Brother Sparks Debate After Instituting ‘High-Heel Ban’ for Sister at Holiday House Party

A 25-year-old woman had a very specific holiday wish this year – for her brother to lift the “high heel ban” he had put in place for his Christmas party.

On Reddit’s popular subreddit AITA (AmITheA——), a man with the username Cultural-Okra-8538 explained that he and his wife instituted the ban after his sister’s friend wore heels to a birthday party at their house last month and dented the floor.

At that time, the man’s sister told her friend that her high heels were ruining her brother’s floor. But she refused to take them off without a fuss.

“I told my sister to take care of it later, but after the party we saw that the entire living room was covered in deep dents,” he wrote in the post. “However, thanks to my sister getting her friend to take off her heels, we avoided too much damage in the kitchen and hallway.”

The man (34) went on to explain in the post that after the party, his sister found out that her friend knew the heels would leave dents, but decided to wear them anyway.

“She didn’t care at all about the damage to the floor she caused,” he said. “My sister tried to make her pay for the repair bill, but her friend smiled, said she was just making our floors look ‘live’ and my sister should pay for rudely making her take off the shoes that made up her outfit .”

Close-up of white silk jackets on wooden floor.

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“My sister was furious and immediately ended the friendship,” he added. “She felt terrible, she blamed herself for calling that friend and saying she would pay for the repairs. My wife and I said no, because it wasn’t her fault, and she also prevented any more damage from happening by noticing before anyone else noticed and we comforted her and don’t blame her.”

For their Christmas party, the man said he and his wife, 35, banned heels to prevent another similar situation from happening. However, before the party, she asked his sister, who she says loves stiletto heels, if she could still wear hers.

“My sister doesn’t invite her ex-friend who destroyed the floors or anyone who even remotely supports her actions, but we feel the potential for harm is too great if someone accidentally wears worn-out heels,” she says. “My sister is really upset about this because she hates wearing anything but heels and this is a party where everyone is going to dress up.”

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The brother said that his sister, who lived with him for two years, told him that the shoes were in good condition. She also suggested her brother inspect all the guests’ shoes before entering the house.

“She also said she would pay for the floor to be repaired if there was any damage, again she offered to pay the previous repair bill but we don’t want to because my sister earns less than us and the repair would be very expensive for her, plus the repairs are inconvenient,” he continued.

“My sister begged us to let her wear heels to the party and tearfully asked if we wanted to fine her for damaging her birthday party, but that’s not the case at all,” he added. “However, I understand how much it hurts her and wonder if we should let her wear the shoes she wants or just lift the ban on high heels.”

Brother and sister at a holiday party.

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In the comments, people shared their advice on the situation and what they would do if they were in their brother’s shoes. One Reddit user wrote: “You can’t dictate the shoes your guests wear. Have a no shoes policy or put in rugs and carpets.”

“Plot: Allow all types of footwear, then ask everyone to leave their shoes at the door and provide small boots! Many cultures don’t allow outside shoes inside,” someone else wrote on the post.

Another comment read: “Sounds like you’re a bit harsh, maybe let her wear the damn shoes. Not such a big deal.”

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Source: HIS Education