The Surprising History Of High Heels

Published March 28, 2016

High heels are more than just shoes: they’ve long been symbols of power, for women and men.

High Heels History

Image Source: Lifetime

About 72 percent of women will wear high heels at some point in their lives. While these shoes have become something of a metonym for femininity itself, you might be surprised to learn that the heel didn’t begin as a trend for women at all.

In fact, men wore the shoes first, and for hundreds of years the only women who ever wore elevated heels were courtesans. So how did the shoes eventually end up in practically every woman’s closet?

Abby Norman
Abby Norman is a writer based in New England, currently writing a memoir for Nation Books. Her work has been featured on The Rumpus, The Independent, Cosmopolitan, Medium, Seventeen, Romper, Bustle, and Quartz.