Articles tagged with "History Of The High Heel"

It's not easy to get a complete timeline for the history of heels in a single article because many writers selectively pick only the points in history that suit their narrative or headline. We're reliant therefore on reading multiple articles and joining the dots ourselves. That said, key elements like the fact that they were used by Egyptian butchers, so they could keep their feet clean of any blood while slaughtering animals often get missed. This is one such article from "the tab" which does include that fact, though it's not clear from the article whether it was them or Persian soldiers that first used heels.

Written in 2017, the article concludes that in the 20th Century, men’s heels have largely fallen out of fashion. It's a fact easily missed through poor research that men never stopped wearing heels. In 2023 heels for men are on the rise once again, though this time, not so much as a fashion trend, but more of a movement.

Original URL: https://thetab.com/uk/2017/05/02/know-high-heels-originally-invented-men-kinda-wish-theyd-kept-39250

In this article the Bright Side website highlights the growing confidence of men in heels and explores the possible reasons why.

"It’s not known by everybody, but men did wear heels in the past, long before women started wearing them. High heels were originally designed for men, but this faded over the past centuries. However, surprisingly, heels seem to be breaking their way back into men’s fashion again, as more and more celebs have started to embrace their feminine side by wearing their favourite pair of heels."

"statistics show that the sales of heeled men’s shoes have been on an upturn since 2017. More and more men are embracing their femininity and showing off their beloved heels more confidently than ever."

"High heels are still associated with women’s fashion in the modern day, though more and more celebrities, like pop icons and rock stars, are keeping this trend alive for men. The expansion of heels in the male section at stores has gone beyond the stiletto.

Many different types of heeled shoes have become available. Designer brands, like Gucci, Maison Margiela, and Saint Laurent, knew that heeled shoes would break into men’s fashion again and took the opportunity to develop new models in this category."

While the article presumes that all men that wear heels are getting more in touch with their feminine side, which is somewhat stereotypical, it's generally a positive perspective and worth a read.

Original URL: https://brightside.me/wonder-curiosities/why-men-are-more-confident-about-wearing-high-heels-today-808517/

From 2018, Quartz magazine delves into the history of the high heel through the research of Elizabeth Semmelhack (@elizabeth_semmelhack) at the Bata Shoe Museum, recounting how women borrowed heels from the male wardrobe to look more masculine. Enlightenment put an end to men wearing heels at the end of the 17th century. Though as Elizabeth says “Heels are just things. They can be given any meaning we decide they have”. When asked, “So could men start wearing heels once more?” she concluded... “anything’s possible.”

Four years on and it seems it’s not only possible, but happening at a pace!

Original URL: https://qz.com/quartzy/1317090/its-enlightenment-philosophys-fault-that-women-wear-high-heels-instead-of-men/