Surfing in Stilettos: Anything Men Can Do, Women Do Better—& in Heels

In Hollywood, women can do a lot in high heels. From Carrie Bradshaw running across New York’s streets to the female sidekicks of James Bond and Jason Bourne—they’re keeping up and kicking butt, all while wearing stilettos. But Maud Le Car just did something even cooler—in real life.

Acccording to Twitter, Le Car lost a bet, which is how the professional surfer wound up on a surf board wearing a lace dress and black strappy shoes. Currently ranked 15th in the world, the Volcom-sponsored Australian seemingly accepted the challenge in order to prove that female pro surfers can be immensely talented and look glamorous. (Even if it is an advertisement for natural mosquito protection brand Para'Kito, one of her backers, as some suggest.)

The 23-year-old’s not the first woman to take their high heels to, well, high places. Faith Dickey walked across a wire hundreds of feet in the air while wearing three-inch heels during the Women’s Highline Meeting in Ostrov in the Czech Republic. “Highlining is so hard already and walking in high heels isn’t easy either so combining them was very tricky,” the Austin, Texas-native said —after surviving. “Being on a highline is about learning to manage fear and remaining calm while adrenaline is flowing. It can be extremely meditative.”

Canadian Lia Grimanis set a world record on the Today Show by pulling a 17 ton truck in heels to raise awareness for women and homelessness. There are even races all around the world in which ladies willingly submit themselves to inevitable blisters: Soldiers in North Korea were photographed on patrol in four-inch platforms; Julia Plecher holds the Guinness world record for the fastest 100 meter dash in sparkly gold heels at 14.531 seconds and matching sequin dress.

Celebrities love to wear heels in unlikely places: Ivanka Trump hit the links in black and white heels; the Duchess of Cambridge played field hockey in knee-high high-heeled boots (the Rhumba boots swiftly sold out after Kate Middleton put her impressive athleticism on display, obviously); and Hanneli Mustaparta bikes from fashion show to fashion show in Louboutins.

But honestly, let’s hear it for every woman who has ever put on a pair of high heels — that’s a major accomplishment in itself.

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