High heels: their military roots, biggest fan, and lowest point in fashion
- Ukraine’s order to female soldiers to parade in high heels drew derision, but they have military roots that can be traced back to the 10th century
- Arguably the most famous shoe collection was that of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines, who had almost 3,000 pairs – mostly designer heels
Female soldiers in Ukraine will be forced to march in heels at a military parade in August to mark 30 years of independence since the Soviet Union’s break-up.
Recent photographs circulating online show women practising in their army green camouflage uniforms – and black heels.
The order to march in heels has sparked outrage and mockery, not just in Ukraine but around the world. “It is hard to imagine a more idiotic, harmful idea,” said Inna Sovsun, a member of the Golos party, in a report by Agence France-Presse.
History repeating itself
High heels have military roots that can be traced back to 10th-century Iran (then Persia), when soldiers wore them to help keep their feet in the stirrups when they stood up to fire bows from a charging horse.
Portraits of Louis XIV of France, who took to the throne in 1643 and ruled for 72 years and 110 days, reveal that he was also partial to a pair of pumps.
While he earned the title of Louis the Great, he was not that great in stature (he was just 1.63 metres [5 feet 4 inches] tall). His heels were meant to give him a more intimidating look – the more height, the more powerful.
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The height of power
When protesters stormed Malacanang Palace, the president’s residence in the capital Manila, almost 3,000 pairs of shoes – mostly designer heels – were discovered in Imelda’s vast wardrobe.
Today, hundreds are on show at the Shoe Museum in the city of Marikina, including her favourite pair – black pumps embedded with stones and gold sparkles by Italian shoemaker Beltrami.
Not just fashion statements
A campaign called Walk a Mile in Her Shoes has been held around the world since 2001 to raise awareness about sexual violence. It asks men to literally put themselves in women’s shoes – high heels in this case – as a way to confront gender stereotypes.
Although fashion magazines claim more women are embracing heels after months of lockdown-inspired leisurewear, the issue of heels in the workplace is a contentious one in Japan.
Thousands joined the #KuToo movement, the campaign a play on kutsu, the Japanese word for shoes, and kutsuu for pain.
A low point for high heels
Take June’s news that fashion house Balenciaga has teamed with Crocs to release a high-heeled version of Crocs’ signature clog as part of Balenciaga’s spring 2022 collection. Images of the stilettoed crocs sent social media into a feeding frenzy.
