I don’t have any problem with superheroes wearing outfits that are a little garish or impractical for the real world. In fact, I think I prefer them that way. They jive pretty well with the internal logic of the medium, so I don’t quibble too much about them and just enjoy them for their flair.
But then there are the ladies with the hip boots. Now, if Seven of Nine is willing to defend the use of high heels for a character then I’m willing to let that detail slide, but I don’t get the hip boots. Maybe you have to be a straight guy with some degree of appreciation for female strippers (because the basic appeal isn’t entirely lost on me), but for a crime-fighter it’s still a look that’s less “I’m gonna kick your ass” and more “I’m gonna lick your ass.’
Of course, female superheroes have long been dressed for titillation rather than intimidation, so maybe the thigh boot is just a sensible enough way to protect one’s legs from cold and abrasions when one is already dressed in a thong. I’ve never been in a fight or scaled the side of a building in a bathing suit, so I can only guess. Is it possible that Emma Frost is more sensible than we give her credit for being?
I always thought it was just easier to adjust longer boots in the middle of a fight. You don’t have to reach so far over to adjust if somethings starts to slip…