Today, when someone asks where high heels first began, they might reply, ‘oh, in New York on the great Fashion Week runways.’ Although this may be true for the heels of Prada, Gianni Bini, Gucci, or Chanel, it is not where high heels originally came from. High heels were first introduced in China as platform shoes worn by butchers. The height of the shoes kept the feet from being touched by unclean substances. These shoes then had layers added o them, making them a height of thirty inches. The thirty inch heels were then called chopines. Not only did the height of these shoes show status, they were also given to wives, hoping that the new and cumbersome height would make it difficult to sneak around, preventing affairs.
Later, and after the Middle Ages, high heels were being used by horse back riders, though the heel had been shrunken to a small one and a half inch to two inch heels. These were said to better grip the stirrups, giving a better ride. High heels were worn by both men and women, but made fashionable by queens. The first queen to wear high heels did so because her husband’s, the King, mistress was very tall and she wanted to eliminate this ‘competition.’
Entering the 17th Century, high heels became associated with witchcraft and the ‘art of seducing.’ This was not an uncommon thought as high heels had, previously in time, been the mark of prostitutes. For a good stretch of history, heels disappeared altogether, the cause: banishment. Napoleon found they gave a feeling of inequality and they slowly shrunk to just a small slip of leather inserted into the sole of a shoe. Not much of a ‘lift’, if you’ll excuse my pun.
High heels entered America in the 19th century, imported from French brothels. High heels have continued to grow, the availability and variety spreading. They have gone from platforms to pumps, wedges to spikes, short to thin, and more. They are now more popular than ever, being worn by everyone, ages ranging from five years to one hundred years.
Later, and after the Middle Ages, high heels were being used by horse back riders, though the heel had been shrunken to a small one and a half inch to two inch heels. These were said to better grip the stirrups, giving a better ride. High heels were worn by both men and women, but made fashionable by queens. The first queen to wear high heels did so because her husband’s, the King, mistress was very tall and she wanted to eliminate this ‘competition.’
Entering the 17th Century, high heels became associated with witchcraft and the ‘art of seducing.’ This was not an uncommon thought as high heels had, previously in time, been the mark of prostitutes. For a good stretch of history, heels disappeared altogether, the cause: banishment. Napoleon found they gave a feeling of inequality and they slowly shrunk to just a small slip of leather inserted into the sole of a shoe. Not much of a ‘lift’, if you’ll excuse my pun.
High heels entered America in the 19th century, imported from French brothels. High heels have continued to grow, the availability and variety spreading. They have gone from platforms to pumps, wedges to spikes, short to thin, and more. They are now more popular than ever, being worn by everyone, ages ranging from five years to one hundred years.
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