British fitness guru (is there really such a thing?) Dax Moy says those five-inch stiletto heels worn by with-it fashion victims are a real panic, health-wise. More here from those august pillars of journalism at The Mirror.

An expert says the unnatural stance women adopt when they wear five-inch killer heels can affect their internal organs and fertility. Health and fitness chief Dax Moy said: "If people value their health in any way at all, avoid these killer heels at all costs - they're not worth the risk." The stilettos are the latest trend for the Spring, worn with sexy 1940s pencil skirts. Sales have rocketed since celebrities, including Victoria Beckham, Madonna, Kelly Brook and Scarlett Johansson, started wearing them. And with London Fashion Week kicking off next Tuesday, Miu Miu and Mouret models are expected to be powering down the catwalk in the towering footwear.

But Dax warns... "The forward tilting of the pelvis allows the abdominal contents to spill forward, producing that 'pooch' which many women have wrongly come to think of a 'fat stomach'. "In doing so, they compress internal organs in a condition known as visceroptosis. It doesn't stop there - neck, back, shoulder pain, stress headaches and even premature hair loss can all ensue as a result of ignoring the way your body is designed to work."

A bit sketchy, Dax, and Mirror, on just exactly how it is that stilettos boost infertility risk. A Glasgow Evening Times story on Dax's stiletto APB doesn't offer much more, except this:

One of the biggest problems, particularly as heels get steeper, is that your pelvis is asked to tilt forwards. "This can slow down the gastric function, lead to menstrual dysfunction and can ultimately impair fertility.

Here is the landmark - and I use the term very advisedly - Web page on visceroptosis. Not terribly authoritative at that, and one is left with the unmistakable impression that meaningful dialog on the condition ceased somewhat shortly after it began, in the, ah, 1600s. I agree the posture forced on women in high heels, especially stilettos, is bound to cause muscular aches, foot problems, and in many, back pain. But the infertility link asserted by Dax Moy seems wildly unsupported. In point of fact, chums, the whole thing smacks of a publicist having some fun and getting London personal fitness trainer Moy's name in the news in the run-up to London Fashion Week.

Guardian columnist Lucy Mangan writes about Moy's warning in her latest, "Are Women Really That Stupid?" At first it seems as if she might really be talking about stilettos.

This week, health and fitness expert Dax Moy (who is clever enough to have a name that sounds a little bit like a Chinese takeaway and to specialise in "golf conditioning") has had to warn us that wearing five-inch heels is bad for our fertility. Unnatural weight distribution misaligns and crushes your internal organs, you see. Plus, of course, it makes it very difficult to shag short men, thereby foolishly cutting your chances of impregnation against a wall.

Well put, Luce. Nonetheless. Should stiletto-disposed women wish to gain further insight into the medical imprecations of Dax Moy, "U.K.'s Leading Personal Trainer," you may contact him through his Web site. More about Dax here; and did you know he was the fitness and nutritional expert for handbag.com?

Actually, I wonder if there are any handbags, say, rather excessively large ones - or perhaps shoulder bags - that Dax would also like to warn the ladies about?

TECHNORATI TAGS: STILETTO HEELS, INFERTILITY, DAX MOY, LONDON FASHION WEEK

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at February 7, 2006 09:25 PM

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