|
High-heeled shoes are shoes where the heel of the wearer's foot is raised to be significantly higher than their toes. Note that if both the heel and toes are raised, the shoe is generally not regarded as high-heeled, but as a platform shoe. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1290x882, 220 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Womens shoes on display in a shop window, July 2005 A shoe is an item of footwear. ...
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. ...
This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
Toes are the digits of the foot of a human or animal. ...
Platform shoes are shoes, boots, or sandals with thick soles, often made of cork, plastic, rubber, or wood (wooden-soled platform shoes are technically also clogs), generally worn strictly for fashion, and/or added height. ...
Generally, this style is mostly restricted to women's footwear, with the exception of some men's footwear, such as cowboy boots and cuban heel dance shoes. However, there have been several periods when high-heeled shoes were commonly worn by some men--for example, amongst the aristocracy in 17th century France and during a resurgence of men's high heels in the 1970's. During recent years, and to a lesser extent, some men throughout the western world have chosen to wear high-heeled shoes and boots for a variety of reasons, most notably simply for their preference of fashion. Women are typically expected to wear high heels in many formal occasions, often when a dress is also expected. Cowboy boots are boots worn by cowboys. ...
A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped womens garment which hangs from the waist and covers the legs. ...
Some general conventions about high-heeled shoes include:
- they change the posture of the wearer to show off their calves
- they make the wearer appear taller
- they emphasize the female walking gait
- they make the sole of the foot visible, a strong sexual sign (see shoe dangling)
- the spike of the heel is a powerful phallic symbol
Other associations with high heels are more masochistic, in that: Phallic symbols are forms or concepts considered to be representations of the penis (or phallus) and the fertility and cultural implications that are associated with the male sexual organ. ...
Flogging demonstration at Folsom Street Fair 2004. ...
- high heels are often painful to wear, particularly for long periods
- they shorten the stride of the wearer
- they make the wearer less able to run, and hence more vulnerable
- they can damage the wearer's feet and tendons when worn over long periods (see below)
- as the height of high-heeled shoes increases, they become progressively more difficult (and risky) to walk in; tripping is much more likely in high-heeled shoes, and has a greatly increased risk of damaging the wearer's ankles
As a result of these conflicting factors, many women have a love/hate relationship with high-heeled shoes. This does not stop a significant proportion of women from owning many pairs of high heels. A small proportion of women seem to be obsessed with high heels; for example, Imelda Marcos was famous for having a vast collection of high-heeled shoes. Some feminists, however, feel that high-heeled shoes are a tool of female oppression by males, constraining their movements and behaviour as much as possible. Among more common popular culture, it is worth noting that high-heeled shoes have recently been falling out of favor; progressively fewer women are wearing them and those who do are wearing them progressively less often, opting instead for the more comfortable flats or platform shoes. Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (born July 2, 1929 in Tacloban City) is the former First Lady and a political figure in the Philippines. ...
Feminism is a diverse collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerning the experiences of women, especially in terms of their social, political, and economic situation. ...
Some extremely high-heeled shoes, with 5" or even 6" heels, are effectively only worn for display, typically for the benefit of shoe fetishists (and presumably, indirectly, that of the wearer). High heel shoes also have a habit of having the heel fall within confined spaces too small for flat-soled shoes (i.e. drains and cracks), and the heel could snap under too much pressure. Similarly, if wearing high-heeled shoes, avoid wet surfaces like mud because the heel can sink and stick, causing the wearer to lose balance and fall, breaking or spraining an ankle--or worse. Shoe fetishism, also known as retifism, involves being irrationally or abnormally fixated on shoes or other footwear to the extent it may interfere with sexual expression. ...
Foot and tendon problems Because high-heeled shoes put the foot into a toes-down position for long periods, they tend to compress the Achilles tendon, thus, over extended periods resulting in the tendon shortening. This can cause problems in wearers when walking without high heels, until their Achilles tendon can slowly re-stretch to a normal length after a long period of reduced wearing of high heels. The best solution to avoid this problem is, perhaps obviously, not wearing high heels. However, if one chooses to continue risking potential long-term damage, the least harmful course of action involves moderating the wearing of high heels and ensuring that the wearer spends no less than one third of the time either barefoot or wearing flats, running, or cross-training shoes. Posterior view of the foot and leg, showing the Achilles tendon (tendo calcaneus). ...
The stress of wearing decorative shoes can have less than decorative results on the feet, in particular in the form of corns and blisters on the toes, sole, and heel of the foot. Ensuring that one's toes are not deformed during wear is the best remedy, mainly by providing for a sufficiently-sized toe box to allow the toes to assume a reasonably normal position.
Finally, the weight of the body will tend to push the toes downward into the shoe. If the shoe is narrow at the toes, this will force the toes together, damaging the foot over prolonged periods of wear. Several celebrities, such as Victoria Beckham, have come to the point where surgery is needed to recover from the damages caused by wearing high heels too often. Again, ensuring sufficient room for the toes to assume a reasonably normal position, along with ensuring a reasonable amount of time out of high heels, allows the body to repair any damage caused by high heels, and to recover to a sufficiently healthy point where high-heel wear continues to be an option, rather than the beginning of the end. Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline Beckham (born Victoria Adams, April 17th 1974) is a British popular music singer, who first came to prominence as a member of girl band the Spice Girls. ...
See also The stiletto heel can be found on some high-heeled shoes and boots. ...
This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...
Foot fetishism is a pronounced fetishistic sexual interest in human feet. ...
Shoe fetishism, also known as retifism, involves being irrationally or abnormally fixated on shoes or other footwear to the extent it may interfere with sexual expression. ...
The bottom view of bound feet of an adult woman. ...
External links |
Feeds |
Contact