AS a sign of respect to the late Mahatma Gandhi, visitors to his memorial in New Delhi are asked to remove their footwear.

And, so, perhaps on some level, it was apt Julia Gillard ended up in stocking feet, after her high heels became wedged in the carefully manicured turf.

I wonder whether, during her spectacular fall, she uttered the sacred words, inscribed on Gandhi's memorial "He Ram". It translates literally to "Oh God". Oh God, indeed.

It was unfortunate timing for the PM to have a YouTube moment falling flat on her face just a week after going global for her impressive feminist tirade at the Opposition leader.

It's the third public fall in the past year for the PM, not just unsteady in the polls, but on her feet.

She has public sympathy on her side, of course. Every woman has been there. High heels and a well-watered lawn is a bad combo. But Gillard has unfortunate form when it comes to footwear failures. Even Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City) would have lost her stilettos had she been dragged like the PM was from the developing scuffle during the Tent Embassy protest earlier this year.

Harder to explain was losing her footing while admiring the ease with which Channel 7's Mel Doyle walked in much higher heels at an event they attended in Sydney in August.

And then, the "Oh God" moment in New Delhi.

Perhaps it's surprising this doesn't happen more often. Just think about the stairs she navigates, on and off planes, buses, stages and so forth.

It's a problem male politicians don't have to think about. Unless you're Alexander Downer.

Actually, that's not quite true. Former French president Nikolas Sarkozy was partial to a pair of heels. At 165cm tall, he used a Cuban heel to gain extra stature. He was derided in the media. So was Tom Cruise.

And therein lies the double-standard. Men are ridiculed for vanity. It's expected of women.

Paul Keating was criticised for his expensive designer suits. John Howard was mocked for trimming his eyebrows. He couldn't win as he was equally mocked for earlier not trimming them.

Female politicians are unfairly scrutinised. Julia Gillard has faced criticism about everything from her wardrobe to the size of her backside. And, sadly, much of the disapproval comes from other women and not the alleged misogynists in parliament.

Imagine the flak she'd face if she started wearing flats, if she tied her hair back and wore no make-up. I guarantee you she'd be accused of laziness, of fatigue and of letting herself go.

That's exactly what Hillary Clinton was accused of. Her YouTube moment happened in India, too. She didn't trip. She didn't cause a diplomatic incident.

What was her crime? She wore no make-up. Aside from a smear of pink lippy, one of the world's most influential and powerful women had a naked face. She wore her glasses. God forbid she looked her age.

In response to the international stir, Clinton, who's spent decades being coiffed and made up, admitted she's tired of it. There are more important things to do. "I feel so relieved to be at the stage I'm at in my life right now," she told CNN.

"Because you know if I want to wear my glasses I'm wearing my glasses. If I want to wear my hair back I'm pulling my hair back. You know at some point it's just not something that deserves a lot of time and attention. And if others want to worry about it, I let them do the worrying for a change."

And, across, the world, women silently cheered again for Hillary.

On Gillard's recent trip to Afghanistan, she looked, to the untrained eye, to be wearing little or no make-up. Her skin glowed in the desert heat. She looked authentic. However, as many women know, it takes ages to create the impression of effortlessness! It appears she wore foundation and a cream blusher and a tiny bit of mascara.

There's a term called "stiletto feminism". It means that you celebrate intellect and beauty at the same time. You don't have to wear flats to show you're sure-footed intellectually. You can wear makeup and not be a traitor to your feminist contemporaries.

But, in all of this, it seems that sensibility can be lost. And replaced with bunions and cramped feet and YouTube moments.

You see, Prime Minister, as the old saying goes, once is an accident. Twice is unlucky. Three times could be just bad management.

Doc Martens, anyone?

Kellie Connolly is a regular commentator on the 7 Network and proudly owns a number of pairs of impractical and uncomfortably high heels.

Originally published as The rises and falls of well-heeled PM