女性为什么要穿高跟鞋?

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.
在纽约市生活的那段时间，我几乎每天都穿高跟鞋。我本身没有多少权力，但我在联合国工作，那儿是有权有势者的聚集地。这是一处人人都穿西装打领带、穿工作裙和丝绸衬衣的地方；是充满长篇演讲的地方；是尊敬的先生阁下和主席女士，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.
在我的脑海中，我一直都想成为这样的女人--职业、女性和沉着。我每天都能见到这样的女性，年复一年，无论是幕后还是台前，她们会在女卫生间的长凳上换上不舒服的高跟鞋，脱下舒适的平底鞋，如此往复。

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.
这是权力的高跟鞋，全球女性都在穿。有豹纹印花款、绿色款和鳞片款；有紫色和紫罗兰色；也有像日本漆那样锃亮的黑色高跟鞋，鞋底有一抹大红色。有些高跟鞋是平底的，但穿着也不舒服。毫无争议的是，所有这些鞋子都会伴有与惊叹号如出一辙的附属物：细高跟。

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.
当我在正式的办公场所工作时，我对高跟鞋似乎并没有特别的兴趣，除了我喜欢它们、穿着它们、也喜欢穿它们。我没有关注这一点。我的高跟鞋不多。说实话，有时候我对穿高跟鞋这一想法的喜欢远甚于我实际穿高跟鞋的喜欢。但是，在不穿高跟鞋的情况下工作，我总感觉提不起劲儿来。高跟鞋让我感觉强大；穿上正装，就好像我享受工作一样。

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.
无论如何，高跟鞋现已成为女性穿着最普遍的鞋类。适合穿高跟鞋参加活动、展览、表演。在某些场景、某些场合，通常是最正式的情况下，甚至会要求穿高跟鞋。高跟鞋于女人恰如领带之于男人。

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.
为追求野心、拍杂志封面、走红毯、参加颁奖典礼、去会议室、法庭、议会大楼和辩论讲台，我们也会穿上高跟鞋。