I read an article recently from the New York Post that insists women are sick of stilettos. And some shoe experts are blaming the 2020 pandemic. First, how do you get the job title of Shoe Expert? And secondly, I don’t think we can blame the whole thing on COVID.
Women may have developed flatter feet as a result of laidback style trends necessitated by pandemic lockdowns — during which many of us spent an unprecedented amount of our time scooting around our homes in bedroom slippers and flip-flops.
New research by footwear retailer Kurt Geiger in the UK shows a spike in sales of flat shoe styles with low heels of two inches or fewer, such as ballerina flats and loafers, while pumps of four inches or higher make up a fraction of all non-flat shoe sales, the Sunday Times reported.
For centuries fashion trends have dictated to what extent women are expected to contort their feet into highly structured styles, from thigh-high boots to sky-high stilettos. Now, podiatrists say the COVID lockdown could explain a recent trend toward low-heeled shoes — as the structure of our feet adjusted to wearing flatter styles around the clock while stuck at home, per the Sunday Times.
And customers aren’t eager to go back. – The New York Post
For the record, even after not wearing high heels for nearly twenty years, I still have my high arches.
After reading this article, I wondered how fashion has changed or nearly disappeared for regular folks in the last few decades.
There are all kinds of reasons fashion changes over time. Women and men used to dress up every single day to the hilt! At least, it seems that way to us now, in 2024. But back then, that’s just what they did, and they wore what was available.
Now, as decades go by, fashion designers pop up all over the damned place with their idea of what is trendy.
The following video isn’t about fashion and trends, but I thought it was fun information you might like to watch. It’s only 13 minutes long.
Now, the only time you will see Stilettos is in some fundraising title: Stilettos and Sangrias for Saving Kittens or Sugar and Stilettos, which feeds families one sweet treat at a time. What in the world?
Do women wear stilettos anymore? I haven’t seen any women wear stilettos in real life in a long time. All I see are celebrities on red carpets wearing high heels anymore. Or mentally ill men wearing stilettos who try to convince themselves they are women.
Nowadays, it is cool, fun, and hip for young ladies to wear sneakers, Chucks, or cowboy boots with prom dresses.
:: eye roll:: I never liked any of those looks.
And then enter the crocs, slides, and sandals.
Your most preferred for comfort, pick two lose 1
CROCS
SLIDE
SANDALS#RoadShow w/ @justNERV_ x @djsavyofficial pic.twitter.com/PwKeJmXosz— COOL FM (@CoolFMPH) August 6, 2024
Women don’t wear high heels anymore. Times changed way back when with the feminism movement when burning bras, demands for equal pay, and divorce rates skyrocketed.
Admittingly, I no longer wear high heels. I could blame it on my age, but that would be a lie. Believe it or not, I wore black leather stilettos with my uniform in the Navy. I had an office job in Washington, DC.
But now? While I’d love to wear a pair of nice Sam Edelman pumps to work, I don’t feel like I need to. The work I do is mainly a sitting job. I’d probably look silly wearing high heels to work nowadays. Maybe I could up my game at least one day a week and see. But why? No longer do I need to impress anyone for job mobility, and if that is what we are still doing – judging women by their footwear for upward mobility – well. And now, don’t I sound like a damned feminist? Ha!
We (as a nation) don’t dress up for work anymore. It’s all about comfort. I think I last wore a suit to work in 1991. Before I got married and before I had children.
Sometimes, I wish we lived back when we all tried to dress up. But I guess I’ll have to live those days by watching old movies.
Feature Image: Made in Canva Pro
