High Heel Facts

10 Facts About Heels, The Shoes You Love (And Also Hate)

Posted by: Catherine Strawn Filed in: style
8:30AM, Friday February 20th 2009

They’re sexy and flattering. They boost your confidence and your height. They make kissing a tall man easier. Sure, we might hate high heels after wearing them all day, but we’ll still put them on the next day. After the jump, 10 notable facts about the amazing, elevating shoe.

1. A new report indicates that on average, women begin wearing at age 12 and continue doing so until they’re 63.

2. High heels for women are believed to have originated with Catherine de Medici, a 16th century Italian noblewoman who was short in stature and wanted to make a bigger impression when she arrived in France to marry the future King Henry.

3. Christian Louboutin’s red soles are a registered trademark of the brand.

4. Altocalciphilia is the condition of having a high heel fetish, as in “Carrie Bradshaw had a borderline case of altocalciphilia.”

5. Jimmy Choos have been referenced in songs by Hilary Duff, Shyne,Pitbull, Clipse, Sway, 50 Cent, and Chester French.

6. 80 craftsmen will touch one pair of Stuart Weitzman heels during the 6 to 7 weeks of production time it takes to make them.

7. The Guinness World Record for most people running in high heeled shoes is 155.

8. Roger-Henri Vivier is credited with inventing (or at least re-popularizing) the stiletto heel in the 1950s.

9. Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos owned 1,200 pairs of shoes.

10. Despite all of cutbacks during World War II, high shoes were very in style. Designers created tall, uplifting heels using materials that weren’t rationed, like wood straw and snakeskin.

comments

Rachel Kramer Bussel
wrote on February 20 2009 @ 10:14 am: [report]

I love heels! I was distraught last night to spend all of it running an event in flats, thinking I’d left my heels at home, only to find I had them all along. For general walking around I do flats, but I love my heels for feeling sexy in public.

Naneenya
wrote on February 20 2009 @ 10:32 am: [report]

My cousin’s two year old definitely got the shoe gene - which apparently runs in my family.

She can say “mama” and “shoes”

And, she goes around lifting up people’s pant legs to get a glimpse of their fabulous footwear. This child will be fabulous.

Lykomancer
wrote on February 20 2009 @ 11:35 am: [report]

I am the only person in the world who doesn’t get it. I hate the things. If I want to walk on tip-toe, I can do that barefoot…and it hurts less, too!

Why, why, why?! Why do people still love high heels? They aren’t that attractive and they are extremely painful.

joyy
wrote on February 20 2009 @ 11:42 am: [report]

I can’t stand them either, lykomancer. I have a low-heeled pair and a taller ~3” pair that I wear only for work when I need to look dressier, but they’re terrible for your feet and hurt like hell.

Chelle
wrote on February 20 2009 @ 11:47 am: [report]

@Lykomancer- Yeah, you’re not the only one. I have bad knees so I can’t even wear lower heals. The pain is not worth it for me.

TOO_DOPE
wrote on February 20 2009 @ 12:02 pm: [report]

UGH! I bought some KILLER CFM’s (Come F!@# Me’s) at Bakers last weekend and wore them out last night at a bar. I had to leave early because I could NOT stand my feet any longer! I kicked them off as soon as I sat in my car and drove home barefoot!

p.s. I’m probably still gonna rock them out tomorrow night for my dinner date! HA!

I, ahh.. I just gotta, I just gotta break um in, see? Yeah. Thats it. Break um in. Yeah…

Erin G
wrote on February 20 2009 @ 12:31 pm: [report]

Def a love-hate relationship. I love how they look and make me feel…well, how they make everything but my feet feel. I’ve been THAT girl, walking to the car from the club, barefoot, on the downtown sidewalk, carrying my strappy ass heels cryin’ about my blisters.

Taurwen
wrote on February 20 2009 @ 08:32 pm: [report]

The only time I’ve worn heels and felt the pain was when I had to wear my big heeled boots at work one time when I didn’t have the time to go home and change that morning. I work at a coffee shop, and after 8 hours on my feet I was willing to cry or kill someone to get home. Otherwise I’ve never had a problem with comfort… and for some reason I still hate the damn things…

Jamie Lee
wrote on February 20 2009 @ 08:38 pm: [report]

my daughters first word was shoes…

and its the first thing she wants when she wakes up is to put on her shoes…the sparklier the better

and when i take her to the indoor playground she goes right for the shoe rack and finds the best pair of shoes and tries to put them on…

my daughter rocks…oh yeah she isn’t even 2 yet!

sailor_girl
wrote on February 21 2009 @ 11:35 am: [report]

I’m 6’3’’ and I absolutely love heels. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I began wearing them though. Confidence is a huge issue with tall girls and heels but I say let them stare. Being asked if you model is never a bad thing either .