How many times have you seen a killer pair of shoes, and told yourself, “There’s no way I could walk in those?”

Or maybe you had a really cool dress, but flats just didn’t look right?

Or you had a well-meaning male friend suggest you wear a pair of hiking boots with that dress or suit?

No kidding, I knew someone like that. He literally had ONE pair of shoes, and those were hiking boots. He wore them everywhere: job interviews, running errands and to the beach.

But let’s face it, a lot of straight, white men have no sense of fashion at all.

For years, I couldn’t walk in heels. I’d try them on at the shoe store, I even bought a pair I THOUGHT I could walk in to appease a boyfriend (never again) but I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I actually felt not as feminine because I couldn’t walk in heels.

Some women reading this are probably thinking, “Who gives a shit! Wear what you like!” And ladies, I get it, I really do.

But if you’re on the short side and want to gain a few inches, it’s either tease your hair, or wear some heels.

It took me nearly a lifetime, but I finally figured out why I couldn’t walk in heels and look normal.

Oh, I watched YouTube tutorials, but they didn’t really help.

“Know thyself.” As I get older, I’m tuning into myself more, and really studying my feet and my shoes paid off.

But I needed a bit of motivation, which came in the form of Frye Zelda Seam Clog sandals. They had rock-solid platforms and sturdy-looking heels. They would look great with either jeans or a dress. Versatile. I thought I could probably walk in them, as the heels were about an inch and three-quarters wide. Stilettos these were not. But you gotta learn to walk before you can run.

I bought them. They were a bargain at $30 on Baopals.* And if they were fake, these were the highest quality fakes I’d encountered.

But first, I examined my feet and my shoes. I tended to walk on the outside edges of my feet. I had the callouses to show for it. And my shoe heels were worn way down on the outside edge, but the inside edge?

Looks like I’d never taken them out of the box!

So I Googled the details and found the terms pronation and supination. Click here for a more detailed explanation.

It was nice to know my particular situation (supination) had a name. I don’t know why I developed this, but it explained why when I tried to walk in heels, my foot would skid inward, leaving the shoe (if it stayed on) at a 90 degree angle.

Clearly, I had to walk flat-footed if I wanted to walk in heels. Heel-toe, heel-toe, but flatten those arches like a tire.

It means you have to think hard about your feet and make ‘em flat. Obviously, if you have pronation, you have to make the edges of your feet turn out a bit more. Basically, you have the opposite problem I do.

It helped a lot that I had some solid shoes to practice with. And you DO have to practice. Work up to at least an hour a day. Wear them around the house. If you’re afraid of making the carpet/floors dirty, tape the bottoms, then take the tape off when you leave the house. Practicing means any problems with your feet (blisters, etc.) can be prepared for. Extra bandages, or add-ons to make the shoes a bit more comfy.

But don’t start with stilettos first. Get used to the idea of walking in heels and what you need to do, then try something more daring.

If you want to see the video version of this post, go here.

And whatever shoes you wear, be fabulous!

*Baopals. Like Taobao, but in English. Check it out!