The head teacher of a top Independent girls’ school has said that suits don’t look good without heels, following on a debate about sexist dress codes.
Jenny Brown, headmistresses at St Albans High School for Girls, said that she wore high heels to work all the time despite being aware of “masochistic” undertones in their design.
Writing in The Telegraph, Ms Brown said: “It’s certainly not healthy to clamp your toes into a ludicrous, masochistic machine for hours on end; I’m told it’s very bad for your ankles, back and hip joints too”.
“But here’s my Achilles heel,” she added, “I still love my high shoes.”
“They are the final flourish for formal wear; suits just don’t look as good without them.”
The comments came in response to recent debate over whether a company should be able to force female employees to wear high-heeled shoes, after City receptionist Nicola Thorp was reportedly sent home from PriceWaterhouseCoopers for wearing flats.
A number of public figures have waded into the sexism row, including Business Secretary Sajid Javid, who said “no woman should be forced to wear high heels”, adding that “responsible employers shouldn’t need the law to tell them that”.
Regarding her own pupils’ footwear, Ms Brown said the school’s message was that girls have a “choice”.
“Girls must feel confident in footwear that makes them comfortable and any uniform or dress code should be accommodating enough not to demand discomfort.”
The school’s uniform policy requests “study, low-heeled” shoes in plain black or navy.
“I clearly need to get out my flats and role model empowered lower footwear for my pupils,” said Ms Brown.
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