Hilarious 70s film reveals how the platform shoe sparked health concerns

'Ridiculous and highly dangerous': Hilarious 70s film reveals how the platform shoe sparked health concerns

Victoria Beckham continued wearing vertiginous Christian Louboutin heels six months into her pregnancy and later suffered a slipped disc.

But a hilarious 70s documentary reveals how the style-conscious have always put fashion before their health.

Despite medical experts deeming the platform shoe hazardous and unsafe, stalwart supporters featured in the film remain unperturbed.

'They're good fun, they're just a novelty I suppose,' a fan tells a keen reporter investigating the trend.

While another woman remarks: 'Well they are with it, and you've got to be with it haven't you?'

But one physician warns of the dangerous effects the impractical design could have on the body, noting that it could result in eventual surgery.

'The knees are always in a bent position and this gives rise to strained knees, swollen knees and eventually arthritis.

'The instep dopes not rest on the shoe at all, and the result of this is the foot slides forward.

'You will notice here that this strap cuts into the blood vessel at the front of the foot and this can lead to varicose veins.

'In about two years, three years or no more than five you'll be in need of visiting a surgeon.'

Another commentator in the documentary suggests that the platform shoe is 'ridiculous' and 'highly dangerous'.

Platform shoes found widespread popularity as early as 1967, with the trend continuing through to 1979.

A wide variety of styles were available from boots to espadrilles, made from materials including leather, wood, cork, and synthetic materials.

Vivienne Westwood and the Spice Girls then helped to revive the trend during the 1990s.

But in 1999 the British Standards Institution (BSI) stated that platform shoes should be given a health warning after a Japanese woman died after falling off her shoes and fracturing her skull.

And a poll in 2010 of 3,000 adults revealed that one in three had injured themselves tumbling from elevated footwear.