why are we still hobbling about in agony?

I spotted a Guardian article this morning which made a very good point; we may mock our Victorian sisters for their corsets laced so tight they swooned, so why do we wear shoes that disfigure our feet?

It's been a long time since I toppled about in heels, I'm far to clumsy for that sort of thing. And as a commuter I walk far too far every day for that kind of frippery. That and the fact I go over on my ankle in kitten heels all the time, if I were any higher up I'd be in plaster six months of the year.

Actually a couple of summers ago I came acropper in a pair of wedges, somehow pulled a muscle at the top of my thigh and had to be virtually carried from a cinema by a very disgruntled Nibs (I am 5ft 8ins, it was hardly like carrying Tinkerbell, poor man).

I also have a long second toe that is less than happy at being crammed into shoes where it's expected to be shorter than my big toe. This isn't freakish, all roman statues are carved with feet like mine - just minus the calluses. Why am I ignored in the great shoe marketplace?

And why are we so attracted to shoes that injure us? What makes us want to totter in heels?