One German gentleman once asked If I am a Russian woman by soul.

That depends on what you think it means to be a Russian woman. I said.

To wear heels, adore fur and drink vodka. he immediately replied.

That incident may seem anecdotal, but it was real. Well, the man only babbled, but out of habit–I reflected.

I tried to remember everything I ever heard about Russian girls from my foreign acquaintances and realized that many foreigners have formed a kind of collective image–that a Russian woman should always be dressy and slightly tipsy.

In her ironic blog about Russian reality, Italian Claudia Bianconi calls Russia the kingdom of high heels, especially pin-heels.

“All women wear them, regardless of social class, age, and in any context of daily life; from grocery shopping, to the office, to strolls in the park and of course for going out in the evening.” – the blogger remarks.

Claudia wonders why heels have become something worshiped by Russian girls. But we could even more appropriately ask “Why have Russian girls in heels become something worshiped by Western men?”

However, I do not presume to judge myself whether this stereotype regarding dressy&tipsy Russian beauties is justified or not, but instead I thought it would be fun (at least!) if we ask the girls themselves about it.

So, I asked some Moscow girls to answer the following questions:

Do you wear heels? Why? Why do you think wearing heels has garnered a cult-like following among Russian women? They even wear heels to museum excursions or during park walks. WTF? What do you think of furs? Do you have a fur-coat? Do you drink vodka? (pure or mixed) What does the phrase “Russian soul” mean to you? Do you consider yourself to be Russian by soul?

Here’s what they said.

Snezana

I mostly wear sneakers and flat shoes. Sometimes I do wear heels as well, but they should be comfortable and not that high. I can wear high heels once a year on a special occasion and only when I’m traveling by car – it’s impossible to walk on heels. Though I have some friends who can run in pin-heels faster than I do in sneakers – they feel really comfortable.

Why do girls wear heels? Because they receive twice the attention from men, thanks to them. Strange, but true. And then again, I believe that mostly girls who feel comfortable in heels are the ones that wear them. If they suffer and continue wearing heels, then they might have a deficit of male attention. I don’t see any other explanation.

I am strictly against furs! It’s inhuman, ugly and too pompous. I have never met a woman who seemed more graceful because of furs.

I don’t drink usually – just a couple of times a year. I prefer bitter liquors and wine. But if I had to choose between cheap beer, champagne and vodka–I would pick vodka.

I have no idea what a Russian soul is and I don’t restrict my soul with any nationality.

Julia

I only wear heels at home to try and somehow justify the money I spent on my heeled Tod’s.

I guess that thanks to heels, women are portrayed as more womanly, rather than simply human. That’s why.

I don’t have a fur-coat, but I have a collar from my mother’s old coat – it’s a beautiful collar made from an arctic fox. I wear it at home with those Tod’s heels. Haha.

I don’t drink vodka. Neither mixed, nor pure.

I have an adequate world outlook and don’t describe myself using any national features. But what is a Russian soul? – It’s all in the details, and in Russia there are plenty of these details, exactly like there are plenty of nationalities, confessions and square kilometers.

Natalia

Of course, I do wear heels. They make my legs look much sexier.

Why did wearing heels become cult-like? – Because of post-soviet influence. It’s like when you finally get something that was not available, but was still desired. Once you get it, you can’t get enough. You can’t overfeed. For a long time we didn’t have things like fancy shoes, but we learned from TV about that pompous and wonderful life of Europe and America where, among many other things, women wore heels. And here we are.

I adore furs! I have a fur-coat, and not just one.

I do drink vodka. Pure.

The Russian mentality is like when you live each day as it’s your last. You have patience, but you don’t appreciate when someone teaches you how to live right. You are strong, but you like to relax. You are funny, but you still constantly get drunk from grief! In general, it’s a kind of inconsistency in every little thing.

Ellina

Heels are a part of my image. I’m a singer, and I have no choice but to wear them. But I would gladly replace them with slippers.

I don’t know why wearing heels became cult-like, and what seems really odd to me is that girls wear such uncomfortable shoes to the museum or something like that. I don’t like heeled shoes much and during my free time I prefer to wear simple, sporty shoes. The more simple, the better.

But at the same time I like fur-coats very much! I feel quite positive about wearing furs.

I can drink vodka, mixed and pure as well. The main thing is to know the mixture measurements.

Words can’t explain the Russian mentality. It’s not something physical. It’s an irrational internal condition, related to those who were born or have lived in Russia long enough. To me as well.

And here is the required soundtrack to this post: