Head over Heels!!

Before today whenever I saw a woman prancing about in high heels, I used to feel sorry for her, because looking at her I could only think of one thing; the pain and agony that the pair of high heels would be inflicting upon her. But today, I took out the time to Google “high heels” and I found out that a flimsy pair of high heels has made its way through the sands of time, from the pyramids of Egypt to the feet of today’s common woman. The thing that I considered a pain and suffering for women had actually become a vital and necessary fashion accessory, it was no longer considered as a compliment to any outfit but as a wardrobe essential. I found the history of high heels even richer than the history of electricity!

The concept of heels can be traced back to the Egyptian times, where archeologists have found murals from pyramids that date back to 3500 BC. Although during the Egyptian times the lower class or the peasants used to walk bare foot, but it is found that upper class men and women both wore an early version of heels mostly for ceremonies and events. After Egypt, heels made their way into Hellenic times, in ancient Rome and Greece people used to wear platform sandals, known as the “kothorni”. Then came the time of Renaissance, where people wore shoes with high wood or cork soles known as “buskins”, they were mostly worn by actors. The actors of the Renaissance times wore different sizes of heels to show the varying social status and significance of their characters. During the Middle Ages, both the sexes wore “pattens”, which was a lifted shoe attachment which protected expensive shoes from the muddy streets. Chopins were invented in Turkey in the 1400’s, it was an over shoe which resembled the old platform shoe, but they were only worn by women. The length of the chopins ranged from 7 to 30 inches tall! As a result the wearer always required the aid of a walking stick or a servant to help her walk around. Venetians turned the chopins into a status symbol, where the height of the heel symbolized the wearers status in society. But it is Catherine de Medici who is credited with making high heels into an item of fashion. In France by 1580, heels were in fashion for both men and women, the “Louis heels” of King Louis XIV are very famous.

There are many types of heels for women to choose from; there are the pencil heeled stilettos, which give a very elegant look. Another type is a chunky or block heel which is more comfortable than a stiletto and also has a more casual appearance. There is also a cone heel, a spool heel a wedge heel and a kitten heel. After the enlightenment that I got today, I’m sure that now whenever I see a pair of high heels I would never see the suffering and the sting just the millions of faces of the Romans and Egyptians smiling back at me!