h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Nice entry Mina Hopefully will be useful to all the first time cross-dressing men who attend the Rocky Horror Show

My experience of high heels being worn by men was in the cast of a production of the Rocky Horror Show. Some take to it naturally (and have to show disdain to those casting slurs on their masculinity ), while others seem inherently awkward.

This was not helped by the need to dance in the shoes . The shoes initially provided for Rocky and Frank n Furter were extremely high platform shoes in which it was deemed too dangerous to dance and a cobbler was tasked with reducing them from about 4" to 1" depth of platform (the heels were probably still 4"). My role fortunately only required about ten minutes in heels each night, so no long term problems resulted.

I can confirm that it is easier to walk elegantly in heels with the change in posture you describe (hips swaying)

Useful tips on caring for feet

Caractacus

I always say that if you've got a platform then it needs to be taken off the heel measurement - so with a one inch platform you're only wearing a 3 inch heel. Having said that, I've never worn platforms as I think they are too dangerous, so I'll bow to your experience.

Thanks for the nice comments as well - what part did you pay in the RH show?

My role was Narrator, so much of the show was in a tux and mens patent leather dress shoes, only at the finale did I appear and dance in fishnets and 3" (I think) stilettos.

Sounds fun though - and not so dangerous!

The cast I was a part of handled this with a 3 month rehearsal with shoes on at all times. If you are careful, you should be able to get through the majority of the pain rather successfully. I Suggest warm-up exercises prior to practice as well as cool downs. Keep Tiger Balm on hand for sore muscles.

I've got a friend who uses Toger Balm, I hadn't thought of it for this though.

I have to admit I haven't danced in anything over 3 inches, but I have kept my 4 inch heels on for an eight hour working day at a mini-press conference prior to the last election. Not sure what I was thinking there... oh yes, I thought there might be tv cameras. But there weren't.

Toger I mean Tiger...

Well my first experience with extremely high stilettos came with Rocky Horror as well. I was a Rocky Horror virgin (the term applied to those who have never seen the show with live performers) and I had the bright idea that I would dress up like Dr. Frank N. Furter. I am a girl, but I had never really worn heels before so I went and bought these impossibly tall six-inch heels and the first time I attempted to wear them was that night...plus I had to walk around town with my friends (one of which was dressed as Columbia) for about an hour before hand. The friend who wore the Columbia costume had tennis shoes in her car, but I was not so lucky, I had just driven barefooted. So I walked and danced for a total of about 6 hours that night including before, during, and after the show. Fortunately, I have very strong legs (I'm apparently masculine enough to pass for a Tim Curry look alike) and my feet were actually fine despite everyone's qualms that they'd be killing me in the morning.