Models Strike Against Death-Defying 10-Inch Stiletto

Last October, Alexander McQueen's spring collection took model Abbey Lee Kershaw's breath away -- literally. Her corset was squeezed so tight that she fainted immediately after walking the runway.

The incident occurred just a few weeks after Kershaw took a tumble on Rodarte's runway while wearing sky-high heels. She was later forced to sit part of the next season out due to a knee injury that was probably exacerbated by the fall.

So this year, before McQueen's fall show, Kershaw and fellow models Natasha Poly and Sasha Pivovarova made a pact not to walk in his latest collection's towering 10-inch stilettos, which many have deemed unwearable (and not for aesthetic reasons, although these things are damn ugly). Thus, when the Armadillos -- which more closely resemble lobster claws -- were paraded down the runway, the rebellious trio were nowhere to be seen.

McQueen's show is as prestigious as they come, so taking a stand against his shoes means risky business for a model. But wearing them could mean riskier business. Remember when Naomi Campbell took a spill in Vivienne Westwood's death-defying platforms? Somehow she escaped with life and reputation intact, but a sprained ankle or broken leg can mean the end of a career for a catwalk strutter.

Personally, I would have refused to walk the runway in the Armadillos because I don’t like looking like a crustacean, but refusing for reasons of health and safety is much more honorable, of course. I think it's awesome these models valued their lives and limbs enough to put their collective feet down -- or more accurately, to refuse to put their feet down while wearing death-traps.

Apparently the three models who refused are pretty big-timey. I'm going to assume less-established models felt they couldn't afford to refuse a McQueen show even if they shared the same concerns. I hear there are efforts to unionize models underway, which seems extremely warranted for an industry in which models have died trying to meet ridiculous standards of beauty. Models of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose except risk of death by stiletto.

Too bad a union won't do anything to solve the persistent fashion faux pas of equating all things painful, binding, and immobilizing with sexiness.