High heels really ARE sexy: Scientists say the shoes seemingly increase the length of a woman's tail bone - indicating an increase in the capability to have multiple births

 They have divided fashionistas and feminists for generations, but scientists now claim to have proof that high heels are sexy.

Researchers recruited 52 female university students aged 18 to 24 and shot videos of them walking in flat shoes and in their own high heels, varying in height from 8cm to 10cm.

Editing software was used to erase their feet so that only the women’s body movements could be assessed – and all had been instructed to wear similar dark, tight-fitting T-shirts, with jeans or leggings and have their hair tied back to ensure uniformity.

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Scientists have decided heels really are sexy after research involving more than 150 men and women and computer software

The videos were then shown to more than 100 male and female volunteers who were asked to rate the women on a scale of attractiveness from one to ten. The results were overwhelmingly in favour of heels.

‘Irrespective of raters’ gender, higher attractiveness ratings were assigned to models in the high heels condition than in the flats condition,’ the scientists said.

The findings apparently endorse the opinion of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe, who once said: ‘I don’t know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot.’

And high heels were a feature of the hit television series Sex And The City, with its lead character Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, obsessed by shoes.

Her favourite designer, Manolo Blahnik, once said: ‘People walk differently in high heels. Your body sways to a different kind of tempo.’ According to the scientists from the University of Pecs, in Hungary, the main reason high heels make women sexy is the effect wearing them has on ‘lumbar curvature’ – the way the back curves during motion.

They claim that if a woman’s spine curves in a certain way, the shape can send a positive subconscious signal that she is at a lower risk of being infertile.

The scientists explained that wearing high heels brought about ‘lumbar wedging’, which seemingly increased the length of a woman’s tail bone.

An extended tail bone, they say, indicates a lower likelihood of back injuries and increase in the capability to have multiple births.

The study is thought to be the first to use video to show the link between high heels and attractiveness.

And while the wearing of them could spark ‘intra-sexual rivalry’, it did not stop women finding other females more attractive in high heels, the scientists added.

The Mail on Sunday’s You magazine fashion editor Sophie Dearden said: ‘I’m not surprised women were perceived as more attractive when wearing heels. I personally feel way more confident when in heels. They elevate your look and the way you hold yourself. Confidence is very attractive.’

The study was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.