Men's Aversion to Heels: Unraveling the Reasons Behind Their Discontinuation
Rewritten Article:
Title: The Evolution of Heels: From Warhorses to Runways
Stepping out of the norm, male fashion during Paris Fashion Week recently featured men donning heels. From Vivienne Westwood's pumps to Jaden Smith's chunky loafers, this shift might seem revolutionary, but it's a distant echo of a time when high-heels were a standard for men, symbolizing power and status.
Dating back to the affluent wardrobes of the 17th century, women favored high-heels for their ability to make feet appear smaller and daintier. However, prior to this popularity, heels were exclusively worn by men, signifying virility and class.
In the 1970s and '80s, towering heels were mainly confined to the glam rock stage, while men who yearned for additional height often relied on secretly inserted shoe inserts. Today, exceptions on red carpets and runways are viewed as defying gender norms, such as Rick Owens’ platform boots or Jared Leto's flamboyant heels. Yet, limitations endure: brands offering extended sizing are few, as seen when Billy Porter released a gender-inclusive heels collection with Jimmy Choo in 2021.
Heights beyond average are still generally considered attractive, leading some men to misrepresent their heights on dating apps or undergo extreme leg-lengthening surgeries. Yet the question remains: why aren't heels universally embraced across genders?
Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, explains that the Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries played a significant role in shaping societal attitudes towards gender. During this period, philosophers began to unite men of varying socio-economic backgrounds, but simultaneously widened the divide between men and women, with men seen as active and in control, while women were perceived as decorative.
Semmelhack's research traces heels back to the 10th century in Western Asia, originating as a means to help horse riders secure their shoes in the stirrups. Heels signified status from their inception, but it took centuries before they became European imports. Through trade with Persia during the 16th century, heels made their way to Europe, associated with masculinity and equestrianism.
In the 17th century, wealthy European men wore stacked leather and leather-covered heels for pure practicality and lavishness, respectively. Leather-covered heels eventually transitioned to women's wear, resulting in today's stilettos and kitten heels. Stacked leather is still popular in cowboy boots and dress shoes, a testament to their earlier prevalence among men.
Hyacinthe Rigaud's state portrait of Louis XIV in 1701 offers one of the most famous depictions of ornate heels for men, worn by the king as a symbol of royal status. Red heels were a status symbol reserved for a select group of nobles, representing opulence and power. Generations later, fashion designers like Christian Louboutin would capitalize on the appeal of red soles, marketed as a symbol of luxury.
Despite the attributes associated with male height today, heels, initially, did not occupy this space. High heels emerged as a tool within women's fashion to give the illusion of smaller feet. As they became standard for women, heels remained confined to the feminine realm. However, men's heels disappeared from fashion by the end of the 18th century, as Western masculine dress underwent a sober retracement.
Men's shoe heels remained residually practical, while women's heel heights were laden with complex social and political implications with every additional half-inch. Heels remain emblematic of femininity and female desirability, but the taboo persists. Many heeled styles viewed as daring for men, such as Rick Owens’ platform boots, are not fundamentally feminine, Semmelhack suggests. She questions whether these styles represent a gender-bending phenomenon or the reclamation of historical male fashions.
- The evolution of heel fashion in Paris Fashion Week saw an actor like Jared Leto donning flamboyant heels, subverting the traditional norms of virility, much like how high-heels originally symbolized masculinity and status in the 17th century.
- Just as male fashion models dodged societal expectations by strutting down runways in heels, some contemporary men also flout conventions by misrepresenting their heights on dating apps or undergoing extreme leg-lengthening surgeries, aiming to attain heights considered attractive, like men of the affluent wardrobes of the past.
- The shift towards male fashion embracing heels witnessed during Paris Fashion Week is a distant echo of a time when heels signified virility and class, hence, style-conscious men today like Jaden Smith exploring fashionable footwear options like chunky loafers could also be seen as likewise exploring their own notions of masculinity and virility, echoing the past while challenging gender norms.
