Going Under the Knife for the Perfect Pair of Heels

July 12, 2006 — -- Time was, new shoes didn't need an instruction manual. But with daggerlike spikes now reaching a treacherous six inches, some women who dare to wear them are getting a boost.

Welcome to Stiletto Strength. After a 45-minute workout, members of the class at Crunch fitness in New York City practice walking, socializing and dancing in their high-heeled party shoes. Instructor Marie Forleo says the class is designed to help women by strengthening their legs and calves, also working on their posture and confidence so that they feel good when it's time to get into their heels. Call it aerobics on stilts!

Blame this obsession -- in part -- on the high-heel frenzy ignited by Sarah Jessica Parker's character in "Sex in the City." In this summer's fashionista fantasy, "The Devil Wears Prada," the lead character soars to success with the help of some skyscraping shoes by designers like Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Chanel. Those big-name shoemakers have made these wobbly towers -- that can start at $500 -- a desirable woman's best friend.

Linda O'Keefe, who wrote a book celebrating shoewear, says what you slip on your feet can transform your soul -- as well as your body. "Not only do you get these tremendously long legs -- and slimmer ankles and calves that look tauter -- but you also get this semblance of an hourglass figure, because your breasts are pushed forward. Your lower back is arched. Your shoulders have to go back," she says. Which is why high-heel shoe shoppers are so devoted. One shopper gushed, "I have these black pointy-toe shoes with these heels, these killer heels. And I can wear them for half a block. And that's it. But for that block I never looked so good. It's the greatest half a block in my life."

But it's a half block that is challenging the laws of gravity. According to Dr. Suzanne Levine, wearing heels more than 2 inches high puts about three times the body weight entirely on the ball of the foot. She jokes that her clients invest more in their shoes than the stock market -- shoes with zero support, a few thin straps, and plenty of pizzazz. She calls them "limousine shoes" -- suitable mostly for those who want to walk only from the car to the restaurant.. "20/20" first spoke with Levine at her posh Park Avenue podiatry practice several years ago.