FROM A LIFT TO A POWER PLAY: THE HISTORY OF HIGH HEELS

There’s a quote attributed to Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe, “Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.”

Whether or not Marilyn said this is up for debate. However, what is not questionable is that no other type of shoe has made women feel more powerful over the decades than the high heel. Despite the pain many of them cause, from pump to stiletto, most women around the world have made the high heel a staple in their wardrobe. The heel has been accused of everything from exuding power and wealth to sexism.

It is hard to believe but the history of high heels starts with men and with function. Heels were initially seen during the 1400s in Persia to lift the foot from the extremely hot sand. They also found another function as heels were helpful in keeping the wearer’s foot firmly in a stirrup when they were riding horses. As styles migrated from East to West, clogs and lower-heeled shoes known as chopines developed similarly in Europe to keep the wearer’s feet off the filthy streets. The prestige and luxury of heels did not come into play for a while after.

One individual who popularized the wearing of heels for women was Catherine de’ Medici.

Catherine came from an extremely wealthy political family in Italy, although not royal. Her family, the Medici’s, were known for their patron of Renaissance artists, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. They originally acquired their wealth through banking but became more rich and powerful than many royal families throughout Europe. As political tensions ran high throughout Catholic Europe, the pope at the time set out to tie Catherine, Catholicism, Italy, and the Medici family to a royal house. That house turned out to be in France and Catherine was to be married to Henry, Duke of Orleans.

Now, Catherine was not known for being particularly attractive nor tall, so she used fashion to her advantage. On her wedding day, she wore an opulent gown covered in jewels to mark her wealth and she wore high heels to create a form of dominance through her height. She wasn’t fond of the chopines, as they were very uncomfortable to walk in. As a royal bride she needed to exude elegance and grace, so she changed the concept of the heel slightly to have the front flat and the heel higher. Voila! A new trend was born. It is also said that she needed height to match her new husband’s mistress, who was significantly taller and more attractive than Catherine but who knows whether that is true.

Other fun facts about Catherine – she was a very keep statesman (woman) and ruled subtly in her son’s place until he came of age to take the throne. He technically was “of age” at fifteen to be king but she sought to maintain her power as Queen and ruled in his place. Apparently, she was also dabbling in the occult. If you’ve ever watched Reign, you’ll see that she uses Nostradamus and other “witchcraft” to retain her power. She was also rumored to kill people she didn’t like by sending them beautiful gloves that were laced with poison…

So, after Catherine popularized the new heel in the upper-class societies of Europe, they became all the rage. A trend that occurred after and is connected most often with the court of Louis XIV is the red heel. The red heel was symbolic of royalty and was copied at courts across Europe. Most portraits of royals in the 16th and 17th centuries show them wearing red heels. Paintings at the time were fraught with symbolism but we know that red-heeled shoes were actually being worn at the time. Red bottomed shoes today, popularized by Christian Louboutin, are also a marker of wealth and prestige, so not much has changed since the 17th century. It is interesting that Louboutin has been embroiled in court cases about the “invention” of his red soles when really this practice was invented by Louis XIV more than 300 years ago.

Louis XIV below with his red-heeled shoes. He also practiced ballet and loved to show off his calves, so this was his favorite pose. Below him is Charles II of England. It is harder to see but he is also wearing red heels. He lived in the court of France after his father was executed so he dressed tres francais.

Men later developed an aversion to heels and you see men’s fashion gradually introduce flat shoes and boots into mainstream fashion, while women continued to wear heeled shoes across social classes. Women’s wearing of heels in many places across the world were often tied to practices of etiquette. Women are said to be classier and more graceful in a pair of heels despite the pain they cause. Some historians have likened this to foot binding, which occurred in 19th century China. The premise of foot binding is that you start at seven years old and by the time your feet have grown into your adult size, they are so small and “dainty” that you make no noise as you are walking. However, the feet are horrendously deformed. Historians suggest that heels are similar in the sense that more women each year are turning to surgery and other methods to correct deformities of the feet, such as bunions and other growths, from wearing stiletto heels.

Additionally, recent controversy over high heels has focused on the requirement in many businesses that women wear high heels to work. Any woman can tell you that being on your feet for eight hours a day in heels is not comfortable and, as such, many women were suffering from fatigue and health issues in the name of professionalism. Many critics questioned the validity of this “professional dress” rule and asked that businesses rescind the requirement for heels in the workplace. This is still an ongoing dispute. What do you think? Should women be required to wear heels as part of professional dress?

Heels have a weird and interesting history. Most notably is that they were worn by both genders but now are completely catered to women and introduce a huge stigma against men wearing them. Fashion is like that generally. Men and women both wore skirts and many other items of clothing that are “female only” now. It is interesting that a great deal of arguments against men wearing women’s clothing is that it is not normal when, historically, it is. What isn’t “normal” historically is women wearing men’s clothing but we accept that far more easily today. Additionally, the principle of heels as a symbolic reference to power and dominance has not changed too much. Questionnaires constantly reveal that women feel more powerful and confident in heels, despite the lack of physical comfort.

So, it looks like the heel has solidified its meaning from a shoe to keep your feet off dirty and hot floors to a mechanism of power and confidence. What are they for you? Too much hassle or your go-to to feel good?