11 surprising facts about high heels
Life without high heels would be much grimmer. Despite the sometimes sky-high heights, many women wear them with pleasure and cannot imagine leaving the house without wearing them. No wonder! These shoes perfectly emphasize feminine shapes and add that "something" to every styling. In this article, we looked at the most intriguing facts about high heels. Check which of them will surprise you the most!
#1 Initially, high heels were reserved only for... men
You may find it hard to believe, but in the 10th century, high-heeled shoes were worn only by men. They were originally designed with Persian mounted warriors in mind. High heels prevented the feet from slipping out of the stirrups while riding a horse and helped maintain stability during fights.
Over time, European aristocrats noticed this trend and began to treat it as a reflection of social status. High heels were proudly worn by, among others, King Louis XIV. This fashion was extremely popular among men until the 17th century.
#2 Protection against waste
Interestingly, a hundred years later, high heels were no longer reserved only for the elite. They were also loved by the working class, who wore these shoes to... protect themselves against pollution and waste ubiquitous on the roads. Thanks to this, clothes did not require comprehensive refreshment after a walk through the city streets.
In the 16th century, decisions were made to regulate the height of heels to clearly distinguish between different classes. Commoners of that time could wear shoes with a maximum height of 1.2 cm, while the nobility and aristocracy could afford a 6.3 cm heel.
#3 The first woman in high heels
The first woman to appear in public in high heels was Catherine de Medici, the Queen of France. She wore them in 1955 for her wedding to Henry de Valois - the Duke of Orleans. This was her way of hiding her short stature. The French queen undoubtedly popularized this trend among women, and she willingly wore spikes every day, which - in her opinion - symbolized her authority and feminine strength.
#4 Heel thickness and gender
Over time, high heels have become more popular among women. In order to distinguish models intended for women from men, a division was introduced according to heel thickness. Thin high heels then became an attribute of the fair sex, and thicker heels were assigned to men.
#5 Temptation coming from the devil
When the Age of Enlightenment began in Europe, high-heeled shoes began to be perceived as a kind of women's whim. Men then strived to use rational solutions. Therefore, they started wearing simple clothes and completely abandoned heels. In turn, women wearing these shoes - due to the emergence of new denominations and religious beliefs - supposedly reflected the temptation coming from the devil.
#6 Time for a break
In 1800, the world - and with it fashion - began to become more and more conservative. Instead of high heels, women chose low-heeled leather shoes resembling men's shoes. After the French Revolution, high-top shoes almost practically disappeared from the streets. It took several more decades for heels to come back into the salons.
#7 Sighing for posters
During World War II, soldiers admired posters featuring fashionable models pin-up girl, who always wore eye-catching high heels. This inspired young American women who started wearing them not only for larger occasions. A real challenge for many of them was learning to dance in high heels!
#8 First pin
The pin as we know it today was not invented until 1950. Until then, heels were made of wood. Currently, a variety of materials are used for their production. Interestingly, in Italian the word pin (stiletto) means knife or dagger.
#9 Feminist rebellion
In 1968, a mass protest by feminists took place during the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. To end the restriction of freedom, women began to throw away hair curlers, bras and... high-heeled shoes.
#10 Optical illusion
Fortunately, women have not completely given up wearing high heels, and they love the optical illusion created by these shoes even more. After all, in such shoes the back almost automatically straightens and the chest is gently pushed forward. All this - along with adding a few or even a dozen or so centimeters of height - makes the entire figure appear slimmer and slimmer.
#11 Guinness pin records
21.95. That's how many seconds it took Jill Stamison to run 150 meters in high heels. The American achieved this in 2008 during the broadcast of the breakfast program "Live! with Regis and Kelly".
According to the Guinness Book, the tallest high-heeled shoe is almost... 4 meters. It was created in April 2019 by Tunisian shoemakers to highlight their craftsmanship and competence and celebrate the popularity of the footwear industry in the city of Safakis.