Are you wondering how elevator shoes work and if you should buy a pair? This guide covers everything you need to know.
Look, let’s get right into it: Your fashion choices — including whether to give yourself a few extra inches with elevator shoes — are your own damned choice. But like every fashion choice, there are going to be people who judge you for what you wear (or what you don’t).
That’s why, instead of trying to make your decisions for you, I’m setting out to give you a complete overview of elevator shoes.
That includes addressing the controversy around them, giving you my thoughts on the relationship between comfort and confidence, and then getting into the technical details you need to know. And by the end of this article, you’ll have a clear idea of whether elevator shoes are right for you.
The Controversy: Should Short Men Wear Elevator Shoes?
Comparison to push up bras, etc. But if women can wear heels, why shouldn’t guys wear elevators?
Elevator shoe haters often draw an unflattering comparison between push up bras and shoe height inserts. But there’s a grain of truth to this.
When they’re worn to deceive potential love interests, both push up bras and elevator shoes can lead to some real womp moments of disappointment.
But is this the only reason a guy would wear elevator shoes? Heck no. A huge part of being attractive to other people is feeling attractive — and that means feeling confident in yourself and your style choices.
If you feel like a million bucks dressing like Johnny Depp, go for it and don’t let anyone tell you differently. But if you’re only dressing that way because you want to feel cool, people will notice.
In short: Authenticity might be the most attractive quality of all. Being true to yourself in your choices will lead to more interesting, deeper, and more meaningful interactions. So if you feel great and think you look great in elevator shoes, what do you have to lose?
Of course, feeling great in shoes that put your feet in an awkward position can be a little bit tricky. Let’s talk about that.
The Relationship Between Comfort and Confidence
Here’s the hard truth: It’s always going to be more work wearing elevator shoes than your standard footwear choices.
Elevator shoes use a taller heel insert to give you those extra inches (more on that in a minute). And that means your heel will be elevated all day long, giving you a serious calf workout and a learning curve for balancing in your shoes.
That’s why I want to ask you a question. When do you feel most confident? Maybe it’s at work, where you’ve got a polished skill set that really lets you take control of your projects.
Or maybe you feel most confident when you’re playing a sport, an instrument, or a game that you’ve practiced at for years.
Now another question: What do these activities and situations have in common?
First, you’re comfortable with what you’re doing. Then, with that base of comfort, you might even feel like taking on new challenges. That process of developing mastery in a subject is the long road towards confidence.
Which is to say: If you’re not comfortable, you’re probably not going to feel confident, either. So if you make the decision to wear elevator shoes, I’d recommend wearing them very regularly, so they feel as natural as any other pair of shoes you wear.
How Do Elevator Shoes Work?
Basically, elevator shoes have a raised heel that allows you to use a taller insert inside your shoe. As a result, you can’t wear elevator shoes without their inserts — the taller heel won’t fit properly on your foot.
That same tall heel also ensures that your foot won’t slip out while you’re wearing the inserts.
For low cut shoes – dress shoes, loafers and
Sometimes, the insole that provides your “lift” is removable. Oftentimes, it’s not, which means you have to decide how much extra height you want when you’re buying your shoes.
What to Avoid
Here are some things to look out for when buying elevator shoes.
Bonded Leather
This is cheap, low quality material that’s made by squishing together scraps of actual leather to form something that barely resembles the real thing.
Oftentimes it’s marked as “genuine” leather. This should be avoided at all costs!
Boxy Shape
Unfortunately, lots of elevator shoes look like elevator shoes. It’s obvious that they have a thick heel, and that often comes with a boxy shape.
Try to avoid this look. Instead, opt for something more subtle.
Square Toe
Similarly, you’ll find a lot of elevator shoes with square toes. This is not a good look, especially for short men.
Instead, go for a gently tapered toe (a much more classic shape that will never go out of style).
Heightening shoes should be held to the same standard as regular shoes. I want high quality construction, premium materials (i.e. real leather) and comfort.
Fortunately, there are some good options out there for men who want high quality elevator shoes that actually look good.
What to Look For & Elevator Shoe Brands We Recommend
Use a three-part method of comfort, style, and quality when buying elevator shoes, just as you would when you buy a normal pair of shoes.
It’s tough to recommend most elevator shoe brands because, frankly, most height-increasing shoes don’t offer adequate comfort, style and quality.
In fact, most “tall shoes” are downright ugly.
At best, they look like oddly shaped versions of regular men’s shoes. At worst, they’re misshapen, low quality monstrosities.
To make matters worse, most tall shoe brands don’t focus on quality. They’re simply selling the dream of being taller.
There is one brand, however, that we can confidently recommend: Guidomaggi.
Guidomaggi is a favorite here at The Modest Man. They’re handmade from top grain Italian leather, and don’t have the “blocky” look that cheaper brands are notorious for. They’re a long-term investment, and a truly handsome pair of boots.
Guidomaggi also carries a range of
Parting Thoughts: Confidence and Personal Choices
Are elevator shoes right for everyone? No. Just like any fashion choice, your mileage will vary.
But if the idea appeals to you in a genuine way, I say go for it — because the worst case scenario is that you’ll need to practice wearing them for a while before you feel confident going out in your new shoes.
And if you don’t want to wear elevator shoes? Then rock your own personal style, and lean into what makes you look and feel best.
Allan (Don) made 2 pairs of custom shoes for me. It would have been a whole collection had he not gone off the deep end in an emotionally immature and volatile way. I had my eyes on a next pair but Allan is impossible to work with and so disorganized that he doesn’t even know when he’s getting paid or not. It’s not worth ordering here, you might get into a fight for reasons you don’t understand.
The first was pair great, he listened and did what I asked according to my measurements and small requests. As soon as the requests got slightly more complicated, things went wrong. Second pair was awful, completely wrong design, wrong size, leather and everything.
He sent me a new pair without asking for money, I assumed he was giving them to me free for all the trouble. He never sent an invoice or asked for the previous pair back. In fact, he had not been responding to emails for about a month and I had to file a charge back so we had gone through a lot of stuff by that point and I thought he was trying to make things right. 5 months later I get an email accusing me of stealing from him and he asks for money for the boots. This was alarming and confusing but of course I paid him and sent back the original pair of boots which he never told me where to send to, I had to ask several times for an address to send to. I sent them back to him and they arrived at his front desk according to the tracking info. This was 2 weeks ago.
Today, I wake up to an email, 6 months after my last purchase, and the title of the email is “Thief” where Allan accuses me of stealing the boots he made that were completely the wrong size. Why would I steal boots I can’t even wear? The tracking number says it arrived at his shop 2 weeks ago. I didn’t do anything wrong. I waited months for the right boots, I paid him everything I owed him, I sent the wrong boots back, I still have the pair of boots he sent the second time which are poor quality but I accepted them given all the trouble. Now the guy is accusing me of being a thief for literally no reason. Guess the guy likes the poison his customer base for fun. And I was a loyal customer who went out of his way to keep the relationship with Allan going after he screwed up so spectacularly with the last pair of boots. I really wanted to be his customer because his product is unique but I’ve found that unfortunately the boots were not well made and Allan is dishonest and aggressively unkind with the sparse correspondence he offers.
What I discovered in looking up reviews after this happened this morning was that there are many similar reviews all around the internet of the wrong size, not responding to emails, accusing customers of stealing etc. Almost exactly what I’ve been through. https://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews245139.html?ratingfilter=1#refineYourSearch
It seems like Allan may have some pretty serious mental problems (maybe a personality disorder). I didn’t know that when I worked with him years ago, but it’s pretty clear now that so many people have weighed in on this review. Sorry you had a bad experience with the company!
I had similar isssues with Allen. First item fine, next one also fine, third one he sent me a shoes that does not have any height increase, he had sent me a normal shoe!! when I complained he did not listen, I even sent him pics, he was admaant, I had to throw away that shoe and lose money, I thought maybe I will give a last try and I ordered exactly same model that I ahd ordered in the past and got right (my 2nd order) and he ended up sending me a shoe that is 100% different model, looks gaudy, huge , not wearable in public, when I complaiend he did not agree that he had sent wrogn model. I stopped buying from him. Now I buy from Chamarapia, half the price and better than Don’s. Will try Guido next.
I’m 6’1″” and wear elevator trainers to the gym ending up at 6’4″. It’s taken a long time to build the physique I wanted and the elevation has definitely helped to finish the look.
I got elevator shoes to make riding my electric scooter much less tiring.
If my teeth fell out I would get a plate or implants,if my hair fell out I would get a wig, if I lost an arm or a leg or an eye you bet I would get a replacement.When I get old I won’t mind using a walker, why not!?! Anything to help ease my life and improve myself is ok by me.
It’s not a matter of looks but convenience.(no fun having to use a step stool to reach kitchen shelves).
Yes! I’m 5’2” and It’s amazing what adding a couple inches in height can do for navigating the outside world. I put on some tall boots, and all of a sudden, interacting with chairs, stairs, checkout counters, even the foot pedals on the truck, all starts to feel more natural and comfortable.
they’re shoes, brock
I’d put a bit of nuance to Brock’s advice here: as has been cited above there may after all be some men whose proportions seem “off” compared to average and if elevator shoes add leg length it might be a good option for them in terms of “balancing” a look. But there is a con to this pro, which I will detail shortly:
In general I do agree that if you’re wearing elevator shoes for the sake of height qua height, you’re treading on problematic territory, but it’s not simply a matter of psyche. (I say this, by the way, as one who would really have liked to get three to five inches more of height, but I realize now that’s just not in the pickings.) See, I actually don’t think the ones Brock is wearing in the photo make for a good or natural look at all: even the most lovingly crafted elevator shoes necessarily push the tarsals “up and out” relative to the toes in order to lift the heel (which is what is needed to give the extra height) and it shows. Brock’s feet look like stocky amorphous lumps in the photo. The main takeaway is that height is very difficult to add in a way that actually improves the outfit.
There’s another thing, as well. First-glance sex appeal to women (which I’m using as a proxy because it does seem to be one important goal of men who wish to look good) seems to be a function of several factors:
– Facial physiognomy
– Height
– Bodily fitness
– Hair grooming
– Facial expressiveness
– Posture
– Gait
Of course there are also personality aspects to sex appeal but right now I’m focusing strictly on the aesthetics. Now, I’ve given these characteristics roughly in descending order of the difficulty to affect them. Note that the last three characteristics have a very high level of coordination to self-confidence: so the more you can come to terms with the first four, the easier it is to up your ante on the last three.
But gait and posture are also directly affected by your footwear. We’ve probably all heard women remark about having to relearn how to walk when they get their first high heels in their teens. Maybe men can also relearn how to walk on a higher heel, but it’s likely to be a more stereotypically “feminine” stride.
Hey, if you’re comfortable with that, you’re comfortable with that. Personally, I find that stride awkward as well as uncomfortable. I’ll stick a few inches closer to the ground, thanks. 🙂
Hi Brock, i’m 5’1 at 17 and i bought my first pair of elevator shoes(7cm) like 2 weeks ago and it feels godlike to wear them(talking about confidence) and i’ll probably stick to them as next year i’m going for the university and i won’t need to wear an uniform anymore.
But tbh what i need to say is asking if all the tips you give in the TMM stand the same for abnormaly short man like me (1.55m) and also, which ones you consider are the most important for very short guys like me as i’ll start dressing well next year and need confidence(and also once i saw a study that said 60% of the marriages occurs with people that met themselves at college so i have to be prepared to that Lol).
I approach this from a different angle from most people: I am quite happy with my height (5’8″) but the lift helps my back – a miracle cure for backache. What my main problem is, is that most elevator shoes seem to have an insole tapering from the toe, so the actual lift (heel height minus platform thickness) is much less than the quoted height, and this doesn’t help my problem. Can anyone here help as to shoes which don’t do that, as I need a ‘lift’ of at least three inches to achieve my aim.
Have you tried Chelsea boots with Cuban heels? They lift your heel, and support your arch, while leaving your toe flat on the floor. Of course, not all cuban heel proportions are equal, but I think some look very nice, and depending on the boot, you can get a full 2” lift, at the arch, without it looking costumy. If you want more, you might need something inside the boot, too, unless you want to go full Louis XIV, (which isn’t bad either, but it’s definitely a fashion statement!). 🙂
Makeup. Boob jobs. Checkmate.
Love your blog and post. I live in Canada and I purchased mine from Canadian website OOFY so that I did not have to pay import fees which are ridiculous in Canada. As you mentioned stile was important for me as I did not want old stile boxy front but more elegant and stylish shoes. Thank you for great blog post and I am happy to see others openly talking about this topic as for us who wish to be taller this kind of shoes are excellent option!
I’m just under 5’7″, with boots with a typical 1.5 inch heel, plus a boot designed gel insert you can buy at Walmart, amazon etc. I’m 5’8.75″. That’s enough for me! Not noticeable height enhancing footwear….and the gel insert to make the boots more comfortable makes me nearly average height. It helps my confidence in business and can still be “short”. Now once I met a guy who had the 5 inch elevator boot on, that was obvious for me (cause I know the game as a shorter man 😉 ) however that’s a it much.
Oh I wanted to add: so I’m 5’7″ so I “identify as” 5’9″. You can’t tell me I’m not if you do you are discriminatory! Hehe 🙂
Men can identify as women and don’t you dare call them sir so why can’t I identify as two inches taller?
Which shoe / boot did you go with?
If they’re good enough for Donald Trump they ought to be good enough for the likes of you and me!
Amazing how Donald Trump finds himself into every conversation. I will do as I please whether liked or not by the posters on this site. I won’t listen to any comment from a female at all as they have no room to talk on any subject I also could careless about their reaction with my shoes off. As the jockey in Secriatiat stated why is that tall beautiful blonde with you? Simple I told her I get a lot taller when I stand on my wallet. You will quickly learn with women cash is king or as they call it safety and security. Enough on women the simple truth is do what you please for you dress as you please, live as you please within the law and wear the shoes you please you will quickly learn the only people who get worked up about your new found height were the closest in height to you although slightly taller male and female. They have an issue let them wear taller shoes.
False advertising? what about fake implants, tan, high heels, make up, make up and more make up, hair extensions, fake nails, teeth whitening, veneers, spanx and about 10000 other items that women wear. You give men trouble for this one thing? Getouttahere.
1st couldn’t agree more. You might own your shortness but women will just think you’re a short cocky guy with little man syndrome. That couple of inches makes a huge difference to some men’s lives and confidence. Why should short guys worry about false advertising when women don’t have one natural bone in their body? Worst blog I’ve ever read.
“women don’t have one natural bone in their body”
Sounds like someone got their heart broken…
Once same thing goes for high heel for women…now it is style….
Good read. I stumbled upon this article while looking for elevator boots, those would probably help me flat-foot my motorcycle at stops but at the same time they look way too ugly. Meh.
I have tried elevator shoes and thought 1,5 inch height boost can be nice i think no matter how many times you wear them and no matter how high quality elevator shoes are you are always going to walk a little bit funny in them.And i think for men behavior is number 1 most attractive trait and confident walk is must have trait.So yeah,elevator shoes are not worth it in my opinion
It’s been talked into the ground, 99.99999999999999% of women will never roll in the hay with you so worrying about “false advertising” proves just what? In the days of plastic surgeons, push up bras, slimmers, hair dye, breast enhancement and on and on and on. We are going to hold a moral compass to guys that wear lifts? So what? Many of the people we fool use our height to cheat us. Don’t agree just go out one day, one day is all and notice the difference. Notice how women see you, how men see you. If I am fooling their judgment then so be it their flaw is just as big as mine. I’m 5′ 7″ and 3/4, a good heel and a 1 1/2 lift and I’m 5’10” easy. My legs are my short part so no know even slightly picks up on it actually makes me look normal. Women are amazon’s today many are 5’9″ easy stick a heel on them and their Andre the Giant want-a-bees. As I said 99.99999 percent never see you with your pants off so who cares.
I’m not considering elevated shoes because a lack of confidence or insecurity. It’s simply to look more attractive. I stay fit and healthy and quite confident in my appearance. Like many of us, sometimes there’s something missing that could use a little improvement. Whether it’s coloring your hair, getting dentures or wearing elevated shoes….why not?
People make decisions everyday to enhance their appearance. The industry for women is billions and billions.
As shorter people, we should examine why we would feel that tall = attractive. When I was in grade school, most of my friends had brown hair, while I was blond. I thought about dying my hair so that I could be like them. brown hair = attractive? That was an arbitrary connection that I had made in my head, but it wasn’t any more true than the random association of taller being more attractive than shorter stature. Our society is rife with negative phrases like “coming up short”, but those are just literary phrases – and not true associations with normal height variation. Rather than even play that game, I choose to accept myself exactly as I am. Any other line of thought is just self-defeating and feeds a sense of being inferior because of your natural height. To quote Popeye, “I am what I am.” I’d rather be judged harshly for who I am, rather than be admired for who I am not. I’ll dress sharp, and wear clothes that fit me well, but I’ll never put on shoes that risk twisting my ankle just to add a couple of inches to my height.
Fair enough your option. Nobody is saying you have too. One must say that why is it that society is so open to so many other physical enhancements such as well fitting clothes, hair dyes, vogue new hair styles, and on and on and on yet if this option is explored it denotes some flaw of character or risk? Are not the other decisions done to paint the picture of what we want others to see? Of course they are. The illusions created may seem unfair pretending to be what were not. But so are the assumptions and judgements of us as people because God made us shorter. We know very few people in depth they we come into contact everyday if this lowers their flaws then so be it.
Great line from a great movie about a horse, Secretariat. How did you get a woman like that? The jockey that is…. “I told her I’m taller when I stand on my wallet”. Women care about a number of things contrary to the wishes of the Freudian baloney he is dribbling in this article. They care about looks, hair, fitness, dress, style and height. Some controllable others not. Money is the only trump card, it is the ace of spades in any hand. Women have known for years the art of presentation. Including B.S. presentation. Tall guys love to lecture us on self confidence. I wear lifts and 99.99999 percent of the time no one will ever see you with your shoes off. Unless you plan to shag women at your office which I don’t recommend, don’t crap where you eat no one at your office will know. Study after study has proven over and over that taller men get the job, the promotion and the respect. I watched clown after clown get jobs over me when I blew them away with performance. Use your bosses and coworkers biases against them. It gets you looks from women, I gets you respect, If they do know your wearing shoes it gets you dirty looks, so what let them deal with it. Wear inserts in real shoes and boots get a size bigger. Wear cowboy boots, alligator and snake kills their sappy boots any day of the week, it shows you have style and your not cheap, cowboy boots run 300-450 a piece.The junk shoes are their shoes. Stop seeing therapists shoe lifts are cheaper. The average male is between 5’8″ and 5’10”, if your 5’7 and 3/4″ like me and all you wear is a heel and a lift, your only looking for a little over an 1″ to break the norm. I’ve done it, I went from slightly shorter to about 1″ above most men. Women notice, women are the biggest illusion frauds on the planet, he mentioned push up bras, thats the tip of the iceberg, how about hair dye, waxing, heels, girdles and slimmers, eye color contacts and on and on and on. No the writer fails to mention that because he keeps hoping his designer suit, 1500 a year gym membership is going to do what 1-2 inches does a hell of a lot cheaper. I’m not lacking self confidence, I’m adjusting to the reality of the world.
Want to tell us how you really feel, JB?
It’s a blog and a post correct… are you saying in your vague way I’m long winded or are you saying you don’t agree with my post, maybe you should let us how you really feel you must admit I didn’t leave my thoughts out.
“you must admit I didn’t leave my thoughts out”
No, you did not. Just out of curiosity, how’d you find this blog/post?
Search and there it was top of the list, or pretty close to top of list. I got no problem with your post. My take is similar to yours as you see options as a consideration. Let the man make his choice. It’s my take, just it irks me when people take a trip out to fantasy land and their takes don’t match their lives. Shorter men have a rougher go to deny that fact isn’t reality. To deny inherent human biases is also not reality, it sounds good and makes the person feel great, but I never lose fact of the reality, society and women prefer taller men its just a fact. I will do what I got to do to get ahead professionally, not because I want too necessarily but because I have to adjust to the realities in front of me.
I think our beliefs are more or less aligned:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN9zSYv0zA4
But I do try to maintain a positive attitude. I don’t think it helps to dwell on the fact that you’re at a disadvantage because of something you can’t control.
I’m not saying don’t think about it at all. You should internalize it and come to grips with it, but don’t let it bring you down (puns for days…).
I never try to dress tall. I try to dress in clothes that fit me. Confidence is not having to try to be anything you’re not. I like my 5’7″ height fine. Unless your talking about reaching a top shelf, height has no advantage other than what we attribute to it. In fact, tall guys are usually clumsy and look uncomfortable.
As Yoda would say, “Judge me by my height, do you?” So for me, I’d be happy to wear flats. My height’s just fine, thank you!
I love how Yoda was a cripple, kicked butt, then turned back into a cripple. Classic
You may have missed the point of the story. Judge Yoda by looks alone and you have overlooked his character strength and the resources and talents he commands. Is that not like judging somebody by their height? It’s superficial to judge a book by its cover alone.
You miss my point I don’t make the rules I adjust to them. Sure we would all like an accepting society but its not reality, psychological mental self talk doesn’t change that. You have every right to disagree with me, you have the right to mock me by saying I missed the point. The statistics are on my side not yours, no amount of internal psychobabble is going to change the fact that smaller men are at a disadvantage trying to make a point where a movie character overcomes evil because their being placed in a spot to overcome his evil is a fantasy. Even though we all like to see the little guy win once in a while doesn’t mean there is some lesson learned for guys you disagree with on a blog post.
I’m 5′ 7′..and I put 1 in. inserts in my shoes…Having scoliosis cost me a inch or so.. People do all sorts of things to enhance their looks…Women wear war paint..high heels..push up and padded bras…both sexes get plastic surgery to alter their looks..veneers and caps on their teeth..If it makes you feel good…do it.
What kind of shoe inserts are you wearing? Just curious.
Sorry for the late coment but I’ve jsut recently stumbled upon this article. But I’ve found the same things with most elevator shoes. They’re big, they’re bulky, they’re ugly, and they’re noticeable. But I found this one elevator shoe company that actually makes great shoes. They’re called Don’s Footwear. The shoes that they make are beautiful, hand-made, and extremely high quality. Seriously, if you’re interested at all visit them at donsfootwear.com. I’m about to buy a pair of my own, I can’t wait to try ’em on.
This kind of reads like an advertisement… are you affiliated with Don’s? If not, have you actually tried their products?
Waited until I actually received my shoes and wore them for a couple months before I responded – but no, I am not affiliated. And yes, I have tried their products.
Glad to hear that! I’m actually trying them out very soon. Will report back. Thanks for following up.
YOU DO REALIZE HOW STUPID THIS WHOLE SEXIST POST SOUNDS. WOMEN WEAR HIGH HEELS AND SO CAN MEN. NO EXCUSE. DONT BE A BABY. IF YOU CANT ACCEPT SOCIETY. LIVE ON MARS
and dude…come on. You’re giving fashion advice and you wear fingerless gloves? Seriously? Fingerless gloves?
Care to expand on your aversion to gloves without fingers?
Ridiculous premise. Look, if you go to the dentist, have your teeth straightened and whitened is that false advertising? Or do you hide that behind “good hygiene”? I mean you could have totally clean teeth that aren’t white or straight right? You’re not going to pass those white, straight teeth down to your children through genetics right? When you date a woman and she’s wearing ANY sort of heel that makes her legs look a little longer, a little slimmer or give her a few inches…do you tell her that’s false advertising? Look, your entire opening premise is ridiculous and does nothing but shame men who wear shoes that give them a little more height. Why? are you worried they may steal some attention? are you worried they’ll be able to see your bald spot more clearly? What exactly are they falsely advertising? The next time you go out please don’t comb your hair, don’t wear clothes that cost more than the average man, don’t drive a nice car and don’t do anything that might tell another person you’re anything other than a completely normal and natural human being. Like…you know…cologne…or anti-perspirant. You sweat right? To give the impression you don’t is false advertising as well.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Dennis. So…do you wear elevator shoes?
“Look, your entire opening premise is ridiculous and does nothing but shame men who wear shoes that give them a little more height. … What exactly are they falsely advertising?”
When women wear 6″ heals, you see it. They’re not masquerading as 1″ heals with the rest hidden. But when we wear shoes with a concealed lift, it’s not really us. Like a toupe or falsies, they’ve got to come off at some point. What then? What’s the conversation with the person you’re dating? What’s the message it says about your confidence in yourself at that point?
When you’re stripped to your own skin and face to face, let them consider how wonderful you are just as you are – not think “Oh, he’s shorter than I thought.” I say it’s better to wear your height proudly.
I like being short. There are so many good things about it that I wouldn’t trade an inch for. You want to be loved and respected? You’ve got to start with yourself. Being short isn’t a disease. It’s an adaptive variation tied to a million other things. We’re not short because we were malnourished or sick. This is our genetic heritage. If someone else can’t deal with that, that’s their problem. I’ve got nothing that needs to be hidden or compensated for.
Wear it proudly. Wear attractive clothes that fit. Sport the style you want. But don’t do things to yourself that you can’t be proud of doing. That’s my attitude as a 5′ 7″ guy.
A little puzzling you comment starts in one direction then does a 180
Don’t wear them. They all look weird. You won’t want to hear this, but you’re not fooling anyone. Anyway, the person most hung up on your height is you.
As long as you feel “taller” with these elevator shoes – then who cares what the status quo is, or what fashionistas are saying. Wear what makes you feel good and what makes you look taller, skinnier, prettier, younger – get my drift!
Now lots of men would like to wear elevator shoes,such as women like to wear high heel.if you want to look taller than her or he,then you can choose it,it is a safe and fast way to make you look taller
If it’s a fun thing, the way high heels are, that’s fine. You can look at women’s shoes, and it’s obvious how much they’re adding to the height. If it’s an elevator shoes, where you’re intentionally hiding the lift, then it’s deceptive. If a guy is wearing platform shoes for fun (watch those ankles), that’s fine. If not, then they’re trying to be something they’re not.
As a shorter man who happens to be gay, let me frame this situation another way:
There’s nothing wrong with being shorter. Why would we try to hide it by deception? Trying to pretend we’re not short by a deception is the same as being gay and trying to pass for straight.
Many aspects of appearance could count as ‘deception’ depending upon your perception. Clothes that are cut in a certain way that make your body look good, jeans that are altered to make your butt look better, cosmetic surgery, make-up. And with women, make-up is the ultimate – talking about high heels as being fun and therefore somehow ‘OK’ is surely a distraction from the main point – you do not look at a woman’s make-up which radically alters her appearance and say it’s for fun, or the boob enlargements or butt enhancements and say they are for fun. They are stuff done to make the person look better.
The more we can get over this straight-laced judgmental old fashioned presbyterian moralising about appearance and rules loaded comments about deception, and what you should or shouldn’t do, the easier it will be for people to just do what they want and find the answers for their particular situation. The interesting point about elevators is, for example, that most people do NOT notice a guy has added height – specially at the lower level up to 3″. The main reason why women don’t notice is precisely because they wear heels and see people at all sorts of variations. But oddly, I have learned from my own experience, neither do other guys notice. It may seem counter-intuitive but unless you wear appallingly out of style elevators (like say Robert Downey Jnr aaargh), then no-one will be aware at all. And all footwear to some degree elevates – Timberlands and Docs give you an inch and a half. Do we stop wearing those because it is somehow a shocking ‘deception’? Try everything and anything if you wanna seem taller is my opinion.
Brock, you were very good looking in the photo you provided but it is obvious you were wearing elevator shoes. Maybe the pants need to be a little longer?
Hi Marie,
Thanks! I guess you could wear longer pants if you wanted to hide the fact that you’re wearing elevator shoes. All of my pants are hemmed for regular shoes, though.
-Brock
Marie, I think you are wrong that “it is obvious” Brock is wearing elevators. It is obvious TO YOU because he has told you he is! If someone says something about something they are doing that can cause comment or is controversial, then people say “it’s obvious”. You are seeing what you have been told.
My mum works in psychological research and she has done tests about this type of thing. One was when her team told 100 people: “this woman has had cheek implants, can you tell? And can you give us your views or comments”. The woman had NOT had them, but the biggest majority by a mile said, basically “Oh yes it’s obvious” along with comments like “they don’t suit her…she didn’t need to…it looks unnatural”. And this was basically because those who said this had an instinctive aversion to the controversial area of cosmetic surgery, so brought to it their views and were happy to see something that in fact wasn’t there. Fascinating area.
Brock, they really do NOT look obvious at all.
Thanks for sharing. Very interesting stuff. It reminds me of an idea I had about testing elevator shoes in the real world. It’s totally not legal (borderline unethical), but it would be fascinating to put a tiny camera on your shirt, then do the same thing two days in a row (get coffee, go to the store, go to work, visit your family, etc.), one day with elevator shoes and one without.
Would people treat you differently? That would make an awesome YouTube video…
Why on earth is it not legal? It certainly is in the UK. People do it all the time here for all sorts of reasons. Now the police are wearing them 24/7 in some situations and cyclists etc do it all the time. Hnce the kind of thing you see on youtube when some mad motorist cuts them up and swears at them. I cannot believe it is illegal in the US to do that.
Surely its main use anyway would be to be able to test the theory privately?!
Is the jacket good quality ?
Yes, great quality!
Ive done fair bit of research of elevator shoes available on the web as they are quite an important part of my life, And for me the most important part is that they look and feel normal therefore I went with the Midsole tech style from https://www.domsfootwear.com
I think you made a little typo and meant to write: http://donsfootwear.com .
This is what they say about “Midsole Tech”: At Don’s we have perfected the insole of an elevator shoe so that it no longer has to be arched on the heel. Thus, creating a raised flat sole that provides the perfect unison of a lift and the exact comfort of regular shoes.
Regarding the comment about if people will treat you different if you seem taller, the answer is 100% yes! “Looking up to someone” isn’t just about being a metaphor…
Trying to market your product in a comment post ? Smart. Why not ?
I agree 100% with what you have said Brock. I have worn lifts etc for 15 years since I was 19 and no-one has ever noticed. Girls are so used to wearing heels and going up and down like a yoyo, they really do not notice the odd couple of inches of added height in their guy. The oddest thing indeed is how people just don’t really notice you have added height. Like all people who wear them you feel self-conscious at first adding height and you then realise – no-one can tell and no-one is interested. I think if you were 5’5″ and suddenly started wearing 5″ elevators people would realise, but it is all about degree, doing it gradually and how comfortable you feel in yourself with your height, as you say.
I recently bought some GuidoMaggis as well and they are superb. They are expensive and it took me quite a long time to say “yep, I will do it”. If you ARE going to wear elevators, you do have to do it well. The mass produced cheap stuff is just not right. Which was why for years I bought great quality fashion boots (non-elevators) a size or so larger than my own size and added lifts. It worked, gave me the fashions I wanted, but with nothing like the comfort of the elevators I have now got.
“Elevator shoes are the push-up bras of menswear.”
Yeah but do you know any man that doesn’t like the effect of a push-up bra? I don’t.
And how is it any different than trying to create an illusion of extra height by choosing your clothes, colors, hair style etc?
Elevator shoes are fine as long as you use it to “dress up” as in when going clubbing or to some other special event. And if your height comes in the discussion from someone that already knows you you can just outright say “it’s the shoes” 🙂
Haha, fair enough.
I’m 6’1″ 1/2 but I still wear elevator shoes when I go to a party or a bar, that usually makes me the tallest one among a group of guys. It sounds a little bit ridiculous wearing this shit while being tall already but I just like it when I tower above all the guys around me, it makes me happier. I’m kinda insecure, crazy huh…
Ps, I’m Asian, people usually think we are very short so I like to make a huge difference and surprise everyone;)
I used to have (self-made) heel inlays in my shoes during my early 20’s ( Asian-born guy in the Netherlands ). NOT a good idea because it has a shortening effect on the calf ligaments on the long term. I’m 5′ 8 and a half” / 175cm to be exact on bare feet and nowadays I wear nothing but sleek Puma sneakers with thin rubber soles. You really make those Guidomaggi’s work in that photo, although I think the ‘elevated’ look will stick out more as a sore thumb during summer with summer clothing.
Hi! Do you mean these elevator insoles? I just bought mine (1.7 inch), are elevator boots safer?
Either way – removable insoles or shoes with raised insoles built in – they’re pretty much the same.
Great article Brock, I am 5’5″ and would not wear a height enhancing shoe.
I’m 5’4″ and have no problem being that height. I have had a partner for nearly 10 years who is taller than me. The height differential doesn’t bother us (she is 5’7″). Now, although I am confident in who I am and see no reason to be any taller, that doesn’t mean that others don’t see it the same way. My perspective isn’t from a romance point of view (half of the females I see walking around aren’t any taller than me anyway), but mine is from a business perspective. I work in banking and quickly learnt that people will associate height with dominance. I find it not to be an issue once you have established relationships as your personality will become the determining factor in what they think of you but if you are trying to establish new relationships than people will prefer the taller person. A recent example is when my 6’4″ colleague (same age) and I met a potential client whom barely addressed me and directed all of his verbal and body language towards my colleague (in a kid standing whilst the adults talk kinda way). This even though I will be the portfolio manager. I’m not here to bag the client, I’m merely just using this as an example of how society (mostly) will associate height with dominance. Therefore, I do wear elevator shoes, not for my confidence but for the impact it has on how others treat me. I find that it is another weapon in the arsenal that doesn’t hurt. I have a great pair that are comfortable and stylish albeit that they came at a steep price. I wear them at work and at formal social functions but outside of that I see no need. NB: I have never once had anyone ask if I was wearing elevator shoes.
Agree with you Chris. As long as the elevator shoes are not ridiculously high(like the platform of the 70’s)the increase in height gained should not be that noticeable. I would opt for 1.5 to 2.5 inches at the most.
Chris, Thank you finally we have made a detour into Realville. It’s not to say all relationships are affected by height as in you and your girl. Its to say to not accept the reality of the biases of people isn’t honest and in many ways its delusional. Women saying they respect a man who accepts himself and has confidence yet if given a choice wouldn’t date him. A guy who says he likes a workers performance yet won’t give the person a promotion. Many people like to be perceived a certain way, as fair, accepting, honest and say all the right things, yet in real life they don’t live that way. I make decisions sometimes based on the reality of you and not the words of you.
I say if you want to wear them, then wear them. There’s absolutely nothing fake or phony about it. Millions of women wear high heels. It’s the exact same thing. To call someone out for wearing them seems like a double standard to me. I’m 5’2 and confident as hell and I would still wear them. The fact is, this world is very superficial and regardless of your confidence, fashion, character, demeanor, etc… you will still be judged. Why not give yourself another weapon in your arsenal? If another 2-5 inches helps, I’m all for it. Those opposed to it can keep their “I’m going to be real, I’m not fake” mindset. Me, I’m going to take EVERY advantage I can receive and apply it. Who cares if the girl sees you with the shoes off? At that point, you’ve already won her over. Besides, we’re all the same size in bed 😉
As a woman of a certain age, please don’t. Well groomed and genuine is as good as it gets.
So you don’t think women should also wear high heels or make up to hide how they naturally look? It’s just a way of looking better, in my opinion. I think the extra height achieved makes a man look better in clothes, especially if the clothes fit well and the guy has a great sense of style.
Bert – you’re absolutely right when you say “at least I’m not a phony.”
It’s like guys with terrible comb-overs or bad hair pieces. Stop fooling yourself!
Physical height is one of the few features that you cannot change, so it’s best to embrace/own it. Carli is right on the money with her comment!
Manny
Not only would I not wear elevator shoes, I won’t wear any shoes or boots that appear to be an attempt to look taller than my 5’4″ whether or not they actually add any height. For one thing, I wouldn’t like the way it would make me feel about myself. Being short is kind of a pain but at least I’m not a phony. BTW, one of the biggest pains about shortness is dressing well. Your blog is helping me with that. Thanks!
Elevator shoes aren’t meant for 5’4″ guys their meant for 5’6″-5’8″ guys. They help the guys on the cuffs of height not the guys way below the cuff
I think this applies to anyone – accept what you can’t control (being shorter/taller than average and concern yourself with the things you CAN control: fitness, grooming, dressing nice, CHARACTER.
As a girl, I wouldn’t be attracted to a guy who’s wearing shoes to look taller. I’d be attracted to a shorter guy that simply embraces his height. Even if he looks taller with the shoes on, he’s going to take them off at some point and then it would just be weird! People love confidence!
You look very svelte in that photo Brock. You must come from a very attractive family.
So your saying you date shorter men then you, or your willing to date shorter men then you. If its the later your actually proving why men wear these shoes. They don’t want your compliments and respect, they want to be the one selected. They don’t want to hear you would consider they want to hear you actually followed through.
Who cares who you are attracted to or not. I don’t wear elevator shoes to impress women, i wear them because I like being 6ft 2 and towering over most people.
Women should not even be commenting on such matters. They are societies biggest frauds. They often wear (in no particular order) make up, fake eye lashes, weaves, hair extensions, fake tan, skin lightening cream, wrinkle cream, high heels (lets not go into all the surgeries they have like fake breasts, botox, lip injections, chemical peels, “beauty regimens”), body contouring clothes.
Women often have fake careers and when that doesn’t pan out they go into semi retirement and pop out a few kids. They then avoid doing anything for a few decades and then get a divorce and take half of the mans money. Sadly for women, the best times of their lives are often over by the time they reach their 30s. Their stock has plummeted and they are superseded by younger, prettier girls.
Women are, for the most part, leaches and manipulators and don’t really bring anything of value to anything. There are exceptions of course, but usually they are the women who have male characteristics.
The answer is “Accept Thy Self” according to Carli. I assume this means Carli wears no makeup? She never wears high heels? She never has worn a slimmer? She has never dyed her hair? We men all know the answers to these questions. Women break this rule completely all the time. In truth women don’t like lifts because when it comes to you they want fair an complete reveal, with themselves we have to wait until were trapped to find out who they really are physically. I wear them and I’m nearly 5’8″ its made a massive difference for me. Sure people who knew some gave me a strange look, most just accepted it. I didn’t over do it, I wear maybe a 1″ to an inch and a quarter lift. I’m an easy 5’10” now, I look 8 out of 10 men straight in the eye, and very few women are above 5’9″ thus it ended their prejudice. 99% of people never ever see you with your shoes off. Sure some women may eventually see you with your shoes off so be it, if an inch ends the world for them dyed hair and all, let them go. The idea she’s going to know is laughable, they won’t unless they knew you before hand.
That makes sense. Women want the freedom to use artificial enhancements but they don’t want men to use artificial enhancements. All under the pretense that men should “own” deal breaker characteristics.
I don’t blame women. If I was playing a high stakes game I would want the opposing team to play fairly while I was allowed to cheat.
You’re a sexist pig. God, the nerve of some people. Gentlemen should never speak of ladies in this regard. The standards of women’s beauty are so high in this society that if women didn’t do some of these things, you would all think she was ugly. I’m so tired of people judging each other by what they do to make themselves more confident or to look nicer in their own image. Women are equal to men. They are people. And whether a person is successful in life or not NEVER will depend on their gender. This is the 21st century. Deal with it.
Miles,
Blah Blah Blah sexist pig. Eventually one day you millennials may grow a back bone. If you concept of the 21st century means you ignoring a woman’s all out push and yet giving chivalry do such sir. I’m sure your method works very well with the weaklings of todays modern America into them buying into your lectures. Your opinions aren’t your own their your angle with the ladies. They work well I’m sure, you talk of being married, I have been married. You talk of sexism in truth pointing out to a woman hypocrisy isn’t mean its fact when your calling men frauds to say eye brow liner, tummy tuckers and the endless cover games women play. Sir in the end all women want John Wayne not you. Your no John Wayne not even close I get ripped for calling it out by men or women so be it. I look to one person myself in the mirror. Good lord even you name is fake for crying out loud
GREAT POINT THOMAS
Miles What a joke your are. Shame on you
Elevator shoes are not only a “lie”, but to even wear them is to suggest that being short is a deformity that we’re willing to go through pain to avoid people discovering. What does that say about your self-confidence when you are eventually “busted” for wearing them? Being shorter is no better or worse than being taller than average, and any positive or negative values that we connect with height are artificial. So… be proud and happy with who you are. Show it by NOT trying to look taller. Just look great with clothes that fit!
Keep telling yourself, your therapist needs the revenue to keep coming in lol. Let them bust me so what, once you come out the other side they will be pi$%ed off. Men don’t like competition. After a period of time they got over it, 99.99 percent of the people who got upset where either women the same or a little taller or men the same or a little taller. Shorter women or really shorter men said nothing not one word. Lifts work great for me, one I’m much bigger then most men here, all my height was upper body, I had broad and strong, my problem were these stick legs that weren’t proportional to my upper body. Thus when I added a lift I actually looked normal, it balanced me out. Stop allowing the Freud’s out there in preventing you from addressing your height as an option. All the routes mentioned in this story cost a fortune, therapy, designer clothes, expensive gym memberships, Nobody has to buy cookie cut cheap shoes. None of them fit me anyways I wear an 11 1/2 to a 12. Never listen to anyone who tells you to accept yourself as they see fit, because it works for them. Guys with hair saying don’t deal with your hair, tall guys saying accept yourself. Its your call and your decision. For me lifts work.
This is a wise man. He points out the fact that it is easy to tell people to just accept a problem they don’t have.
Not possible to have empathy. And pity does nobody any good.
Great article, I’m 5’4″, I’ve never really thought about elevator shoes as it’s uncommon in the UK; plus Nicholas Sarkozy, the former French President across the water was often mocked for it. Interesting bit about women and heels, I’ve read that it makes the leg look longer and therefore more glamorous, I don’t think ever had that thought when a woman with heels walks past and which leads me to think I don’t think people would notice me more positively if I wore elevators.
Brock, great article! I think they’re the push-up bra of mens wear if you aren’t honest about it with people who matter. If it’s another weapon in the arsenal then they’re the eye glasses of mens wear. I’ve been giving serious thought to getting them for when I’m going to be in crowded events (no one wants backs and bellies in their face!). Great job, keep it up.
Great point. If you’re honest about it, that changes things. And yes, it would make sense to wear them for certain occasions, like concerts.
They have my size (US 6)! Speaking of boots (dress boots) , anybody know where to find them in 6D?
Joshua, Dayton Boots makes a very nice classic North American style dress boot in size 6.
http://www.daytonboots.com/products/parade-boot
I used to own a pair at one time. You pretty much summed up my thoughts in the “Bottom Line” portion of this article.
I never thought about wearing them even though I’m only 5’5″ and I especially won’t wear them now that I’ve seen how horrible they look. Mind you, I’m horrible at fashion which is why I subscribe to this blog.
Yeah there are definitely some better looking options (like the Guidomaggi boots I’m wearing in the photo), but they are the exception.
come on, you are tall and not knowing the pain of shorties. The world is super superficial, but you criticise people just because they wear an elevator shoes. If you wear pretty clothes, gel your hairs everyday, why you cannot allow someone to wear an elevator shoe just to look better? Are you a racist? I am a 5.25 feet 19 years old man and I can clearly tell that I look a lot better with my nike air max. I used to wear flats but some people just calling me kid because I have a young face. My self-esteem is quite harmed. Since I know how to make app, how to win a cross-country match, how to get into a great university, but still people are judging me based on my height. Height is not important, but it is very essential to open up a conversation. I am from a student from a prestige university, HKUST. I sometime don’t get to know why some of my friends doesn’t have a girlfriend despite their glorious personalities and abilities. They are also from a prestige university and well educated. I often see some handsome guys who always play and not studying got a girlfriend. After my deep pondering, I finally realised that it is the appearance that makes all the differences. If you want to interest others, look is very essential. Please be nice to others, you cannot just despise others just because of their action.