high heels

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
High heels stretch the foot and make the legs appear longer and the feet smaller. Here are pumps with a flat platform sole.
Tango shoes.

As high heels (English for "high heels") is referred shoes high heel have. There is no clear definition of heel height; shoes with a heel height of more than 5 cm are often classified as high heels. This shoe designation therefore is based only on the heel height, and is independent of other characteristics, such as the shank section ( sandal , Deux Piece , Flamenco - Pumps etc.), the shank height ( half-shoe , bootie or boot ), the shank and the sole material or Heel shape (stiletto, also called stiletto or stiletto heel, Louis XV heel, wedge heel, etc.).

history

High heels are a special form of shoes with heels, which in turn have their origin in Persian riding shoes , see the history of the heel shoe . At the beginning of the 20th century, high heels became widespread in the industrialized countries as women’s shoes. One of the prominent women at the time who wore high heels at public events was Marlene Dietrich . High heels became widespread with the advent of platform shoes at the end of the 1960s, which significantly improved wearing comfort. Initially, these platform shoes were worn by both women and men, but this remained a characteristic fad of the 1970s. Since then, high heels have usually only been worn by women.

Definition and measurement of heel height

High heels without platform sole with extremely high stiletto heels.
Shoe- shaped high heels with moderate heel height and wide heel.

As a rule, the term high heels is used synonymously with heel shoe and describes shoes with a heel of more than 5 cm. Shoes with a lower heel are usually not referred to as heel shoes, although they often still have a flat heel . Sometimes high heels explicitly refer to shoes with a very high heel of 10 cm and more. The term heel height is also not clearly defined. The indication of the heel height can refer to the height measured on the side in the middle of the heel, or to the heel height at the rear end of the shoe. Last but not least, the heel height of a shoe model also depends on the shoe size.

High heels without platform sole

If heel shoes do not have a platform sole, the heel height corresponds approximately to the height difference between the forefoot and the rear foot. Most of these shoes have a heel height of up to 9 cm. Exercise makes it possible to walk in a reasonably safe and elegant manner with even higher heels, but mobility is severely restricted and pressure and pain occur immediately. In addition, there are anatomical limits to the heel height: On average, the ankle can be plantar flexed by 40–50 °, which in most cases limits the heel height when walking to 12–13 cm. Ultimately, the heel height is limited to a maximum of 18 cm by the length of the foot - depending on the shoe size. Balletheels can be a little higher, as the ball of the foot is raised here, they are carried standing on tiptoe. Pony boots lack the heel under the heel, resulting in an appearance comparable to ungulates . However, such shoe models do not play a role in everyday life and are more likely to be worn for fetish purposes or for posing .

High heels with platform sole

Most platform shoes are also counted as high heels . A large part of the high heels has a more or less thick platform sole. This reduces the difference in height between the ball of the foot and the heel, so that the shoes are comparatively comfortable to wear despite a high heel. In ordinary shoe stores, platform shoes with a heel height of up to 15 cm are sold. Outwardly, however, the walk in platform shoes usually looks a bit clumsy. In the fetish area, high heels can reach extreme heel heights through extremely thick platform soles. The so-called sky heels from Great Britain with a heel height of 22.5 cm are among the highest high heels in the world. However, there is no upper limit. Some platform shoes have a sole more than 5 cm thick, but no heel . These are not counted as high heels.

effect

When wearing high heels, depending on the heel height, pronounced plantar flexion of the ankles occurs. The consequences are a changed weight distribution between the forefoot and the rear foot and a shift in the center of gravity, so that an upright posture with emphasis on the chest and buttocks results. At the same time, the height also increases and the leg line appears elongated. The feet, on the other hand, appear smaller because the tread area is reduced. This impression is reinforced by gracefully shaped shoes and slim heels. Small feet are generally perceived as attractive to women, and women actually have slightly smaller feet than men in relation to their height. Furthermore, high heels have the effect that a woman's gait is judged to be particularly attractive. The reasons include more movement in the hip area and moving in rather small steps. Other authors see the increased lumbar curvature when wearing high heels as the cause of increased female attractiveness. It was also found that women wearing high heels trigger an increased willingness to help in men, but not in other women.

Health risks

Plantar flexion while wearing high heels.

The strong plantar flexion of the ankles when walking in high heels leads to an unnatural movement of the foot even when the heel is only 4 cm high. Walking in high heels can be learned through practice, but there is generally an overload of the forefoot. In addition to pain, pathological changes in the foot skeleton, muscle overload and shortening as well as lumbar lordosis can result as chronic consequences . The blood flow to the lower extremities is worsened and various orthopedic and vascular-related diseases, in particular hallux valgus , are promoted. The changed center of gravity of the body is compensated by high heel wearers in individually different ways, which is why pain in the neck, lower back or knee area can occur.

There is also the risk of stumbling or twisting (the smaller the step area of ​​the heel, the higher the risk of injury). Recently, at least in the United States, there has been a significant increase in injuries caused by wearing high heels. Young women are most often affected.

distribution

According to today's fashion, high heels are assigned to the female gender. Symbolic representations of an elegant shoe are often high heels. In the fashion world great importance is attached to high heels, they are almost an essential part of catwalk presentations. Very often high heels are also part of erotic representations. In everyday life they are often worn in professional fields with a business dress code , but overall they are reserved for special occasions. Very high high heels with a heel height of more than 10 cm have enjoyed increasing popularity since Sex and the City and the hype surrounding the designers Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin, and the red carpet can no longer be imagined without them. Men sometimes have a need to wear high heels, as is expressed by celebrities like Jorge González , who publicly expresses his desire for high heels and is very popular. The demand for large sizes for men has increased accordingly, but overall, men wearing high heels are still absolute exceptions.

Regional differences can also be seen in the prevalence of high heels; women in Eastern Europe wear them much more frequently than in other countries. Russian women in particular have the not unfounded cliché that they wear high heels in everyday life and in all weathers. In countries like this, the image of a beautiful woman is inextricably linked with high heels. In Western countries, on the other hand, wearing very high heel shoes is often perceived as inappropriate, suggestive or primitive in everyday life.

High heels and feminism

Because of the erotic effect that comes at the price of limited mobility, dangers and pain when wearing them, high heels for feminists of classic character are considered a means of stigmatizing women by men and are therefore generally rejected. Other feminists claim that it is important that women decide freely for themselves which shoes they feel best in, and that there are women who feel elegant in high heels and who choose to wear these uncomfortable shoes of their own free will deceive their own satisfaction. In addition, high heels and the increased body size exude strength and self-confidence - more emancipatory properties. Other sources assume that this type of post-feminism was only seemingly independent of the stigmatization of men. For this reason as well as because wearing high heels represents a form of self-harm, they see the motto “ sneakers instead of high heels” as a feminist achievement of the modern woman.

politics

Although the frequent wearing of high heels is a health hazard, it is expected by some employers for women or is even explicitly prescribed for female employees.

In the UK in 2016, a petition to ban regulations requiring women to wear high heels was signed by over 152,000 people. The subsequent 2017 Commission report concluded that clothing regulations that required women to wear high heels for long periods of time had a negative impact on the health and well-being of women in the short and long term, that discriminatory dress regulations were widespread despite the Equality Act, that workers and employers for this issue should be sensitized and that violations of the law should be sanctioned. In March 2017 the petition was discussed in parliament.

In Japan, the Minister of Labor and Health defended high heels as sometimes necessary and appropriate workwear for women, and thus commented on a petition against high heels in the workplace.

Others

High heels with stiletto heels put a lot of pressure on their surface, which means that some wooden floors, such as parquet in opera houses, have to be replaced regularly due to damage caused by pointed heels. In addition, such heels make a clear noise when walking. Driving in high heels is not prohibited, but wearing unsuitable footwear in the event of an accident can result in partial culpability.

literature

  • Elisabeth Semmelhack: Heights of Fashion - A History of the Elevated Shoe. Periscope Publishing, Toronto 2008, ISBN 9781934772942 .
  • Camilla Morton: How to change a lightbulb in high heels without accidents - The ultimate style bible. Goldmann, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-442-16741-8 .
  • Edward Achey: God Loves High Heels. The Triumphant Spirit of Women Vs. the Crimes and Restraints of Religious Government. iUniverse, 2002, ISBN 0-595-22815-1 .

Web links

Commons : High Heels  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ High heels: it depends on the length! - Infographic ( memento of the original from November 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . hoppingqueen.blogwalk.de. November 12, 2014, accessed June 28, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.blogwalk.de
  2. ↑ M. Voracek, ML Fisher, B. Rupp, D. Lucas, DM Fessler: Sex differences in relative foot length and perceived attractiveness of female feet: relationships among anthropometry, physique, and preference ratings. In: Percept Mot Skills. 2007. doi: 10.2466 / pms.104.4.1123-1138 . PMID 17879647 .
  3. ↑ J. Domjanic, H. Seidler, P. Mitteroecker: A combined morphometric analysis of foot form and its association with sex, stature, and body mass. In: American Journal of physical anthropology. 2015. doi: 10.1002 / ajpa.22752 .
  4. ^ H. Paul, Jenny White, Edward R. Morrison, Kayleigh Fisher: High heels as supernormal stimuli: How wearing high heels affects judgments of female attractiveness. In: Evolution & Human Behavior. 2013. doi: 10.1016 / j.evolhumbehav.2012.11.006 .
  5. ^ Lewis et al .: Why Women Wear High Heels: Evolution, Lumbar Curvature, and Attractiveness In: Evolution & Human Behavior. 2017. doi: 10.3389 / fpsyg.2017.01875 .
  6. ↑ N. Gueguen: High Heels Increase Women's Attractiveness. In: Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2014. doi: 10.1007 / s10508-014-0422-z .
  7. ↑ C. Wang, X. Geng, S. Wang, X. Ma, X. Wang, J. Huang, C. Zhang, L. Chen, J. Yang, J. Li, K. Wang: The impact of high- heeled shoes on ankle complex during walking in young women-In vivo kinematic study based on 3D to 2D registration technique. In: J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2016. doi: 10.1016 / j.jelekin.2016.01.005 . PMID 26970876 .
  8. ^ M Dai, X. Li, X. Zhou, Y. Hu, Q. Luo, S. Zhou: High-heeled-related alterations in the static sagittal profile of the spino-pelvic structure in young women. In: Eur Spine J. 2015. doi: 10.1007 / s00586-015-3857-6 . PMID 25753007 .
  9. ↑ MS Barnish, J. Barnish: High-heeled shoes and musculoskeletal injuries: a narrative systematic review. In: BMJ Open. 2016. doi: 10.1136 / bmjopen-2015-010053 . PMID 26769789 .
  10. ↑ Dewi S Soemarko et al .: Hallux valgus among sales promotion women wearing high heels in a department store. In: Journal of Orthopedic Surgery. 2019. doi: 10.1177 / 2309499019828456 .
  11. ↑ T. Weitkunat, FM Buck, T. Jentzsch, HP Simmen, CM Werner, G. Oster Hoff: Influence of high-heeled shoes on the sagittal balance of the spine and the whole body. In: Eur Spine J. 2016. doi: 10.1007 / s00586-016-4621-2 . PMID 27206516 .
  12. ↑ JX Moore, B. Lambert, GP Jenkins, McGwin G Jr .: Epidemiology of High-Heel Shoe Injuries in US Women: 2002 to 2012. In: J Foot Ankle Surg. 2015. doi: 10.1053 / j.jfas.2015.04.008 . PMID 25977152 .
  13. ↑ hague6185.wordpress.com
  14. ↑ themoscowtimes.com
  15. ↑ Charlotte Raven: A feminist in high heels is like Dawkins in a rosary. ( Memento of the original from August 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. feministtimes.com. December 9, 2013, accessed June 27, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.feministtimes.com
  16. ↑ Hadley Freeman: Can a feminist wear high heels? In: The Guardian . January 28, 2013, accessed June 28, 2016.
  17. ↑ Anja Kühne: Emancipation. Ascent in high heels. In: Der Tagesspiegel . August 24, 2010, accessed June 27, 2016.
  18. ↑ HELL IS HERE - and everyone is watching. med-etc.com. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  19. ↑ Sneakers instead of high heels - a feminist achievement? meltemtoprak.de. May 13, 2013, accessed June 27, 2016.
  20. ↑ High heels and workplace dress codes: urgent action needed. In: 222.parliament.co.uk. January 25, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2019 .
  21. ↑ a b Women should continue to stumble at work - says the minister. In: Spiegel online. June 5, 2019, accessed June 12, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Flip-flops or high heels: Allowed when driving? T-online.de . September 14, 2012, accessed June 28, 2016.