Let’s get this out of the way at the start: I’ve yet to see “Jurassic World,” so I haven’t formed my professional opinion on the below subjects (aka weak female characters in film). But I have had plenty of time to read a few of the pieces teasing Colin Trevorrow, “Jurassic World’s” director, about requesting that Bryce Dallas Howard, the film’s co-star, wear high heels through the action scenes in the movie.

Most of the coverage centers on the whole “are you serious” factor. Jezebel did a “best ofs” quote list that features Howard talking about Trevorrow’s decision to have her in heels throughout the entire film. This quote, pulled from Variety, features Howard explaining that she was against the wardrobe choice at first, but changed her mind down the line:

“At the beginning I was kind of against the idea of wearing them, but then one day while looking at the terrain prior to a shoot, I just looked at Colin and said, ‘I think I’ll keep the shoes on.’”

And the above quote jives with Trevorrow’s telling of the heel story. This was the director’s reaction when the question was posed by io9:

“I know. I mean, look, I had that conversation with her so many times, and she insisted on wearing those heels. They meant something to her personally. She felt like, this is her talking, that those heels were her shield in a certain way as a woman. That’s just how she felt. She felt like surrendering the heels felt like surrendering the femininity of the character, even though women are — I don’t want to say forced to wear heels — but you’re expected to wear heels in certain environments.”

And while I get that idea, I still am left with this thought: But in real life, this woman would have died while running through a muddy jungle in heels.

Sure, heels were used to tell a story about Howard’s pristine, corporate character, but I still think that something could have been done about those heels once Howard ran into the jungle.

And that leads us to probably the best takedown of Howard’s wardrobe yet.

The Dissolve published a great piece that pretty much states that they, too, get why Howard was initially clad in heels. But the director’s choice to allow/make/whatever Howard to continue to wear the heels as the story progressed wasn’t sexist — it was merely bad storytelling:

“It’s one thing to completely ignore an aspect of your story that doesn’t make sense in the real world; streamlining is necessary in screenwriting, and not every little detail can go remarked upon. But it’s another matter to introduce a problem with your character’s wardrobe and then neglect to satisfactorily solve it, as Jurassic World does. The film’s script utilizes Claire’s wardrobe to tell a part of its story—and to make a joke—but it doesn’t go all the way with it.”

Howard’s character sure isn’t the first female lead to be plagued with poor character development, and she definitely won’t be the last. However, it is nice that more and more entertainment outlets are calling directors and screenwriters out for bad storytelling. After all: moviegoers (and female characters) deserve better.

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Summer is “the” season for wedge platforms. They are sassy, sexy, and basically look good with anything. We’ve rounded up 5 awesome wedge platforms that you can snatch up now in this week’s Friday Finds.

1. High Society Heel from Free People

Yes, this pair of wedge platforms is incredibly pricy, but we all have to splurge every so often. This pair features a cork heel and a raffia platform. Vegans beware: It does feature suede. This shoe is padded (you’ll need it because the platform is 2 inches and the heel is a whopping six inches). Comes in two colors and priced at $198. Wear with a flowing, peasant dress and people will swear you stepped out of the 1970s… in a good way.

2. Vintage Platforms

These previously-loved beauties feature snakeskin, suede, and leather. These heels are so crazy, you could easily pair them with a simple pair of high-waisted cut-offs and a t-shirt. While the Etsy shop owner hasn’t confirmed the decade of these heeled delicacies, the owner thinks they are ’70s or after. Priced at $95.

3. Platform Sandals

These platform sandals feature cork heels that are deliciously chunky. The white leather straps are adjustable and fit at the ankle. Go all-out retro and pair with a rainbow crop top and short-short white shorts. Priced at $52. Listed on Etsy.

4. Bebe Heels

This shoe is for the closed-toe loving gal. The shoes feature a chunky heel, which is totally in right now. The pair is desert hued. Priced at $28.49. Pair with a structured beige dress, or cream-colored frock to give your outfit a little somethin’. From ThredUp.

5. Dv By Dolce Vita Heels

These shoes feature thick and chunky straps and are listed as practically new (high praise from ThredUp). If I had these shoes, I’d wear them with my sequins hot pants and black crop top. Yes, I own both, and no, I’m not ashamed. Priced at $31.49.

Do you have any platform wedges in your closet? I have a beige pair, but am in need of a black pair.

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Image of wedge platforms from Shutterstock

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