We all know shoes are a useful technology -- they protect feet from the environment. But the styles we choose show a clear gender division, particularly high-heeled shoes as the quintessential feminine shoes. In fact, in surveys, when asked to place types of shoes into categories, the majority of respondents (aged 18-70) placed only high-heeled styles into the "feminine and sexy" category. The reason high-heeled shoes are seen as more "feminine" than any other style is that, physically, they throw the body into a posture that accentuates curves and causes a woman to, in essence, strike a pose. Anatomically her center of gravity has been displaced forward. This causes her lower back to arch and her chest to thrust forward. Her spine and legs seem lengthened, her calves and ankles appear shapelier, and her arches seem to heave out of her shoes.

The body posture this produces (chest and rear-end sticking out) is the typical female form with curves in "all the right places." But why is this body one that is desirable in women and not in men? This displacement of the natural posture of the body not only makes it difficult to move around but it causes an assortment of health problems concerning the feet, knees, hips, and back. So why is the look of physical vulnerability (achieved in part by high-heeled shoes) experienced as sexy? Would uncomfortable, high-heeled shoes ever be deemed the quintessential masculine shoes? What makes comfort sexy on men but not on women?

Suggested Readings:
Kaiser, Susan. The Social Psychology of Clothing New York: Macmillan. 1985.

Kunzle, David. Fashion and Fetishism. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield. 1982.

Reilly, Maureen. Hot Shoes: 100 Years. Atglen, PA: Schiffer. 1998.

Steele, Valerie. Shoes: A Lexicon of Style. New York: Rizzoli. 1999.

Strange, Carolyn J. "Kick Off Your Heels.” OnHealth with WebMD. 25 Jan. 2000. 10 Dec. 2000. http://onhealth.webmd.com/women/columnist/item%2C25585.asp