Articles tagged with "High Heeled Shoes"

Jharna Pariani writes for Fashion Psychology (@fashionispsychology) website to explore how fashion's influence can be used to dismantle gender stereotypes.

From the article:

"Before the 20th century, women were shamed for cross-dressing in men’s outfits. It wasn’t until the 1920s that women’s clothing finally gained liberation and did away with tightly laced corsets, bustled skirts and puffy sleeves. Women began embracing the androgynous look, also known as ‘La garçonne’, revolutionised by Coco Chanel who paved the way for women’s trousers through her masculine-feminine aesthetic. In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent furthered the cause by introducing ‘Le Smoking’, a tuxedo look for women that became an embodiment of sexual empowerment."

"Women are now revered as ‘power dressers’ for donning sharp suits and enjoy the freedom of easily switching between both masculine and feminine styles. However, men haven’t enjoyed the same level of acceptance and freedom for embracing femininity."

"Gender is no longer just limited to male and female — or pink and blue — but is now a spectrum of non-conforming identities and fashion is beginning to reflect that."

Original URL: https://fashionispsychology.com/dismantling-gender-stereotypes-through-fashion/

Often times in history our clothing has been used as a subtle means of communication. This entry from Encyclopedia.com uncovers the facts around fashion and homosexuality and how gay men and lesbians have used what they wear to not only give themselves a self-identity but to let others know their sexuality in times that were otherwise severely oppressive for them.

It's interesting to see that now, as men, we're borrowing from the same playbook as women used to protest the roles assigned to them by patriarchal societies. We're starting to realise that those same systems of oppression also negatively affect us too.

From the article:

"Male homosexuals continued to cross-dress in both public and private spaces throughout the nineteenth century. In the 1920s, the Harlem drag balls offered a safe space for gay men (and lesbians) to cross-dress. Similarly the Arts Balls of the 1950s in London offered an opportunity denied in everyday life. Cross-dressing performers, commonly known as drag queens, used women's clothes to parody straight society and create a gay humor."

"In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the adoption of male dress was a means for many women, including many lesbians, to protest the status of women and the roles assigned them by patriarchal societies."

"Popular figures, such as soccer player David Beckham, are avid consumers of clothes and even acknowledge their debt to gay men's influence on fashion."

Original URL: https://www.encyclopedia.com/fashion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/fashion-and-homosexuality

Lillian Stone (@originalspinstr) writes for Mel Magazine on the rise of men in heels on social media and how some women are falling in love with the growing trend.

From the article:

"Mesmerized by their confidence and how their heeled shoes make their ass look like marble, women are falling head over heels for guys who dare to don a pair of pumps"

"Wearers are posting their videos to Instagram and, increasingly, TikTok, where videos with the hashtag #meninheels currently have more than 82 million views. Someone’s grandfather even went viral for pairing masculine silhouettes with a tasteful pump.".

"Seeing a man wear heels without a hint of irony confirms what we’ve always known, if only subconsciously — that heeled footwear is sexy, no matter the wearer’s gender. It speaks to a simple truth: If you find a pair of shoes that make your ass look like it’s made of steel, you should wear those shoes."

Men appearing to have more confidence comes across as one of the key attractions to women. Having greater confidence is often a reason stated by women as to why they wear high heels, but it's still interesting to see this coming across when the roles are reversed.

Original URL: https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/men-wearing-high-heels

Original featured on Men's Heels Revolution a couple of weeks ago, now we have the full, original interview with Charoline Wenke and Anders Harder Bjerresgaard from ALT for damerne magazine, translated via Google Translate from Danish to English

The article introduces us to the couple and their relationship journey, from their early days exploring Anders' gender fluid fashion style and his passion for high heels to present day, and some of the triumphs and challenges they have encountered along the way. It's not always been easy, but they are both very happy together and want to share their story in the hope that it will inspire others to explore their self-expression too.

Anders: "I could feel people's awkward reactions when I showed interest in clothes, shoes and makeup, and so I very quickly stopped saying it out loud and instead cultivated it in secret. When there was an EVERYTHING for the ladies at home, I looked in it when there were no others nearby, and the same with, for example, Magasin's Christmas catalog, where I looked at the women's clothes. I thought it was the most beautiful. There is not much variation in men's clothes. It is black, white "Blue and maybe green and brown. Whereas women's clothing is available in all colors, patterns and qualities. Everything is allowed in women's clothing that is simply more bling."

Charoline: "He said: 'I really like high shoes, and I really like to walk in them.' When he drove home afterwards, I thought hmmm ... But pretty quickly this sentence came to me:" "Well, it's just shoes." We just had a great time together, we had become really happy with each other, and I thought: We must be able to find out. "

Anders: "Part of the teaching was precisely about inhibiting beliefs, and I had had a belief that the sky would fall if I stood one hundred percent by myself. And suddenly it dawned on me that when I got home and was completely fresh, then it was because, in Copenhagen, I stood by myself and walked in the high shoes.I thought, shut up, I'm really just a puppet in a performance I myself have created based on my own beliefs ? What will happen if I just ARE myself? When I started thinking like that, I almost sensed from one day to the next how much more energy and joy I would get in my life if I started standing by myself all the time. "

Charoline: "Shortly after, we took a trip to Hamburg, and at that time, Anders was still only wearing menswear when others saw him. But when he unpacked in the room, he lined up just 15 pairs of shoes with high heels, and I was like ... well, okay. "

Charoline: "Today I find it very annoying that I have been influenced by the opinions of others. But that says something about how strong it is. I myself come from a very unjudgmental family who have taken so well against Anders. If only I am happy, they are happy, and then the clothes do not matter. But in the face of the reactions of the outside world, I have been surprised. I remember an episode in Berlin, where we stood in line in a store, and behind the clerk there was a mirror so I could see how those standing behind us in the queue were pointing and laughing. It was just too much and I said to Anders "come, now we're just going out, I can not do this" . "

Charoline: "the message we want to convey in this interview is actually that we is only at the finish line when it is no longer interesting how Anders dresses."

Anders: "I have only met support. Or at worst neutrality. The first time I wore heels, my boss said:" You got new boots, Anders ", and then she went on to get coffee. Otherwise I have just been told that “shut up you look sharp” or “wow, you give it gas.” I'm probably well helped by sitting in a creative area of ​​product and marketing development, because that's probably the place in an organization where the ceiling is highest and where you like to think a little crazy. People are very openminded. "

Anders: "I almost never experience this as a problem. I almost never get negative comments from women. They are always very welcoming and often come with comments like" I love your boots "or" what beautiful nails ". Negative comments or shaking of the head usually always come from men, and I think that's because they are challenged in their views on how to be a man. "

Original URL: https://www-alt-dk.translate.goog/artikler/anders-harder-bjerresgaard-og-charoline-wenke-kaerester-om-at-han-gaar-med-dametoej-og-hoeje-haele?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Danish magazine 'BT' brings us an interview with Charoline Wenke and Anders Harder Bjerresgaard, originally published in 'ALT for the ladies' magazine and translated here from Danish via Google Translate.

The article introduces us to the couple and their relationship journey, from their early days exploring Anders' gender fluid fashion style and his passion for high heels to present day, and some of the triumphs and challenges they have encountered along the way. It's not always been easy, but they are both very happy together and want to share their story in the hope that it will inspire others to explore their self-expression too.

Original URL: https://www-bt-dk.translate.goog/samfund/mange-der-ser-mig-gaar-automatisk-ud-fra-at-jeg-er-homoseksuel?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

This article from The Irish Examiner (@irish_examiner) reflects on the Spring/Summer 2022 runway shows at Paris Fashion Week and the rise of heels for men. It's not a new concept, just reinvented somewhat, as Jimmy Choo puts it "High-heeled shoes for men are unlike stilettos. The heel shape is adapted from the basic Cuban heel into a special shape that will bring out the best in the masculinity of the man wearing it.".

This is a great read for getting yourself up-to-speed with what's current on the catwalk.

Original URL: https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/fashionandbeauty/arid-40343159.html

This article from Teen Vogue, published in 2017, highlights an exhibition on shoes at Savannah College of Art and Design and delves into the origin of the high heeled shoe. By now, many of us know the origin of high heels, but for the uninitiated, take a look at this interesting article on where they came from.

Original URL: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/heels-history-men