High-heeled shoe

"High Heels" redirects here. For other uses, see High Heels (disambiguation).

A pair of high-heeled shoes

High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels, are a type of shoe with an upward-angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wearer appear taller, and accentuate the calf muscle.[1]

There are many types of high heels in varying styles, heights, and materials. High heels have been used in various ways to convey nationality, professional affiliation, gender, and social status. High heels have been an important statement piece of fashion for centuries in the West.[2]

High heels spread from equestrian origins with the 10th century Persian galesh to wider fashion use. In early 17th-century Europe, high heels were a sign of masculinity and high social status. Towards the end of the century, the trend began to spread to women's fashion.[3] By the 18th century, high-heeled shoes had split along gender lines. By this time, heels for men were chunky squares attached to riding boots or tall formal dress boots, while women's high heels were narrow, pointy, and often attached to slipper-like dress shoes (similar to modern heels).[3] By the 20th century, high heels with a slim profile represented femininity; however, a thick high heel on a boot or clog was still socially acceptable for men.[2] Until the 1950s, shoe heels were typically made of wood, but in recent years they have been made of a variety of materials including leather, suede, and plastic.[4]

Wearing high heels is associated with greater risk of falls,[5] musculoskeletal pain,[6] development of foot deformities,[6][7] and varicose veins.[8]

  1. ^ Han, Dongwook (2015). "Muscle activation of paraspinal muscles in different types of high heels during standing". Journal of Physical Therapy Science. 27 (1): 67–69. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.67. PMC 4305600. PMID 25642040.
  2. ^ a b Reilly, Andrew; Barry, Ben (2020). Crossing Gender Boundaries: Fashion to Create, Disrupt and Transcend. Intellect Books. pp. 98–. ISBN 978-1-78938-115-3.
  3. ^ a b "Standing TALL: The Curious History of Men in Heels". Google Arts and Culture. Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada. 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. ^ "BBC Radio 4 – Radio 4 in Four – Nine show-stopping facts about high heels". BBC. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  5. ^ Ravindra S. Goonetilleke (6 November 2012). The Science of Footwear. CRC Press. pp. 542–. ISBN 978-1-4398-3569-2.
  6. ^ a b Barnish, MS; Barnish, J (13 January 2016). "High-heeled shoes and musculoskeletal injuries: a narrative systematic review". BMJ Open. 6 (1): e010053. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010053. PMC 4735171. PMID 26769789.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference design was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Tedeschi Filho, Wagner; Dezzotti, Nei R.A.; Joviliano, Edvaldo E.; Moriya, Takachi; Piccinato, Carlos Eli (October 2012). "Influence of high-heeled shoes on venous function in young women". Journal of Vascular Surgery. 56 (4): 1039–1044. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2012.01.039. PMID 22483354.