女性爲什麼要穿高跟鞋?大綱

There was a time in my life in New York City when I wore high heels almost every day. I myself did not have much power, but I worked at the United Nations, in a place where powerful people congregate. It is a place of suits and ties, skirts and silk blouses; of long speeches; of Your Excellency, and Madam Chairperson, and yes, high heels.

在紐約市生活的那段時間，我幾乎每天都穿高跟鞋。我本身沒有多少權力，但我在聯合國工作，那兒是有權有勢者的聚集地。這是一處人人都穿西裝打領帶、穿工作裙和絲綢襯衣的地方；是充滿長篇演講的地方；是尊敬的先生閣下和主席女士，以及穿高跟鞋的地方。

There was an image in my mind of a certain kind of woman - professional, feminine, poised - that I wanted to embody. I saw these women daily, year after year, backstage to the halls of power, on benches by the ladies' room, changing in and out of comfortable and uncomfortable shoes.

在我的腦海中，我一直都想成爲這樣的女人--職業、女性和沉着。我每天都能見到這樣的女性，年復一年，無論是幕後還是臺前，她們會在女衛生間的長凳上換上不舒服的高跟鞋，脫下舒適的平底鞋，如此往復。

These were power heels, and they were worn by women from all over the world. They were leopard print, or green and scaly. They were amaranthine and violaceous. They were black and shiny as Japanese lacquer, with a shock of red on the sole. Some were plain, but uncomfortable anyway. What is not in dispute is that all of these statement shoes invariably came with an appendage like an exclamation point: stiletto.

這是權力的高跟鞋，全球女性都在穿。有豹紋印花款、綠色款和鱗片款；有紫色和紫羅蘭色；也有像日本漆那樣鋥亮的黑色高跟鞋，鞋底有一抹大紅色。有些高跟鞋是平底的，但穿着也不舒服。毫無爭議的是，所有這些鞋子都會伴有與驚歎號如出一轍的附屬物：細高跟。

When I worked in a formal office setting, high heels were never of any special interest to me beyond the fact that I liked them, and wore them, and liked wearing them. I didn't fixate. I never owned too many. If I'm honest, there were times when I liked the idea of wearing them more than the actual wearing of the shoes. Still, without high heels, at work I didn't feel quite put together. They made me feel powerful; suited up, like I was buckled in to the workday.

當我在正式的辦公場所工作時，我對高跟鞋似乎並沒有特別的興趣，除了我喜歡它們、穿着它們、也喜歡穿它們。我沒有關注這一點。我的高跟鞋不多。說實話，有時候我對穿高跟鞋這一想法的喜歡遠甚於我實際穿高跟鞋的喜歡。但是，在不穿高跟鞋的情況下工作，我總感覺提不起勁兒來。高跟鞋讓我感覺強大；穿上正裝，就好像我享受工作一樣。

For better or worse, the high heel is now womankind's most public footwear. It is a shoe for events, display and performance. In some settings and on some occasions, usually the most formal, it is even required. High heels are something like neckties for women.

無論如何，高跟鞋現已成爲女性穿着最普遍的鞋類。適合穿高跟鞋參加活動、展覽、表演。在某些場景、某些場合，通常是最正式的情況下，甚至會要求穿高跟鞋。高跟鞋於女人恰如領帶之於男人。

It's a shoe for when we're on, for ambition; for magazine covers, red carpets, award shows, boardrooms, courtrooms, parliament buildings and debate lecterns.

爲追求野心、拍雜誌封面、走紅毯、參加頒獎典禮、去會議室、法庭、議會大樓和辯論講臺，我們也會穿上高跟鞋。