Posted on April 1st, 2022

There are plenty of reasons why women wear high heels today — to dress up an outfit or lengthen one's silhouette, for example — but centuries ago, the shoes served a much different purpose.

High heels weren't even originally invented for women. (Surprise!) Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, traces their history to Persian men in the 10th century, who wore heels while on horseback so their feet would fit better in the stirrups. This trend that was then adopted by Europeans at the turn of the 17th century.

"There is a long history of men wearing heels for equestrian purposes," Semmelhack, author of "Standing Tall: The Curious History of Men in Heels," tells TODAY Style. "As we know, cowboys wear heels."

The high heel was originally about function, not fashion, during times of war, she says.

"The heel was an additional tool allowing the rider to steady himself, thus using weaponry better and transforming warfare," Semmelhack adds.

But soon after, women embraced the look — just like boyfriend jeans and button-up shirts, right? — and by the 18th century, high-heeled shoes were largely considered women's footwear. They slowly began to take the shape we know now, with a thinner heel and pointed toe.

But the point of wearing heels was hardly to look good in a miniskirt. Women of the 1700s wore high heels to make their feet look smaller, Semmelhack explains.

"As beauty ideals shifted, one of the principles that emerged was that beautiful women had very tiny feet," she says. "(The high heel) hid the majority of a woman's foot under her skirt, so she could just present the tiny part of the shoe, the toes, from under the skirt.

"People say all the time that women wear heels because it elongates their legs or makes them taller or thinner, but that use of the high heel is very recent," Semmelhack continues. "Early on, it had nothing to do with lengthening the leg, because legs were hidden under skirts, so no one cared! It was about presenting a small foot."

At the time, heels were mostly made of wood, so they could only be made so thin. It wasn't until the 1950s that shoemakers started to use steel for high heels, meaning they could be thinner and still support a woman's body weight.

"That was when the stiletto was born, when you got those remarkably thin, needle-like high heels," Semmelhack says. "Prior to that, it was just a dream."

RELATED: How to wear (and recover) from high-heeled shoes

Of course, any self-respecting shoe lover knows that's hardly the end of the story. Heels have continued to evolve, from platforms to wedges to armadillo boots and beyond.

Who knew shoes were so complex, right? But at least the next time someone tells you that your pumps aren't practical, you can retort back: "Well, they used to be."

Original article: https://www.today.com/style/surprisingly-functional-reason-high-heels-were-invented-t100969