Fatal Footwear Fashion
1999 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin
(2 November 1999, Tokyo) Platform shoes, a must-have fashion accessory for young Japanese women, have already claimed two lives. More deaths are predicted if young women continue to follow in their footsteps.
The first victim, a 25-year-old nursery-school teacher, died in her car after suffering a skull fracture from a fall from her 13-cm platform sandals earlier that day. The second victim was a passenger killed in a car crash when the vehicle hit a concrete pole. The driver, a 25-year-old office worker, was unable to hit the brake because her 8-cm heels got in the way.
With the soles of some shoes reaching as high as 30 cm, health experts are urging the public to take steps to prevent painful foot and back injuries. In light of recent tragedies, police are asking concerned citizens to warn fashion-minded friends and family before a platform shoe mishap befalls them.
"Il faut souffrir pour être belle." One must suffer to be beautiful... but fashion kills.
Submitted by: William Kone, Tom Brikowski, Holly Jacobs, Jeff Feyne
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