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Chopines, or platform shoes, were created in Turkey in the 1400s, and were popular throughout Europe until the mid-1600s
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She felt insecure in the arranged marriage knowing she would be the Queen of the French Court and in competition with the Duke’s favorite (and significantly taller) mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Looking for a way to dazzle the French nation and compensate for her perceived lack of aesthetic appeal, she donned heels two inches high that gave her a more towering physique and an alluring sway when she walked. Her heels were a wild success and soon high heels were associated with privilege.
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By 1580, fashionable heels were popular for both sexes, and a person who had authority or wealth was often referred to as “well-heeled.”
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The English Parliament punished all women who used heels to seduce men into marrying them and even tried them as witches. In the New World, The Massachusetts Colony passed a law banning excess in booties.
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King Louis XIV of France passed a law stipulating that only those who were granted access to his court were allowed to wear red coloured heels. Red heels still signify wealth & privilege –
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Madame de Pompadour popularizes high narrow 'pompadour' heels. Ladies taped their feet to make it look smaller and faint.
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Heels disappear during the French revolution. Napoleon bans them in order to show equality- since the heel is something associated with the rich, many people don't want to wear them. Marie Antoinette goes to the scaffold wearing 2 inch heels, a trend towards lowering heel begin.
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Heels come back. The invention of the sewing machine allows for greater variety of heels. Like corsets, heels were claimed to have been harmless but beneficial advertisers say that they elevate greater back pain, prevent stooping, and make walking less tiring.
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Shoes began to be mass manufacturers. Shorter hemlines allowed for higher heels. Footwear is now an essential fashion accessory. Strapped shoes called Mary Janes and T-bar shoes are very popular.
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The revival of Western high fashion is led by fashion desighner Christian Dior and his collaboration with shoe designer Roger Vivier. Together they developed stilletos.
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Plantform shoes became extremely popular. Men and women dress to shock. Often wearing platform shoes reminiscent of the ancient kothorni with psychedelic swirls and colors
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Higher heels make a comeback. Feminists argue that fashion challenges the cultural meaning. Women claim they wear high heels for themselves, not men, and that heels give them power and authority. Designers began to make huge influences on the catwalk
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Well shaped legs legs became more of an asset, now more than ever. Thus shoe choices are now available.Fashion icons dress to impess often wearing shocking designs. Somewomen undergo surgery to have their feet fit better into heels and certain gyms offered stiletto stretches, classes that strengthen women's legs and calves showing how essential heels are in the 21st century.
