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A Sign Of Social Status
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, aristocratic men and women wore high-heeled shoes, as an indicator of fashion and social status. Madame de Pompadour also popularized ‘pompadour heels’ for court ladies, which were high but very small and narrow. The French Revolution marked a turning point, however, and by 1800 high heels were out of fashion. Napoleon actually banned heels due to their association with aristocracy. Flat slippers and sandals become popular at this time -
High Heels Become Accessible to the Masses
High heels didn't return until the late nineteenth century, when industrialization led to a greater variety in clothing so that ‘high fashion’ was now available to everyone, and heels were almost exclusively worn by women. Heels gradually grew taller until the 1920s, but then grew shorter again during the austerity periods of the 1930s and 40s. In the 1950s they become more feminine but less practical stiletto heels came into fashion. -
Causing Quite the Stir
In the late twentieth century high heels have been controversial. Feminists in the 1970s argued heels oppressed and stereotyped women, but by the 1980s and after women were still choosing to wear heels. High heels continue to be an indispensable fashion item in the 21st century.