History of High Heel Shoes by Polly Prince
High Heel Shoes can have an amazing effect on women and are able to fill them with pleasure and excitement when shopping for them at Chanel or Prada. The high-Heeled shoe in particular is a matter of contentious and heated discussion. No other shoe has gestured toward sexuality and sophistication as much as the high-heeled shoe. So many women are dreaming of having their closets full of shoes, but in reality they are merely pay attention to the fact that shoes could be one of the oldest inventions of our ancestors.
High Heels are not a modern invention. Rather, they enjoy a rich and varied history, for both men as well as women. Controversy exists over when high heels were first invented, but the consensus is that heels were worn by both men and women throughout the world for many centuries.
Most of the lower class in ancient Egypt walked barefoot, but figures on murals dating from 3500 B.C. depict an early version of shoes worn mostly by the higher classes. In ancient Greece and Rome, platform sandals called kothorni, later known as buskins in the Renaissance, were shoes with high wood or cork soles that were popular particularly among actors who would wear shoes of different heights to indicated varying social status or importance of characters.
Around 1500, European nobility developed heels as a separate part of their shoes, primarily as a means to help keep their feet in the stirrups. The wear of heels by men quickly became the fashion norm, primarily in the courts, and this practice spawned the term, “well-heeled” as a reference to those who could afford the costlier shoes.
The modern European fashion of the high heel comes from the Italian “chapiney” or “chopine” style: mounted shoes on a 15 to 42 cm high cylinder. In 1430 chopines were prohibited in Venice, but nothing could stop the trend. The invention of the high heel is attributed to Catherine of Medici in Paris, in the 16th century, who used them due to her short stature, and soon introduced them into fashion amongst the European aristocracy. At the age of 14, Catherine de Medici was engaged to the powerful Duke of Orleans, later the King of France.
In the 17th century, the English Parliament punished as witches all women who used high heels to seduce men into marrying them. In his biography, the famous Giovanni Casanova declared his love for high heels, which raised women’s hoop skirts, thus showing their legs.
In 1791, the “Louis” high heels disappeared with the revolution, and Napoleon banished high heels in an attempt to show equality. Despite the Napoleonic Code against high heels, in 1793 Marie Antoinette went to the scaffold to be executed wearing two-inch heels.
In the 1860s, heels as fashion became popular again, and the invention of the sewing machine allowed greater variety in high heels. In Victorian art and literature, cartoons and allusions to tiny feet and the affliction of large feet (typical of the elderly spinster) were ubiquitous. Victorians thought that the high heel emphasized the instep arch, which was seen as symbolic of a curve of a woman.
While high heels enjoyed widespread popularity in the late nineteenth century but the Depression during the 1930s influenced Western shoe fashion as heels became lower and wider.
With the creation of the miniskirt in the early 1960s, Stilettos came into fashion and were attached to boots that enhanced the look of bare legs. A stiletto heel is a long, thin heel found on some boots and shoes, usually for women. It is named after the stiletto dagger, the phrase being first recorded in the early 1930s. Stiletto heels may vary in length from 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) to 5 cm (2 inches) or more if a platform sole is used.
Unlike the medieval period of Europe, when extravagance was more sought after that practicality, the fashion today trumps comfort. Women in the 21st century have more shoe choices than ever before. From athletic wear to the 2006 “heelless” high heel, women can choose to wear what they want, even hybrid shoes such as “heeled” tennis shoes and flip flops. While these may be oddities of fashion, they gesture toward an exciting array of fashion choices women have today.
Every woman deserves to wear shoes which match her outfit, look elegant and wrap her delicate feet. Whether they are lace up, platform or clear heel each of the shoes definitely compliments the outfit and makes the women love walking and feeling sexy.
When it comes to high heels they are teasing and flattering, they make women feel special and empowered as well as highly confident regardless of when or how they are worn. A good collection of shoes can be found at www.wildandsexy.co.uk and should be part of every woman’s wardrobe, not just because of what it does for confidence levels but also as a means of upping the wow factor where the man in your life is concerned.
About the Author
Polly Prince is a webmaster and owns her own business. She is interested relationship issues and matters of sexuality.Visit her at:www.121-sexchat.co.uk.
Extreme High Heels: How High Is Too High? [ABC: 5-15-2011]
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Punk Rivets high heel Platform open toes shoes sandals S5 UK 5/US 7.5/Euro :38 $0.00 |
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LADIES GREY HIGH HEEL RUCHED TRIM PLATFORM SHOE 5 $0.00 |
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Lady Lace up Brown Soft Vamp High Heel Ankle Boots US 6 $0.00 |
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BCBGeneration Flash High Heels Multi-Color Womens size 10 B New $80 $0.00 |
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Punk Rivets high heel Platform open toes shoes sandals S5 UK 2.5/US 5/Euro :35 $0.00 |
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WOMENS BRAND NEW HIGH HEEL STRAPPY SANDAL DRESS SHOES BLACK/SILVER SZ 6M $0.00 |
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Slouch Stiletto High Heel Lady Womens Dress Boot Size 9 $0.00 |
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NEW Stunning Ladies Dots Satin High Heels Wedges Sandals Sz 3-8 $0.00 |
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bnwb sexy red Reptile Skin Effect & Patent PVC Shoes high heel platform size 6 $0.00 |
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SS4U Black Leather Thigh High Boots 4″ Heels Buckle Size 10 $0.00 |
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Leather Burgundy Lace High Heel Booties ~ 4 inch heel ~ Made in Spain ~ size 10 $0.00 |
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6.5❤NA NA BLING SPARKLE RHINESTONE PEEP TOE STILETTO HIGH HEEL SHOE WORN 1X❤ $0.00 |
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Womens Super Platform Lovely Buckles Classic Pumps High Heels Shoes $0.00 |
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5″ Heel Gingham Open Toe Bettie Page Collection 5-10 $0.00 |
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Lady’s Black Leather Military Combat Platform High heel Womens Boots-Us 5 to 7.5 $0.00 |
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★New CATO Red Patent Stiletto High Heel Shoes Womens 9 $0.00 |
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Beige Black High Heels Shoes Boots Pumps PU US 5-7.5 $0.00 |
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First Impressions Molds Silicone Mould – Baby – Curled $13.99 … |
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2 Liter Machine Pressed Glass Beer Boot – 67 oz. – Das Boot $19.60 This is DAS BOOT! This two liter machine pressed beer boot is perfect for the budget minded boot drinker looking for a more durable “Das Boot”. Beer Boot Specifications Features of the 2 liter machine pressed beer boot: We import the 2 liter machine pressed beer boot direct and it is exclusive to our web sites. Prominently featured in the movie BeerFest as “Das Boot”, the boot game … |
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3D HIGH HEEL SHOE 2 Mold Set Dads and Moms Candy Mold Chocolate $4.99 This is a first quality, tough plastic mold. It is durable and reusable. It is not machine washable. Suitable for chocolate and soap making as well as plaster and concrete crafting. FDA approved…. |
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Low Spark of High Heeled Boys $4.21 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
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Small Town Girl $3.99 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
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The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys $9.49 … |
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High Heels [VHS] $7.99 … |
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High Heels and Low Lifes [VHS] $2.68 Supremely silly and entirely entertaining, High Heels and Low Lifes begins with a high-tech bank robbery–into the middle of which stumble Shannon (Minnie Driver) and Frances (Mary McCormack), who have gone out and gotten drunk because Shannon’s boyfriend forgot her birthday. Thanks to this same boyfriend’s surveillance equipment (on which he was creating his “urban noise symphony installatio… |
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V.I. Warshawski, Detective in High Heels [VHS] $11.50 You couldn’t do better than Kathleen Turner to bring Sara Peretsky’s tough but tender Chicago PI (who goes by her initials “because it makes it harder for people to patronize [her]“) to the big screen. Too bad her vehicle is such routine murder mystery. The story of an insolent teenager (Angela Goethals) who hires Warshawski to investigate her father’s suspicious death never rises above TV detecti… |
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Sterilite 16428012 Storage Box, White Lid with See-Through Base, 12-Pack, 6-Quart $17.99 This set of 12 Plastic Shoe Boxes from Sterilite are not only great for storing shoes, but also craft items, toys, and school supplies. The white lid with see through base allows you to easily view the contents inside the container. Contoured base creates handles for easy transportation. Safe space by stacking multiple boxes on top of each other…. |
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