Clowns are required to wear oversized shoes, which may cause difficulty when walking in all those parades. Although people don't normally wear clown shoes, clown shoes are similar to the current fashion shoe choice. They are large and oversized like the big heels on trendy footwear. Today's society is caught up in fashion versus function or comfort. This is demonstrated by the platform shoes worn by many stylish people. Although this is not viewed as a problem, current research leads one to believe otherwise. Instead of enhancing walking comfort, current shoes often hinder gait. Research shows that obstacles impair locomotion and lead to problems (Chou and Draganich, 1998). Our theory is that excessively large or uncomfortable shoes pose as obstacles. Specifically, do clown shoes pose as an obstacle because they are oversized and do they cause alterations in gait?
This project will explore the postural changes in stride that occur when wearing clown shoes as opposed to stocking feet. This will be done by analyzing a videotape of a subject's gait while she walks in bare feet and while she walks in clown shoes. It is expected that the clown shoes will cause changes in gait, specifically, differences in hip and knee angles. These findings will help clowns everywhere to acquire hazard pay for the damage their shoes may cause on their bodies. Clown shoes are an exaggerated representation of the current fashion shoe sported by today's trendy populous. The possible postural adjustments will be explored through kinematic analysis of locomotion and the changes between joint angles.