Those fit-just-right skinny jeans and up to the heavens stilettos just seem perfect, don’t they? If looks could kill, this is it. Beware, these fashion staples, among others, can endanger your life.
Here are the 10 most dangerous and life-threatening fashion statements.
1. Scarves
Ex-dancer Isadora Duncan’s flowing silk Roman Chatov scarf became entangled in the open spokes of her vehicle, throwing her onto the pavement, killing her instantly.
2. Platform Shoes
While you’re teetering high up in the air in some high-glamour platforms, be aware.
Though a twisted ankle by stiletto is nothing new, fatality is certainly an uncommon, but realistic alternative. Allegedly, a 25-year-old teacher in Japan died after falling from a 5-inch platform sandal and fracturing her skull, and another Japanese woman died in a car crash when her stiletto-clad foot couldn’t get to the brake in time.
3. Skinny Jeans
Wearing too-tight pants every day might lead to meralgia parenthetic (MP), a form of itchy, burning, tingling nerve damage on the pelvis and upper thigh.
4. Oversized Purses
Extended use of a large, heavy bag may lead to irreversible back, neck, and shoulder problems. Family physical practitioner Dr. Jane Sadler to Reuters, “I see so many women with neck pains and headaches and what I usually do is look for their purse and pick it up […] and they’re usually anywhere from seven to ten pounds.” Guilty as charged.
5. Flip-Flops
Deep down, I think we all know flip-flops don’t cut it in ways of support, protection, grip or secureness. According to The Wall Street Journal, researchers at Auburn University found that flip-flops led to “foot fatigue, sore calf muscles and an altered gait, which could cause long-term ankle and hip problems.”
6. Cheap Jewelry
According to The Ecology Center, more than half of the jewelry found at stores like Claire’s, Forever21, Hot Topic, and Wal-Mart contained high levels of hazardous chemicals over the limit of what’s safe.
7. Wedding Rings
Fingers naturally change sizes due to weight gain and bodily changes, causing rings to become stuck. This predicament can cause a nasty variety of injuries, ranging from bruising and circulatory damage to even the accidental loss of a finger.
From surgeon Monica Wood, MD, from Northwest Hand & Orthopedics, “I remember one patient—a charming senior who did no heavy work. She got up on a step to put something on a shelf. The step tipped and she reached to catch herself on the shelf. She very nearly lost her finger. Her ring caught on the shelf and ripped through the tissue, lodging itself in one of her joints.”
8. Keratin Straightening
Smooth and shiny strands sound ideal, but is it worth risking exposure to unsafe levels of formaldehyde? Long-term exposure to formaldehyde has been linked to cancer, not to mention side effects of eye and nervous system disorders, respiratory tract problems, chest pain, vomiting, and rashes.
9. Expired Beauty Products
Ditch old beauty products (yes, they all expire). If not, you’re directly applying germs to your skin post-expiration date. Pay attention to the expiration dates of your beauty products and exchange promptly after the expiration date(s). Most beauty products will have something called a PAO (period after opening) symbol, which looks like a little jar with a number in it, indicating how many months that product is safe to use after first opened.
10. Colored Contacts
Before you get those sick violet eyes, check with an optometrist. Using contacts that haven’t been properly fitted and cared for can lead to infections and, in extreme cases, vision loss.
