8A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7.2004
Fancy footwear
Story by Austin Caster — Photos by Kit Leffler
Some women don't need a
special occasion to wear high heels. Casey Gieber is one of those women. Because of hills, she said she couldn't wear them to campus, so she used trips to the gas station or Wal-Mart as excuses.
"I have this sense empowerment when I wear them," Gleber, Basehor senior, said. "You don't need a special occasion to feel good about yourself."
Fall allows women to wear longer pants and jeans, and many are accessorizing with high- heeled
Pretty might not be worth the pain
shoes.
But with
the added
height, some KU women realize there is a cost involved with looking good.
"They're definitely worth the pain." Misty Thompson, Iola senior, said. "It perks everything up."
Sales of high heels have picked up recently, said Tim Arensberg, owner of Arensberg's Shoes, 825 Massachusetts St.
"The high heels are the king," Arensberg said. "They look the best with long pants."
The most popular heel length was three to three-and-a-half
inches tall, he said.
And he said he thought Lawrence women's favorite brands were BCBG Girl and Chinese Laundry.
Arensberg also expects a resurgence of high-heeled boots this fall.
"I have this sense of empowerment when I
wear them. You don't need a special occasion to feel good about yourself."
Casey Gieber Basehor senior
spring have been subdued for fall, she said. When choosing their fall fashions, women should beware the risks of high heels, said James McDonald, chiropractor and owner of McDonald Chiropractic Clinic, 953 E.23rd St.
"It's a fashion statement but it shouldn't be an everyday fashion statement," he said.
McDonald said high heels could stress the lower back muscles. They put the lower leg into hyper extension, stressing hamstrings and causing lower back pain.
"Usually fashion and comfort are at
odds with each other," said Mick Ranney, owner of Footprints.
There is another option.
Students looking for comfortable shoes can shop at Footprints,
1359
Massachusetts St., or on the third floor of the Kansas Union
He said his main line, Birkenstock, based styles on the notion that the heel and ball of the foot should be at the same height.
Dansko, another popular brand, designs high-heeled comfortable shoes, he said.
Ranney said the store on Massachusetts Street catered more toward baby boomers, but he saw customers of all ages.
Gieber experiences problems when she wears high heels,but knows it comes with the territory.
Her pet peeve happens when one of her heels gets stuck in the air vent in her kitchen. She has pulled the vent up with her shoe on several occasions
y ou have to soak your feet and put neosporin on your blisters," Gieber said. "But it's definitely worth the pain."
Thompson had a different problem, and gives this advice: Don't wear heels down by the river. She did, she fell and learned the hard way, heels can break.
Edited by Johanna M.
Maska
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — Children who watched a lot of TV with sexual content were about twice as likely to start having intercourse during the subsequent year as those with little exposure to televised sex, researchers found.
High exposure to TV sex among those age 12 to 17 also was linked with a lower but still substantially increased risk of starting non-intercourse behavior, including passionate kissing and oral sex, the researchers found. Even shows that only refer to sex but don't depict it had the effect, they found.
"Exposure to TV that included only talk about sex was associated with the same risks as exposure to TV that depicted sexual behavior," said Rand Corp. behavioral scientist Rebecca Collins and colleagues.
TV sex carries over to actual behavior
TV thus "may create the illusion that sex is more central to daily life than it truly is and may promote sexual initiation as a result," the researchers said.
From innuendoes to depictions of intercourse, sex is pervasive on TV, present in about two-thirds of all shows other than news and sports, and teens watch an average of three hours of television daily, previous research has shown.
"When they're watching it for three hours a day, it really does become their social world. Those characters are people they identify with and pay attention to," said Collins, the lead researcher.
TV sex rarely deals with negative aspects most teens aren't prepared to deal with, including unwanted pregnancy, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, she said.
That "sends kids the message that everybody's having sex and nobody's thinking about responsibility and nothing bad ever happens," Collins said. "You
don't see the fade to black, the couple has sex, and the next morning says, 'You gave me an STD.'"
The study appears in September's Pediatrics, released today.
The results are based on nationwide telephone surveys of 1,792 adolescents queried in 2001 and again in 2002. Parental consent for participation was obtained before the interviews.
The researchers devised a list of 23 popular shows that on average featured abundant sexual content. Programs the researchers considered high in sexual content included That '70s Show, Friends and Sex and the City all popular with teens.
Many youngsters start having sex during their teen years, and previous data show that 46 percent of high school students say they've had intercourse.
Participants then were asked how often they watched those 23 shows. They also were asked whether they engaged in various sexual activities; results were compared from the two surveys.
The number of teens who reported having had intercourse climbed from about 18 percent to 36 percent. The number who'd had sexual experiences other than intercourse climbed from 62 percent to 75 percent, Collins said.
Factors that increased the likelihood of having intercourse included being older, having older friends and getting poor grades.
But even considering those factors, television still remained a strong influence, the researchers said.
But many say they wish they'd waited longer to have sex, and television might be among factors influencing them to become sexually active too soon, the researchers said.
Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics Presents:
Senator George McGovern Winner of the 2004 Dole Leadership Prize Monday September 13, 7:30 p.m. Lied Center
Upcoming events at the Dole Institute:
February 2005 April 2005
Friday, Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 26-Oct. 2
Sept. 30, Oct. 5, Oct. 8, Oct. 13
October 26
October 28
November
Patriot Act Author Viet Dinh
Civic Literacy Week
Presidential Debate Watch at the Institute
Former Ambassador to Qatar
New York Times Columnist David Brooks
Political Humor Month at the Dole Institute
- Stay tuned for dates/times
Presidential Lecture Series
Bob Dole Book Signing
Inaugural Class of Dole Scholars Introduced
The Visitor's Hall at the Dole Institute will be closed 1-5 p.m. Sept. 10 and 12-4 p.m.Sept.8 and Sept.18
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Ticket Availability
Tickets for reserved seating will be available at 11am Monday, Aug.30th at the Lied Center box office or by calling the box office at 785-864-2787 between 11am - 6pm Mon.-Fri. Tickets are free but there is a four-ticket limit per person, and supply is limited.
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