This week it was called Britain's "most trivial course". Five women, between the ages of 16 and 50, took a six-week class in how to walk in high heels at a college in south London. "It was part of a range of extra-curricular 'enrichment' activities we offer," says a spokesperson for the South Thames College.
Chyna Whyne, the high heels guru leading the course, started giving lessons after she developed chronic back pain from years of standing on stage in heels while working as a backing singer for the likes of Peter Gabriel and Eric Clapton. Someone suggested she try the Alexander Technique, a way of learning how to move more naturally and develop better posture, and she found it so helpful she trained to teach it.
Whyne sees her courses as more than learning how to strut down the street in style."Some women come to me with low self-esteem, some have had marriage break-ups or problems at work, and after I've finished working with them, they are filled with confidence. This is a tranformation from head to toe," she claims.
Don't have time to do a six-week course? Here are Whyne's top five tips.
• Do foot exercises – pointing and flexing, ankle rotations and rising on to the balls of the feet.
• Buy the right shoe for you. I see women who have been wearing the wrong size for years.
• Lead with the ball of your foot. If you lead with the heel, this can make you unbalanced and the heel can break. Keep your feet slightly turned out.
• Keep the knees relaxed – otherwise the lower back starts to lock.
• Wearing high heels is a question of balance. The Alexander Technique teaches you how to hold yourself and this is the key to walking well in heels.
