It is an attitude that can leave a mark on people in multiple ways. “I still have scars from my first season of fashion shows,” says Hamburg-born model Sophia Ahrens.
At work, "my feet were always too big," and while she notes that putting on the sample shoes was "a real struggle," taking them off was always even more dramatic.
"There were a couple of times where people would literally pull on the shoe while I was holding on to a chair to get them off." In real life, she is always looking for the perfect heel and for it not to be so basic. New York hairstylist Donte McGuine, often seen working (or just lounging) alongside the cast of Gossip Girl, also loves elevated proportions.
"When I was a young, curious, closeted gay boy, I would admire my mother's heels, and when she wasn't home, I would go into her room and close the door," recalls McGuine. "He would force my wide, athletic teenage foot into the front of the shoe, leaving the rest dangling in the air." Now he has found options (below) that work even for size 11 (United States) and size 28 in Mexico.
