For centuries after the end of the Middle Ages, high heels were an emblem of power and aristocracy in Europe. Fast forward a few hundred years, the Industrial Revolution and subsequent social transformations brought high heels into the mainstream. They became fashionable during the golden age in the United States. They then survived the two world wars, the counter-culture movement, as well as the rapidly changing fashion trends.
Over the past few decades, heels have been a staple in women’s wardrobes, especially as stilettos, featuring a thin, sturdy heel, became a fad during the economic boom of the 1950s. ‘After a thin Italian dagger, stilettos could make a woman look slimmer and more curvaceous, a desirable feminine image at the time. Haute couture posters featuring silhouettes of female models in groovy dresses and killer heels were ubiquitous. Chunky high heels were even embraced by many designers as part of power dressing in the yuppie era of the 80s.
Pumps in the modern sense were introduced to China in the early 1990s and achieved cult status among actresses and socialites in Shanghai. In a few classic films, they left an unforgettable mark.
During the following decades of material scarcity, high heels were a luxury. “When I was 11, I sneakily tried on my 21-year-old sister’s high heels that her husband had bought her when they got married. They were black leather heels with an instep strap. foot,” You Yehui recalled. Born in 1948 in Guizhou, southwest China, she had been a seamstress since the age of 15 before retiring in the early 1990s. ‘very formal occasions like meetings she wore a pair of thick heels. “Cloth flats, corduroy or quill, were our all-day footwear.”
Heels made a comeback in the 1980s, when the country’s economy recovered after reform and opening up in the late 1970s. You Yehui’s daughter, Celia Cui, was very concerned about the fashion in the twenties at that time. “I always wore high heels because it was a fashion marker.”
For girls growing up in the 80s and 90s, donning a pair of high heels was one of the many symbols of female adulthood. “I would even build a heel instead of a snowman when it was snowing,” said Han Li, who now works in marketing for a law firm in Beijing. She had started wearing block heels occasionally in high school and became accustomed to stilettos long ago when she entered the workforce 10 years ago.
An office worker swaps her high-heeled shoes for flats outside her office in Makati, Manila’s financial district. /AFP
An office worker swaps her high-heeled shoes for flats outside her office in Makati, Manila’s financial district. /AFP
When High Heels Go Low
But over time, their preferences changed, turning to more utilitarian and comfortable flats, including ballet flats, boots, sneakers, oxfords and loafers.
During last year’s shopping spree for Singles Day, the world’s largest online shopping event, Dr. Martens and UGG topped the list of women’s shoe sales. In contrast, Daphne — a Hong Kong-based company that once dominated the domestic women’s shoe market — saw an 83% drop in revenue in 2020 and closed all physical stores. Its online revenue was also lackluster, down 77% in the first half of 2021 year-on-year. Earlier this month, another footwear brand familiar to Chinese adult women, ST&SAT, suffered the biggest loss last year since its IPO in 2009.
Meanwhile, high-end designer brands have sensed the rise of sneakers, which were banned from the runway only a few years ago, and have developed their own athletic shoes. Gucci, Prada and Balenciaga are increasingly turning to sneakers for growth, according to a 2018 Reuters report. Christian Louboutin released crystal-embellished sneakers, while Roger Vivier launched his first running shoes with his signature square buckles, the Viv’ Run, in 2018. Jimmy Choo, known for his sky-high red carpet-ready stilettos, began collaborating with Timberland in a collection of six-inch crystal-encrusted boots in 2020.
Karl Lagerfeld sent models down the runway in couture and sneakers for his Chanel Couture SS14 show in Paris. /Reuters
Karl Lagerfeld sent models down the runway in couture and sneakers for his Chanel Couture SS14 show in Paris. /Reuters
“I wear what I want.”
Some works of literature described women in high heels as “sexy” and “feminine”, while others claimed that they trapped women in the trap of stereotypical femininity. Christian Louboutin, the Parisian fashion designer of the eponymous red-soled brand, said: “The heart of my work is dedicated not to pleasing women but to pleasing men.”
Yet those attitudes are changing, accelerated by the shift to remote work due to the pandemic. However, this apartment trend long predates the global epidemic. In the past, women were told that they had to suffer to be beautiful. Now they prefer shoes they can wear for running, without restrictions. It echoes a free spirit and independent of a notion of beauty defined by men.
Han Li still loves high heels. “I wear a lot of heels because I often go out to meet with clients and I want to look formal and show respect, even though my workplace doesn’t have a dress code.” For her, walking gently in a pair of delicate pumps is something that brings her joy. “Beautiful things bring me a sense of pleasure, crushing the discomfort and fatigue of wearing them.”
Many millennials and Gen Zers are like her, seeking a balance of comfort, formality and aesthetics while indulging.
“Wearing stilettos can make you look confident and stylish, but I choose not to be too hard on myself,” said 26-year-old Mo Mo. morning is a recipe for disaster.
Celia, now an executive at a pharmaceutical company, has increasingly embraced low heels and athletic shoes after her 40s. to walk. Next, I need a comfortable pair of shoes. She observes that most of her younger female colleagues are also wearing fewer heels in recent years. “It indicates that women today are more confident and assertive when it comes to choosing what to wear.”
Actress and writer Yumi Ishikawa, who started the anti-high heel movement in Japan, poses for a photo in a pair of sneakers. In Japan, women have reported being discriminated against if they don’t wear high heels in the workplace. /AFP
Actress and writer Yumi Ishikawa, who started the anti-high heel movement in Japan, poses for a photo in a pair of sneakers. In Japan, women have reported being discriminated against if they don’t wear high heels in the workplace. /AFP
As Chinese women’s turn to flats speaks to the broader trend of women breaking gender norms, it’s also part of a global shift.
Sales of sneakers overtook high heels for the first time in the UK in 2016. Sales of high heels fell 45% in 2020, according to US market researcher NPD Group. Growth ahead may falter as more and more women choose to hold on to comfortable flats instead of painful high heels that, well, wobble.
The actresses are also joining heel naysayers in denouncing the Cannes Film Festival’s no-flat rule. In Japan, a KuToo movement was launched in 2019. A pun playing on the Japanese words ‘kutsu’ meaning ‘shoes’ and ‘kutsuu’ meaning ‘pain’, the movement protests the harsh policy of compulsory high heels on the workplace.
Du Yun, 33, dreamed of a pair of stilettos as a teenager and often tried on her mother’s heels at home. In her early years on the job, she often wore a pair of stilettos like other female colleagues. “My feet really hurt. But to look taller, I chose to suffer.”
But now she’s put those stilettos aside and never bought any shoes with heels higher than three centimeters. “Walking in thin heels makes a lot of noise on the parquet floors so that I refrain from walking around. In addition, they make me fall easily. Once in a crowded subway car, I knocked over after a jolt and I stepped on the foot of the passenger behind me. I was very embarrassed.
Written by Wang Xiaonan
Zhong Xia contributed reporting.
Images designed by Zhang Tao and Li Jingjie
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