I only wear thin stiletto heels at a black tie event when I need the shoes to match my dress.
I balance well but I feel insecure at times. Once I had a function on a boat and my heel got stuck in the gaps between the jetty planks. Lucky it didn't break or I didn't trip over.
I am required to wear shoes with heels so I prefer wedges. In my own time, I run around in sneakers and slip ons flat shoes!
Seriously, if I was born in the old times, I would either be a man-hating nun or a cross-dresser.
The only time a man would let a woman walk first would if the woman was his mother or senior, or if she was a high status than him. They can do whatever they want inside their house but outside, such was the society's rules. But now, I don;t mind where a man walks as long as he doesn't intentionally attempt to demean me by walking before me. I don't wait for a man to push open a door or open my car's door for me. I open if I get there first but if he walks first and let the door slam before me, then
The ancient poets used to hold a courtesan's bound foot in their hand to fondle as they get inspiration for their composition.