Scientists Stalk Stilettos
Some research studies intrigue, and this latest one, by Neil J. Cronin, a postdoctoral researcher, and two of his colleagues at the Musculoskeletal Research Program at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, is one that I’d have enjoyed observing, if not- actually participating in.
“We began to consider what might be happening at the muscle and tendon level” in women who wear heels, Dr. Cronin says.
Imagine, scientists intuited that women wearing high heels walked differently from those wearing flats.
In results published last week in The Journal of Applied Physiology, the scientists found that heel wearers moved with shorter, more forceful strides than the control group, their feet perpetually in a flexed, toes-pointed position. This movement pattern continued even when the women kicked off their heels and walked barefoot. As a result, the fibers in their calf muscles had shortened and they put much greater mechanical strain on their calf muscles than the control group did.
GRETCHEN REYNOLDS, in the New York Times:
“The obvious question raised by the findings, though, is so what? Does it fundamentally matter if a woman’s calf muscle fibers shorten and she neglects her tendons while walking, especially if she loves the looks of her Louboutins?
That question is difficult for a biomechanist to answer, Dr. Cronin admits. Aesthetics are outside the realm of his branch of science. But the risk of injury is not. “We think that the large muscle strains that occur when walking in heels may ultimately increase the likelihood of strain injuries,” he says. (This risk is separate from the chances that a woman, if unfamiliar with heels, may topple sideways and twist an ankle or bruise her self-image, which is an acute injury and happened to me only the one time.)
The risks extend to workouts, when heel wearers abruptly switch to sneakers or other flat shoes. “In a person who wears heels most of her working week,” Dr. Cronin says, the foot and leg positioning in heels “becomes the new default position for the joints and the structures within. Any change to this default setting,” he says, like pulling on Keds or Crocs, constitutes “a novel environment, which could increase injury risk.”
It should be noted, he adds, that in his study, the volunteers “were quite young, average age 25, suggesting that it is not necessary to wear heels for a long time, meaning decades, before adaptations start to occur.”
So, if you do wear heels and are at all concerned about muscle and joint strains, his advice is simple. Try, if possible, to ease back a bit on the towering footwear, he says. Wear high heels maybe “once or twice a week,” he says. And if that’s not practical or desirable, “try to remove the heels whenever possible, such as when you’re sitting at your desk.” The shoes can remain alluring, even nestled beside your feet.
Love it.
“Frugal Optimism”- Are You Buying It?
Would have thought this an oxymoron in the past, now it’s the term behavioral economists have adopted to explain consumers’ mindset for 2012
“The economy’s getting better but I’m not buying…yet!”
Though optimistic in Q4 2011, with an increase among those believing the economy improved in the last six months and will continue to strengthen during the first six months of 2012, shoppers are still conservative, according to SymphonyIRI.
The study presents a great aperture on how consumers are approaching their purchases:
• One-third of consumers purchased 50% or more of their baskets on deal in Q4, 2011
• 35% of the country’s wealthiest shoppers, those earning more than $100,000 annually, also purchase at least 50% of their baskets on deal
• 26% of shoppers are buying more on deal today than one year ago
• Among wealthier shoppers, 20% purchased more goods on deal than one year ago
| Digital Media Usage In Shopping (% of Respondents; Q4 2011) | |
| Media | % of Respondents, Q4 |
| Coupons from manufacturer websites | 39% |
| Coupons from retailer websites | 37% |
| Coupons from couponing websites | 35% |
| Research products on websites | 27% |
| Visit online deal sites | 23% |
| Source: SymphonyIRI, January 2012 | |
Shoppers made brand decisions based on a wide range of traditional and new media influences throughout 2011, says the study. Among traditional media:
• Use of in-store circulars increased 8 percentage points during the year and were cited as a heavy influencer of brand decisions for 44% of respondents
• Coupons influenced brand choice for 55% of consumers in Q4
• Use of newspaper circulars from home grew from 43% in Q1 to 49% in Q4
• Shopper loyalty card discounts proved influential to 42% of consumers, ahead of signs or displays in the store (30%)
Influence of new media is currently below that of the more traditional forms of communication and promotion, but these new means of reaching shoppers are growing quickly, notes the report:
• Online advertising influence grew by 3 percentage points to 11% in just one quarter
• Recommendations from blogs or social networking sites also increased 3 points, from 5% to 8% during the year
A Salute to Women in Uniform!
They all think they’re clever, as they, with great aplomb call out to me, “Ruthy, guess it’s sunny inside!” in a maladroit attempt to have me remove my opaque shades. And then there are the oh! so subtle, social denizens who- share their discomfiture when greeting me sans hat: “Didn’t recognize you, Ruthy, without your hat!” So, just as I was starting to question whether my standard accoutrements were creating a discordant note, I was delighted at The Wall Street Journal’s homage to “Women In Uniform.”
So that’s what I do, and it appears my consistent sartorial choices place me well in the rarefied company of some of the world’s greatest fashionistas. Then again, perhaps you do not believe Anna Wintour qualifies to join the ranks of Audrey Hepburn – and the coterie of my fashion-secure sisters… OK. I’ll keep the sunglasses and fedora- confidently and with aplomb.
Undone by your Decorator? Say it Aint So
What’s a control freak to do – even if he is the Mayor of New York? Despite Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s assiduous attempts at controlling his message and privacy, his baronial propensities in real estate and interior design were splashed on Page 1 of the New York Times… the most highly visible real estate of this much read paper.
The marketing professional in me sees this as a cautionary tale: Your brand identity is in the myriad points of interface you have, and, vigilance of the message is an all-consuming task. Your carefully honed website is your first line priority, but you then must go on the defense-or is that offense? to tackle how and if your service providers massage their interface with you.
By the way, Jamie Drake, the Mayor’s longtime decorator, removed the telltale photos of the mayor’s residences by the time the paper hit the stands.