Men Were First to Wear High Heels so Why Did They Stop Wearing Them?
Heels weren’t originally for women.
In today’s world, high heels are deemed as the epitome of female fashion. It was not always like this. Let’s dig into a quick interesting history:
Origins and purpose
Having origins from Persia, high heels were manufactured for men between the tenth and fifteen centuries. Artisans designed heeled shoes for Persian cavalry to gain better stability in battle.
Heeled shoes began getting associated with male nobility, making their way gradually to Europe in 1599 through the Persian delegation, who needed European support against the Ottomans.
When the delegation arrived in the European courts, the European elite noticed their shoes that were inches long. Without thinking any further, the Lords took up the fashion as a symbol of wealth, deeming it another way of rubbing off their status over inferiors.
Status was not the only thing that clouded the mind of aristocratic men back then, but they needed to impress the women of court too. By adding up to four inches to their heels, the men were keen to show off their proportioned legs.
