History of Shoe Fashions

Evidence reveals that shoes were one of the first things made by primitive ancestors during the Ice Age some five million years ago. Early footwear was made from animal skin, which was effective in protecting their feet from the jagged rocks, and rugged terrain over which they traversed in pursuit of food and shelter.

Then came the sandal, whose early form was just a simple piece of plaited grass or rawhide strapped to the feet. The Egyptians beautifully and artistically made sandals from plaited papyrus leaves. The Greeks stressed design and beauty, while the Romans devised a military type of sandal that enabled their legions to travel on foot throughout their empire.

During the medieval age, fashion started to dictate some curious designs that did not make walking easy. The 'cracowes', famous for their long tapering points, eventually became so long that it made walking virtually impossible. Its successors, the duckbill shoes were so wide and flat that they too created severe problems.

By the 16th century, women in Florence were wearing platform shoes known as chopines. Originating either in the east or some say Spain, the chopines were worn by women to increase their height. According to Cameron Kippen from the Department of Podiatry at Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Western Australia, "The chopines were often 24 inches off the ground so ladies had to be escorted through the streets." Some historians believe that these were later modified to become high-heeled shoes.

Satin pumps with high spoon heels and pointed toes became fashionable for women in the early 18th century. Toes were rounded and the heels lowered. By the last years of the century, low cut slippers replaced high heel pumps.

Day shoes of the early 19th century were typically boots. Evening shoes were usually court shoes with a small, Louis heel, which were often embellished with embroidery or metallic thread and glass or jet beading on the toes-often the only part peeking out from a voluminous skirt.

During the 20th century, the Two World Wars did not just change people's lives in dramatic ways, it also changed the shape and style of footwear. Men went off to fight in Europe and women were left at home to run the factories. As women's independence increased, so too did their levels of activity and their desire for practical shoes. People were encouraged to be less frivolous so men's and women's shoes tended to look similar.

When the turbulent 60s and 70s rolled around, shoes began reflecting the rampant experimentation with color, texture, shape, and style. Young people were buying up all the boots, sandals, and shoes that designers could throw at them. Everything from citrus-colored sandals to spacey, iridescently rainbow platforms to classic colonial or Edwardian-style pumps were in demand.

Today, just about anything goes. From stilettos to platforms to sneakers and flats, more and more people are getting in touch with their 'inner shoe'.

Sex and footwear have had a long association. At the turn of last century, the argument that feet were linked to sex found impetus in the groundbreaking work of Wilder Penfield, a Canadian neurosurgeon and researcher who developed a map of the brain. He discovered that the parts of the brain responsible for orgasmic activity lie next to the section responsible for the feet.

Anatomically, the foot is one of the most tactile parts of the body. Research revealed that the foot contains thousands of tiny, sensitive receptors. These receptors supply the brain with information on pain, temperature, pressure and body position. Its nerve endings also account for the feet's sensitivity which often takes the form of ticklishness.

Freud believed it is our bipedal stance that literally lifted us from the ground, bringing bosom, abdomen and thighs into view. It created erogenous zones and visual sex appeal features. This position made human frontal copulation, unique in all nature, possible. Visual stimuli and continuity of sexual excitement led to year-round sex. Therefore, we have an innate sense that the feet are somehow responsible for our sexuality.

The feet, says William A Rossi in his classic work, The Sex Life of the Foot and Shoe, are sensual objects, which often require to be hidden from unwanted attention. In fact, 'shoe' (scoe) is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning to coverūnot in the protective sense but rather to hide an erogenous zone. He declared: "The shoe is no simple, protective housing for the foot, nor a whimsical decoration. It serves chiefly as a sexual covering for the foot's natural erotic character. Footwear fashion is podoerotic art."

If you look through the history of shoes, one thing is certain: footwear was an avenue for sexual expression. In his work, History of Footwear, former podiatrist, Cameron Kippen said, "During Victorian times, where well bred women could not be acknowledged as possessing anything as potentially carnal as legs, repression and prudery generated new outlets for sexual expression. Hence, it became fashionable to conceal the female leg under floor length skirts and boots because the mere glimpse of a woman's ankle, and by extension, their shoes, was a cause for arousal."

For a thousand years in China, women bound their feet because tiny feet were considered beautiful. Their men sucked on the lotus foot and drank from their tiny shoes in lust, while some 5 billion Chinese women suffered in silence.

Today, the foot has been sexualized right down to the crack of our toes. Take Manolos. With their lethal heels and ample toe cleavage, Manolos are sexy armour better suited for the bedroom than the boardroom. High heels alter the female form dramatically - bosoms and butts stick out when women stand on four pointed inches.

High heels also create the illusion that the foot is smaller and has a higher arch. Functionally, they shorten gait and accentuate hip movement.

Podiatrists call this the "bondage gait" and point out that many men find this unsure "dependent" gait of the high-heeled woman attractive because it makes them feel more masculine.

Fashion Gallery

The History of Shoes: Superstition

Skin and Toe Nails

Superstitions associated with skin and toe nails include avoiding cutting them on Holy Innocents Day. The moon is considered by many as an important influence in nail and hair growth. Nails should be cut when the moon is on the increase, if you want to make them grow strong. Corns on the other hand can only be cut successfully if done after the moon is on the wane. Picaso kept his hair and nail clippings dated and in a safe place in fear they should fall into the hands of a witch or warlock. Hair, skin and nails make powerful potions which can be used against the owner. A popular habit was to burn toe nail pairings for luck. A common belief was if you throw toe nail cuttings onto the floor or ground you would be forced to pick them up when you die.