Special insoles that add a few centimeters to the wearer’s height are growing in popularity, with sales in Taiwan estimated at more than a million pairs per year.
Angus Kuo, a Taiwanese artist, recently showed off his 4cm insole during a TV variety show. He is now recognized as an “insole aficionado,” and many insole makers use his name to promote their products.
Japanese TV actor Takuya Kimura, whose official height is kept secret, recently took a role in a soap opera with top Taiwanese model Lin Chi-ling, who stands at 174cm. When they showed up in public to promote the new show Kimura appeared a little bit taller than Lin. It is believed that he also added a few centimeters under his feet.
Lin Pei-hong, an online insole retailer, said that the majority of his clients are men, with many of them using the elevator insoles on their wedding day, while female clients sometimes put them in their boots. These insoles are considered the secret weapon for looking taller than you really are.
Lin explained that the four main kinds of insoles on the market are air cushioned, silicone, plastic and full-foot sized. The advantage of the silicone insoles is that they are made of seven layers that can be added or removed according to the wearer’s preference. Each layer is 0.9cm thick, and if all seven are worn at once the wearer can add 6.1cm to his height.
However, such insoles might not be as comfortable as people imagine because the insole is higher at the heel. Air cushioned insoles might be more comfortable, but their height cannot be modified.
Pan Yen-chie, a 168cm-tall masters student at Min-Chuan University, said that being over 170cm could make a man feel more confident.
Another way to appear taller is to wear shoes with thick insoles. A woman surnamed Wang who has used such shoes said that they feel more like sports shoes, and they are convenient to wear.
An orthopedist warned that overuse of such insoles can cause bunions, calluses, inflammation of the tissue under the foot, and backaches. He suggested that the insoles shouldn’t be worn for too long, and that the back of the shoe should be properly designed to accommodate the insole.(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
心機增高鞋墊正夯！越來越多人在鞋底下功夫，放進隱形增高鞋墊，瞬間增高。業者粗估一年全台的增高鞋墊銷售量至少達到一百多萬雙以上，增高鞋墊已成火紅商品。
藝人郭彥甫在綜藝節目上拿出鞋內近四公分增高鞋墊，成了「鞋墊達人」，許多鞋墊廠商還直接拿他名字打廣告。
近來日本一哥木村拓哉和林志玲合演日劇，二人出席造勢時，各界都認為木村應該有做「足底功課」，讓自己比身高一七四公分的林志玲再高一點。
網路商店業者林沛宏指出，選購增高鞋墊的客群男性多於女性，很多男性會用在婚禮穿著的皮鞋裡。不少女生則是放在平底雪靴、踝靴或短筒靴，當成增高秘密武器。
林沛宏說，市售增高鞋墊約可分為「氣墊式」、「矽膠材質可組合」、「全腳掌式」及「塑膠材質」等，「矽膠材質可組合」增高鞋墊由左右腳各七片增高墊、共十四片的透明矽膠果凍後跟墊組成，每片約０．九公分，可自行組合，七片全放可長高六．一公分。
矽膠增高鞋墊的優點是可依個人需求調整高度，但因為只有後腳跟的增高設計，前後腳掌的落差大，穿來並不舒服；氣墊式增高鞋墊有氣囊設計，吸震效果好，缺點是無法微調高度。
身高一百六十八公分的銘傳大學傳管所研究生潘彥捷表示，一百七十公分對男生來說是個關卡，使用增高鞋墊可讓自信加分。
一樣要增高，隱形增高鞋是另一種選擇。使用過鞋墊，也買過增高鞋的王小姐則認為，增高鞋一體成型，穿起來感覺與一般運動鞋較接近，穿上就能出門比較方便。
骨科醫生提醒，過度使用增高鞋墊的男性可能會出現女性高跟鞋症候群，包括大拇趾外翻、起繭、足底筋膜炎以及膝腰背痠痛等症狀。建議不要長時間使用增高鞋墊，配合的鞋子後腳部分的包覆性也要夠。
（自由時報記者林嘉琪、陳慧貞與東京特約述曹姮綜合報導）
Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle such items, or it seems costly and inconvenient to do so. The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the UN’s most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22 percent of it was properly recycled. The US’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is
Travel fever is back, and it’s contagious. After years of being kept home during the COVID-19 pandemic, people are once again eager to explore the world. Rather than just book any trip, travelers are getting smarter about how they scratch that travel itch. Microcation Defined as four days or fewer and over 160km away from home, the microcation perfectly matches the post-pandemic mindset. After long periods of remaining indoors, people are making up for lost time by taking short, frequent getaways throughout the year. These brief trips avoid the work-life imbalance that comes with long absences. With only a few days away, one’s
You’re sitting in class when a classmate asks to borrow a pencil. It seems like a small favor, so you agree without hesitation. The following week, the same classmate asks to share your notes. Later, they request help with a group project. You agree each time — after all, you helped out the first time — but before you know it, it has become automatic. This scenario demonstrates the “foot-in-the-door technique,” a psychological concept that shows how agreeing to small, acceptable demands makes it easier to accept larger ones later on. The name for this strategy comes from door-to-door
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Gig Tripping “Gig tripping” combines concerts with travel. People fly to see their favorite artists perform — usually abroad—and spend a few days sightseeing before or after the show. While die-hard fans have done this since the 1960s, the post-pandemic travel boom changed the game. Even people who aren’t superfans are now booking international concert trips because they want to make the most of travel opportunities. This trend exploded in the US, as the math makes sense. Domestic concert tickets are so costly that flying abroad for the show plus tourism expenses often matches or even beats the price
RSS