 180 men - four women wearing either flat shoes or high heels asked participants to complete a survey on local food habit consumption.
Now we double down on the study participants. I think the girl's looks, facial expressions and more play a role when it comes to convincing men to complete a survey. Who cares about shoes? Getting a guy to do a survey on local food habit consumption takes some selling skills.
In a third experiment, Guéguen assessed the helpfulness of 180 men and 180 women when a woman dropped a glove in the street while wearing high heels and while wearing flat shoes.
Let's face it, a woman is less likely to fall when wearing flat shoes. Whey they're up on their fashionable stilt shoes, they could have a terrible fall. Seems like guys have the right idea. Women in high heels seem more prone to fall if they bend over to pick something up. Women wearing flat shoes are probably more likely to participate in a fun game of touch football.
The final experiment took place in a bar, where Guéguen monitored the behavior of 36 young men toward women who were wearing flat shoes and women who were wearing heels.
What kind of bar? Was it a place where bikers hangout? Was it a place where there was pole dancing? Was it a sports bar? What were the ages of these 36 men? The older you get the less you worry about a woman's shoes. The more you worry about if she'll be in good condition to safely drive you home at the end of the night.
Based on his findings, Guéguen believes that a woman's shoe heel size "exerts a powerful effect on men's behavior," and the study provides more evidence that a woman's appearance affects how men interact with the opposite sex.
Guéguen points out that one explanation for these findings may be that men associate women who wear high heels with sexual intent, possibly because this is the impression given off through the use of attractive female models wearing high heels in the media.
Hey Guegey, there are some women who wear high heels to attract men. This is okay. Some of these women commonly go to bars. Who cares about female models wearing high heels in the media? Women who want to attract men will wear high heels and certain clothes so men notice them. Why don't you do a study on why women wear high heels when they want to attract men? Were you paid in Bordeaux and snails for this study?
Another explanation, Guéguen says, is that women's gait - the way they walk - changes when wearing high heels, which may increase their attractiveness for men. "Previous research examining female nonverbal behavior reported that subtle variations, including gait, were associated with variations in men attractiveness judgment and behavior," he notes.
Guéguen says that such explanations are hypothetical, however, and further research is warranted to confirm what drives men to be more helpful toward a woman wearing high heels.
A woman's gait should change when they wear high heels. They're focusing on walking and balancing. I'm sure my friend Guegey wants to do more research. Maybe the next study could be why women are more attracted to men wearing expensive tennis shoes rather than those purchased at a Dollar store. (Sarcasm Alert) It will probably render information that is just as valuable as this study.
Here is a link to the story.
Press Release for Guegey High Heel Study
