
Why did men stop wearing high heels? - jamesjyu
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21151350
======
pg
They didn't. This is what cool people were wearing when I was a kid:

[http://www.etsy.com/listing/113052867/vintage-
mens-1970s-dex...](http://www.etsy.com/listing/113052867/vintage-
mens-1970s-dexter-genuine)

~~~
anigbrowl
Those are platforms rather than high heels. If you take away the thick sole
(ie make it the same thickness as under the instep) and reduce the heel by the
same amount, it's not that high relative to current norms.

Also, consider that while platforms were fashionable in the US during the
disco era, this is a BBC article. They didn't catch on over in Europe at all.
Thinking of 70s movies, I'm not sure that platforms were even that popular
outside of the youth culture, and the disco culture at that, whereas high
heels are ubiquitous among adult women of all ages except the very old who are
unable to wear them in comfort.

~~~
guelo
They look to have as much relative heel as today's men's dress up shoes.

------
pestaa
My girlfriend sometimes asks me why impractical and uncomfortable shoes
dominate the markets; why can't they make simple and useful ones that men
wear? I've always speculated it was simply demand & supply.

Now I know it is the great legacy of our male aristocrat ancestors. What a
joke.

Though, she makes a much better impression on me than Louis XIV ever could.

~~~
thisone
I feel for her. I recently tried to find good looking but practical (ie can
walk 4 miles in) shoes.

Yes I found a couple of pairs, all over £130, and all out of stock in my,
normal, size.

I would have paid that much, if only they had them in stock!

~~~
pestaa
Ah yes. Combine that with the fact that her foot size is EU 35. Conversion
table: <http://www.i18nguy.com/l10n/shoes.html#adult>

In other words, it is the smallest foot size registered for adults.
Practically non-existent, as it is too small for adults and too big for kids.

A very effective filter for a full shoe store to be boiled down to 1-2 pairs
immediately.

~~~
undergroundhero
My girlfriend has the exact same shoe size (5 in the US). She buys all of her
shoes from Chinese companies on Ebay, as they always seem to have her size in
stock. I have no idea if there are regional foot size differences, but
shopping online may be a solution.

~~~
snogglethorpe
Haha, I used to have a Chinese couple as flatmates, and the woman had horrible
problems buying clothes in the U.S.; at most stores the only clothes which fit
were those in the kids' department, which obviously often proved problematic
when trying to dress for work, etc!

[I currently live in Japan, and although my feet are only medium in the U.S.,
I have a lot of problems buying shoes that are big enough here ... they
_exist_ , but it's usually the case that if I just choose something I like,
the store doesn't stock it or has run out (typically they only get a few pairs
of "fringe" sizes). I either have to buy only the most boring and standard
shoes (which they sell in large enough numbers to justify carrying fringe
sizes) or have to be on a constant lookout for new shipments. As a result, I
really hate buying shoes, and often end up wearing them into the ground,
getting my feet wet through the holes in my soles when it rains.... TT ]

------
Mz
Without bothering to read the article: High heels were invented to help with
stirrups while horseriding. Cowboy boots still have them. If most modern men
do not wear them, it might be because they drive cars rather than ride horses.

~~~
azernik
With reading the article:

Actually, they went out of fashion even earlier. The Persians invented them
for horseback riding, and then European aristocracy adopted them to look
macho; they increased the height until they got impractical, though. Female
aristocracy then adopted them during a trend toward male features in women's
fashion in the 17th century.

Then in the Enlightenment, men's fashion took a turn for the practical and
sober (Man is Rational!) while women's clothing kept the old ostentatiousness
(Woman is Emotional and Sentimental!) - including the heels. So by about
1740-60, men's heels had gone definitively out of fashion, while women kept
wearing them.

~~~
russellallen
I'd place a big Citation Needed next to the whole Enlightenment = Sober
clothing thing. Sounds like a big oversimplification. Sure there was a
reaction to baroque excess but placing it at the foot o the Enlightenment is a
bit just-so-story for my tastes.

~~~
tomwalker
I do not have a citation to hand but during the Victorian era in the UK there
was a shift due to changes in the class system.

Industrialisation and international commerce led to a new type of self made
wealthy business man.

Before then, the super rich inherited their fortune. The established upper
class were known for their impracticality to show that they did not have to
work - being pale skinned to highlight that they did not labour outside,
extravagant clothing to highlight their status, frills etc.

These new self made business men, such as factory owners, were proud of their
new status but wanted to distance themselves from inherited wealth. They stuck
to practical, but finely made, clothing.

~~~
russellallen
Oh agreed, there was a sense in Victorian men's fashion of prudence, restraint
etc (while showing your status by quality of fabrics and cut etc). There were
similar fashions in Dutch Golden Age and the Puritans. But that's not the same
as the Enlightenment...

------
incision
I'm confused...

Most men's shoes have a raised heel. If you spend time wearing intentionally
flat shoes for weightlifting or similar it can be quite awkward to put on a
"normal" pair of shoes.

~~~
_delirium
It's common to have a low-rise heel, but heels >2" on men's shoes are pretty
uncommon.

------
cdrxndr
Arguably a little off topic, but it struck me that Louis XIV had a well known
"trademark" of always wearing contrasting red soles and heels, and that this
was even historically notable since he "protected" his trademark by not
allowing people out of his court to wear them. _And still_ Christian Louboutin
has won the right in the US to a legally granted monopoly on contrasting red-
soled shoes?

Slapped down: [http://nymag.com/fashion/11/fall/christian-louboutin-red-
sol...](http://nymag.com/fashion/11/fall/christian-louboutin-red-soles/)

Wins on appeal: [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/nyregion/court-rules-
loubo...](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/nyregion/court-rules-louboutin-
can-enforce-a-trademark-on-its-red-outsoles.html)

I just can't get over the fact that a private company owns the trademark right
to contrast red soles on high heels ... Louis, back me up.

------
bane
I don't think that we did in high-end shoes. Any window shopper looking into a
modern day high-end shoe store will see plenty of shoes with heels. It's just
that the current fashion is to make them a bit lower. Plus when fashion
dictates trouser length to be long, it keeps the trouser bottoms from getting
dirty.

[https://www.google.com/search?q=fine+mens+shoes&hl=en...](https://www.google.com/search?q=fine+mens+shoes&hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=TrINUfT-
IrK40AHXroHADg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAA&biw=1120&bih=643)

also see many forms of men's dancing shoes

------
jseifer
I'm reasonably sure this HN submission came from a discussion on the latest
Geek Friday (<http://5by5.tv/geekfriday/59>). I say this because someone
posted the article to the Google+ group
([https://plus.google.com/107635569257603441624/posts/HmNguCkZ...](https://plus.google.com/107635569257603441624/posts/HmNguCkZoiS))
and then it wound up here. It's a pretty interesting article, though I still
think heels and wedge shoes are, at this point, an elaborate prank.

------
fauigerzigerk
It's intersting that men were the ones who picked up Persian fashion first.
Nowadays, men's clothing is utterly boring. The small men's section is mostly
located in the basement or on the top floor of department stores, and what you
find there is basically two or three kinds of uniforms.

------
xijuan
Somehow, I wish men could still wear high heels now. Then woman may not prefer
tall men so much.

~~~
StavrosK
What makes you think tall men won't wear high heels?

------
martinced
The question is: "Why are women still wearing them?"

TFA talks about it a bit but, basically, it's sexier because of the curves it
gives to the women wearing them (I apologize for being rude here but it gives
them what many men consider a nicer looking ass). But IMHO it only started to
make sense once women started to dress with fit/slim clothes. Which may be
related what TFA mentions: that when they first started appearing regularly it
was on nude or kinky postcards in the late 19th century.

Why do male like them, because, from TFA:

 _natural courting pose found amongst mammals, with an arched back and
protruding buttocks_

~~~
jamestc
That's weird. I didn't think humans were susceptible to "natural courting
poses". Is there any scientific literature on this that isn't based purely on
speculation?

~~~
ChuckMcM
There is lots of literature in psychology and in design (makes you see a
Ferrari in a whole new light). It was the only interesting part in my freshman
psyche class at USC.

------
fakeer
Because not wearing them is not stupid and and not painful either. I am sure
about the latter, BTW.

