Margot Robbie’s feet have set the internet ablaze in recent weeks after featuring prominently in the marketing campaign for the new Barbie.
The now-iconic shot of Ms Robbie’s perfectly-arched feet has been plastered on buses and billboards across the country to promote the hotly-anticipated movie whose trailer has also been viewed 36 million times so far.
Fans eager to see the film and how closely it aligns to their own experiences playing with Barbie dolls marveled at the way Ms Robbie’s heels remained high as if supported by an invisble stiletto
But striving to fit the ‘Barbie girl’ mold complete with bright pink sky-high pumps could result in damage to the feet that go beyond a bit of soreness after a long day, experts warn.
Studies show that religiously wearing high-heeled shoes, as about half of women do, strains the calf muscles so much that they can shorten over time by an average of 13 percent. Heels have also been known to cause about three million injuries in a single year.
Social media and YouTube users went wild over seeing Margot ‘s feet in a trailer for the upcoming Barbie movie. As the blonde removes her feet from the shoes, viewers then see her standing in the Barbie position that makes her appear as if she is wearing an invisible pair of heels – her foot arched and toes pointed
About a fifth of females have gone to such extreme lengths to wear trendy shoes that they have ended up twisting their ankle or tearing a tendon, while a third have taken bad falls with many damaging their teeth and breaking their wrists.
And from 2002 to 2012, emergency departments treated 123,355 high-heel-related injuries, according to researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham
The still shot received so much attention that one netizen dubbed it a ‘film with Margot Robbie’s feet as a plot point.’
Another said: ‘I wonder how many people would believe me if I went back in time one year and told them that Margot Robbie’s feet would be an important plot point in a big Hollywood movie.’
Millions of women are estimated to suffer from pain in their toes and the balls of their feet due to the pressure that keeping the foot elevated puts on those areas, leading to inflammation that hampers normal movements from walking to jumping.
One survey estimated nearly three-quarters of women wore high-heels either occassionally or everyday. Of that total, 59 percent reported toe pain and 54 percent reported pain in the ball of the foot.
High heels also force the foot, especially the toes, into a downward position that over time causes the arch muscles in the foot to tighten, causing inflammation that could lead to plantar fasciitis, a common condition that generates sharp, shooting pain in the heel.
A 2013 report in the journal Foot & Ankle International found that among high-heel wearers and flat-shoe wearers, the former had decreased dorsiflexion ability to the extent that they showed a 17-degree difference from those in flats.
High heels also propel the body forward in a way that pushes the toes downward, placing excess pressure on the front of the foot and causing calf muscles to shorten but an average of about 13 percent.
With extended wear, the shorter calf muscles adapt and become tighter, compounding the risk of injury such as a calf sprain or Achilles tendonitis.
The downward pressure on the relatively small forefoot makes pushing off the ground difficult and places strain on the hip flexor muscles located on the upper front of your thighs which now have to work overtime. Contraction of these muscles over time also contributes to lower back pain in the long-term.
And heels have an impact on more than just the feet. As calf muscles remain tighter, losing the ability to stretch, posture can suffer.
As weight is thrust forward to rest primarily on the front of the foot, the upper body must maintain balance by leaning back as a counterweight while the knees get more of a workout. This alters the body’s alignment, leading to a stiff, unnatural posture.
High heels limit the motility of the ankle joint, which bears the weight of the body when standing and is responsible for our ability to lift the foot up upward or walk on our heels, also called dorsiflexion, as well as our ability to stand on tip-toes and propel the body forward for walking and running.
Devotees of Barbie-esq footwear should reconsider sky-high heels, as excess pressure on the forefoot increases with every inch – 25 percent in fact. This means that a three-inch heel exerts 75 percent more pressure on the foot than normal.
Despite the very real pain that high heeled shoes can inflict, about 38 percent of women surveyed in another study said they would ‘wear them anyway if I like them’.
Fans gushed at Ms Robbie’s ballerina-like ability keep her heels lifted even without the support of a stiletto, with one user saying: ‘I LOVE THIS. This seems so funny and fun to watch, I love how they talked about the heels always being up and on their tip toes’.
Another said: ‘The way they stuck to the lore of everything barbie is insane, the heeled feet without shoes… literally the only way to play barbie, I cannot wait for this.’
The Barbie trailer opens with a close-up shot of Ms Robbie as toy royalty removing the doll’s trademark ultra-arched foot from her five-inch heels, and rather than falling, her heels remained at attention.
Those brief five seconds of the trailer as well as an onslaught of posters and TV and billboard ads capture a feature of the doll that has remained since Barbie was first introduced in 1959.
Noted director Greta Gerwig disclosed that the impossibly high arch actually was not so impossible – she used a shot of Ms Robbie’s actual feet.
But fans should think twice about emulating Robbie’s iconic look.
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