CRUSHING PAIN: A Way of Life
There is a device, used by hordes of people, which crunches muscles, leads to back aches and headaches, sometimes causes fractures, bunions, shortened Achilles tendons and reduced mobility in dangerous situations that is foisted on girls rather early in life. If you haven't caught on, I'm talking about high heels. Yes, high heels without which the vast number of women does not feel properly dressed. Because of the discomfort, sometimes extreme, women carry “sensible” (more about this below) shoes with them to wear at every opportunity or, if none is handy, heels are kicked off at the first opportunity.
High heels are essentially torture devices so why, with women represented as the sensible sex, do they foist such pain and distress for themselves?
Starting in ancient Greece, the history of heels follows two paths. Sandals were, are perfectly reasonable ways to protect feet from unpaved surfaces. But, muck and mud made life difficult. Aeschylus, that great Greek playwright, inadvertently provided a solution. He insisted that actors who played exalted roles make themselves taller and heels did the trick. For dramatic purposes, he wanted gods and kings to tower over humans and heels provided the message that the role played was noteworthy. It became obvious that heels could raise the person above the muck of the streets so they gradually became somewhat popular. Women continued with heels; aristocratic women wore what were essentially stilts to demonstrate their superior social position. Sometimes these were as much as thirty inches tall and required that servants keep the woman from falling. And, what better way so show superiority than being kept erect by non-entities.
Madame Pompadour started the high heel vogue, it was known as the French heel. Other courtesans followed suit; some women in the oldest of professions noticed that men were a bit more interested in them if they wore heels. This reality became formalized in an American brothel when a heel wearing, French lady of the night got most of the business Something about a semi-clad woman prancing around in heels prompted men's sexual enthusiasm, and men are always willing to pay for such fun. The Madam then insisted that her other sporting ladies also wear heels. I suppose that put the French lady back into the pack, but you can bet that brothel did superior business.
The men, the beneficiaries of such displays of pulchritude then demanded that their wives also wear heels; if you can have it at home, why pay for it? I assume the wives were enthusiastic about their increased allure; heels became essential to a come-hither style.
What, the perpetually curious person might ask, is so sexually compelling about high heels? Well, they make the foot seem smaller, plump out the calves, make the buttocks protrude and thrust the breasts forward. Further, the high heel walk with its gentle sway adds to the enchantment. What's pain and suffering compared to that?
Okay, but things have changed. Now that all women can get such footwear, they no longer are a symbol of social superiority. Women no longer need protection from muck on the ground; they no longer wear clothes that drag and now have boots for walking in mud. Of course, once at their destination, off come the mud shoes and on go the heels. Heels surely present a sexually assertive message and additionally, because they raise the woman's height they seem more equal with men. No wonder men were afraid to have women break the glass ceiling.
While the power message is still there, it is attractiveness that drives the behavior. Women will do almost anything to make themselves attractive to men. Bustles, which made it impossible for them to sit, were required in good company. Corsets made it impossible for them to breath and fantastic amounts of money have been spent since ancient Egypt started the practice of alluring disguise: cosmetics. Billions are spent on cosmetic augmentations. Women paint their faces coif their hair, shave their legs and douse themselves with pleasant aromas to send the message. Without a clue about how it all started, they are simply modern versions of Madame Pompadour who surely knew how to attract men. And, huzzah for that. And sensible shoes, the kind that don't cause pain or twist feet; hell, one would think they would exemplify the ideal and the heels described as nonsensical. And now, women are wearing heels with 3-inch soles. I bet ERs will become busier with twisted ankles, scratches and bumps. Not so. Hells, whoops, heels are here to stay.
Contrast all this with the Muslim ideal for woman and to some degree for Orthodox Jewish women and some Christian sects. The idea is that woman's sexual attraction is so powerful that they must not come into contact with men and with the strict Muslims, the only parts of a woman a man may see are her eyes and hands. Orthodox Jewish men may not shake hands with a woman, or worship with them; the distraction would be too much for him. In such societies, women’s sexuality is considered incredibly potent and in Western Civilization women, like the Red Queen have to run hard just to stay in place in the sexual game.
For most women it is surely apprehensible
If they merely wear shoes that are sensible
They put up with the pain
For sexual gain
And argue that such is defensible.
CRUSHING PAIN: An Way of Life
There is a device, used by hordes of people, which crunches muscles, leads to back aches and headaches, sometimes causes fractures, bunions, shortened Achilles tendons and reduced mobility in dangerous situations that is foisted on girls rather early in life. If you haven't caught on, I'm talking about high heels. Yes, high heels without which the vast number of women does not feel properly dressed. Because of the discomfort, sometimes extreme, women carry “sensible” (more about this below) shoes with them to wear at every opportunity or, if none is handy, heels are kicked off at the first opportunity.
High heels are essentially torture devices so why, with women represented as the sensible sex, do they foist such pain and distress for themselves?
Starting in ancient Greece, the history of heels follows two paths. Sandals were, are perfectly reasonable ways to protect feet from unpaved surfaces. But, muck and mud made life difficult. Aeschylus, that great Greek playwright, inadvertently provided a solution. He insisted that actors who played exalted roles make themselves taller and heels did the trick. For dramatic purposes, he wanted gods and kings to tower over humans and heels provided the message that the role played was noteworthy. It became obvious that heels could raise the person above the muck of the streets so they gradually became somewhat popular. Women continued with heels; aristocratic women wore what were essentially stilts to demonstrate their superior social position. Sometimes these were as much as thirty inches tall and required that servants keep the woman from falling. And, what better way so show superiority than being kept erect by non-entities.
Madame Pompadour started the high heel vogue, it was known as the French heel. Other courtesans followed suit; some women in the oldest of professions noticed that men were a bit more interested in them if they wore heels. This reality became formalized in an American brothel when a heel wearing, French lady of the night got most of the business Something about a semi-clad woman prancing around in heels prompted men's sexual enthusiasm, and men are always willing to pay for such fun. The Madam then insisted that her other sporting ladies also wear heels. I suppose that put the French lady back into the pack, but you can bet that brothel did superior business.
The men, the beneficiaries of such displays of pulchritude then demanded that their wives also wear heels; if you can have it at home, why pay for it? I assume the wives were enthusiastic about their increased allure; heels became essential to a come-hither style.
What, the perpetually curious person might ask, is so sexually compelling about high heels? Well, they make the foot seem smaller, plump out the calves, make the buttocks protrude and thrust the breasts forward. Further, the high heel walk with its gentle sway adds to the enchantment. What's pain and suffering compared to that?
Okay, but things have changed. Now that all women can get such footwear, they no longer are a symbol of social superiority. Women no longer need protection from muck on the ground; they no longer wear clothes that drag and now have boots for walking in mud. Of course, once at their destination, off come the mud shoes and on go the heels. Heels surely present a sexually assertive message and additionally, because they raise the woman's height they seem more equal with men. No wonder men were afraid to have women break the glass ceiling.
While the power message is still there, it is attractiveness that drives the behavior. Women will do almost anything to make themselves attractive to men. Bustles, which made it impossible for them to sit, were required in good company. Corsets made it impossible for them to breath and fantastic amounts of money have been spent since ancient Egypt started the practice of alluring disguise: cosmetics. Billions are spent on cosmetic augmentations. Women paint their faces coif their hair, shave their legs and douse themselves with pleasant aromas to send the message. Without a clue about how it all started, they are simply modern versions of Madame Pompadour who surely knew how to attract men. And, huzzah for that. And sensible shoes, the kind that don't cause pain or twist feet; hell, one would think they would exemplify the ideal and the heels described as nonsensical. And now, women are wearing heels with 3-inch soles. I bet ERs will become busier with twisted ankles, scratches and bumps. Not so. Hells, whoops, heels are here to stay.
Contrast all this with the Muslim ideal for woman and to some degree for Orthodox Jewish women and some Christian sects. The idea is that woman's sexual attraction is so powerful that they must not come into contact with men and with the strict Muslims, the only parts of a woman a man may see are her eyes and hands. Orthodox Jewish men may not shake hands with a woman, or worship with them; the distraction would be too much for him. In such societies, women’s sexuality is considered incredibly potent and in Western Civilization women, like the Red Queen have to run hard just to stay in place in the sexual game.
For most women it is surely apprehensible
If they merely wear shoes that are sensible
They put up with the pain
For sexual gain
And argue that such is defensible.
CRUSHING PAIN: An Way of Life
There is a device, used by hordes of people, which crunches muscles, leads to back aches and headaches, sometimes causes fractures, bunions, shortened Achilles tendons and reduced mobility in dangerous situations that is foisted on girls rather early in life. If you haven't caught on, I'm talking about high heels. Yes, high heels without which the vast number of women does not feel properly dressed. Because of the discomfort, sometimes extreme, women carry “sensible” (more about this below) shoes with them to wear at every opportunity or, if none is handy, heels are kicked off at the first opportunity.
High heels are essentially torture devices so why, with women represented as the sensible sex, do they foist such pain and distress for themselves?
Starting in ancient Greece, the history of heels follows two paths. Sandals were, are perfectly reasonable ways to protect feet from unpaved surfaces. But, muck and mud made life difficult. Aeschylus, that great Greek playwright, inadvertently provided a solution. He insisted that actors who played exalted roles make themselves taller and heels did the trick. For dramatic purposes, he wanted gods and kings to tower over humans and heels provided the message that the role played was noteworthy. It became obvious that heels could raise the person above the muck of the streets so they gradually became somewhat popular. Women continued with heels; aristocratic women wore what were essentially stilts to demonstrate their superior social position. Sometimes these were as much as thirty inches tall and required that servants keep the woman from falling. And, what better way so show superiority than being kept erect by non-entities.
Madame Pompadour started the high heel vogue, it was known as the French heel. Other courtesans followed suit; some women in the oldest of professions noticed that men were a bit more interested in them if they wore heels. This reality became formalized in an American brothel when a heel wearing, French lady of the night got most of the business Something about a semi-clad woman prancing around in heels prompted men's sexual enthusiasm, and men are always willing to pay for such fun. The Madam then insisted that her other sporting ladies also wear heels. I suppose that put the French lady back into the pack, but you can bet that brothel did superior business.
The men, the beneficiaries of such displays of pulchritude then demanded that their wives also wear heels; if you can have it at home, why pay for it? I assume the wives were enthusiastic about their increased allure; heels became essential to a come-hither style.
What, the perpetually curious person might ask, is so sexually compelling about high heels? Well, they make the foot seem smaller, plump out the calves, make the buttocks protrude and thrust the breasts forward. Further, the high heel walk with its gentle sway adds to the enchantment. What's pain and suffering compared to that?
Okay, but things have changed. Now that all women can get such footwear, they no longer are a symbol of social superiority. Women no longer need protection from muck on the ground; they no longer wear clothes that drag and now have boots for walking in mud. Of course, once at their destination, off come the mud shoes and on go the heels. Heels surely present a sexually assertive message and additionally, because they raise the woman's height they seem more equal with men. No wonder men were afraid to have women break the glass ceiling.
While the power message is still there, it is attractiveness that drives the behavior. Women will do almost anything to make themselves attractive to men. Bustles, which made it impossible for them to sit, were required in good company. Corsets made it impossible for them to breath and fantastic amounts of money have been spent since ancient Egypt started the practice of alluring disguise: cosmetics. Billions are spent on cosmetic augmentations. Women paint their faces coif their hair, shave their legs and douse themselves with pleasant aromas to send the message. Without a clue about how it all started, they are simply modern versions of Madame Pompadour who surely knew how to attract men. And, huzzah for that. And sensible shoes, the kind that don't cause pain or twist feet; hell, one would think they would exemplify the ideal and the heels described as nonsensical. And now, women are wearing heels with 3-inch soles. I bet ERs will become busier with twisted ankles, scratches and bumps. Not so. Hells, whoops, heels are here to stay.
Contrast all this with the Muslim ideal for woman and to some degree for Orthodox Jewish women and some Christian sects. The idea is that woman's sexual attraction is so powerful that they must not come into contact with men and with the strict Muslims, the only parts of a woman a man may see are her eyes and hands. Orthodox Jewish men may not shake hands with a woman, or worship with them; the distraction would be too much for him. In such societies, women’s sexuality is considered incredibly potent and in Western Civilization women, like the Red Queen have to run hard just to stay in place in the sexual game.
For most women it is surely apprehensible
If they merely wear shoes that are sensible
They put up with the pain
For sexual gain
And argue that such is defensible.
CRUSHING PAIN: An Way of Life
There is a device, used by hordes of people, which crunches muscles, leads to back aches and headaches, sometimes causes fractures, bunions, shortened Achilles tendons and reduced mobility in dangerous situations that is foisted on girls rather early in life. If you haven't caught on, I'm talking about high heels. Yes, high heels without which the vast number of women does not feel properly dressed. Because of the discomfort, sometimes extreme, women carry “sensible” (more about this below) shoes with them to wear at every opportunity or, if none is handy, heels are kicked off at the first opportunity.
High heels are essentially torture devices so why, with women represented as the sensible sex, do they foist such pain and distress for themselves?
Starting in ancient Greece, the history of heels follows two paths. Sandals were, are perfectly reasonable ways to protect feet from unpaved surfaces. But, muck and mud made life difficult. Aeschylus, that great Greek playwright, inadvertently provided a solution. He insisted that actors who played exalted roles make themselves taller and heels did the trick. For dramatic purposes, he wanted gods and kings to tower over humans and heels provided the message that the role played was noteworthy. It became obvious that heels could raise the person above the muck of the streets so they gradually became somewhat popular. Women continued with heels; aristocratic women wore what were essentially stilts to demonstrate their superior social position. Sometimes these were as much as thirty inches tall and required that servants keep the woman from falling. And, what better way so show superiority than being kept erect by non-entities.
Madame Pompadour started the high heel vogue, it was known as the French heel. Other courtesans followed suit; some women in the oldest of professions noticed that men were a bit more interested in them if they wore heels. This reality became formalized in an American brothel when a heel wearing, French lady of the night got most of the business Something about a semi-clad woman prancing around in heels prompted men's sexual enthusiasm, and men are always willing to pay for such fun. The Madam then insisted that her other sporting ladies also wear heels. I suppose that put the French lady back into the pack, but you can bet that brothel did superior business.
The men, the beneficiaries of such displays of pulchritude then demanded that their wives also wear heels; if you can have it at home, why pay for it? I assume the wives were enthusiastic about their increased allure; heels became essential to a come-hither style.
What, the perpetually curious person might ask, is so sexually compelling about high heels? Well, they make the foot seem smaller, plump out the calves, make the buttocks protrude and thrust the breasts forward. Further, the high heel walk with its gentle sway adds to the enchantment. What's pain and suffering compared to that?
Okay, but things have changed. Now that all women can get such footwear, they no longer are a symbol of social superiority. Women no longer need protection from muck on the ground; they no longer wear clothes that drag and now have boots for walking in mud. Of course, once at their destination, off come the mud shoes and on go the heels. Heels surely present a sexually assertive message and additionally, because they raise the woman's height they seem more equal with men. No wonder men were afraid to have women break the glass ceiling.
While the power message is still there, it is attractiveness that drives the behavior. Women will do almost anything to make themselves attractive to men. Bustles, which made it impossible for them to sit, were required in good company. Corsets made it impossible for them to breath and fantastic amounts of money have been spent since ancient Egypt started the practice of alluring disguise: cosmetics. Billions are spent on cosmetic augmentations. Women paint their faces coif their hair, shave their legs and douse themselves with pleasant aromas to send the message. Without a clue about how it all started, they are simply modern versions of Madame Pompadour who surely knew how to attract men. And, huzzah for that. And sensible shoes, the kind that don't cause pain or twist feet; hell, one would think they would exemplify the ideal and the heels described as nonsensical. And now, women are wearing heels with 3-inch soles. I bet ERs will become busier with twisted ankles, scratches and bumps. Not so. Hells, whoops, heels are here to stay.
Contrast all this with the Muslim ideal for woman and to some degree for Orthodox Jewish women and some Christian sects. The idea is that woman's sexual attraction is so powerful that they must not come into contact with men and with the strict Muslims, the only parts of a woman a man may see are her eyes and hands. Orthodox Jewish men may not shake hands with a woman, or worship with them; the distraction would be too much for him. In such societies, women’s sexuality is considered incredibly potent and in Western Civilization women, like the Red Queen have to run hard just to stay in place in the sexual game.
For most women it is surely apprehensible
If they merely wear shoes that are sensible
They put up with the pain
For sexual gain
And argue that such is defensible.
CRUSHING PAIN: An Way of Life
There is a device, used by hordes of people, which crunches muscles, leads to back aches and headaches, sometimes causes fractures, bunions, shortened Achilles tendons and reduced mobility in dangerous situations that is foisted on girls rather early in life. If you haven't caught on, I'm talking about high heels. Yes, high heels without which the vast number of women does not feel properly dressed. Because of the discomfort, sometimes extreme, women carry “sensible” (more about this below) shoes with them to wear at every opportunity or, if none is handy, heels are kicked off at the first opportunity.
High heels are essentially torture devices so why, with women represented as the sensible sex, do they foist such pain and distress for themselves?
Starting in ancient Greece, the history of heels follows two paths. Sandals were, are perfectly reasonable ways to protect feet from unpaved surfaces. But, muck and mud made life difficult. Aeschylus, that great Greek playwright, inadvertently provided a solution. He insisted that actors who played exalted roles make themselves taller and heels did the trick. For dramatic purposes, he wanted gods and kings to tower over humans and heels provided the message that the role played was noteworthy. It became obvious that heels could raise the person above the muck of the streets so they gradually became somewhat popular. Women continued with heels; aristocratic women wore what were essentially stilts to demonstrate their superior social position. Sometimes these were as much as thirty inches tall and required that servants keep the woman from falling. And, what better way so show superiority than being kept erect by non-entities.
Madame Pompadour started the high heel vogue, it was known as the French heel. Other courtesans followed suit; some women in the oldest of professions noticed that men were a bit more interested in them if they wore heels. This reality became formalized in an American brothel when a heel wearing, French lady of the night got most of the business Something about a semi-clad woman prancing around in heels prompted men's sexual enthusiasm, and men are always willing to pay for such fun. The Madam then insisted that her other sporting ladies also wear heels. I suppose that put the French lady back into the pack, but you can bet that brothel did superior business.
The men, the beneficiaries of such displays of pulchritude then demanded that their wives also wear heels; if you can have it at home, why pay for it? I assume the wives were enthusiastic about their increased allure; heels became essential to a come-hither style.
What, the perpetually curious person might ask, is so sexually compelling about high heels? Well, they make the foot seem smaller, plump out the calves, make the buttocks protrude and thrust the breasts forward. Further, the high heel walk with its gentle sway adds to the enchantment. What's pain and suffering compared to that?
Okay, but things have changed. Now that all women can get such footwear, they no longer are a symbol of social superiority. Women no longer need protection from muck on the ground; they no longer wear clothes that drag and now have boots for walking in mud. Of course, once at their destination, off come the mud shoes and on go the heels. Heels surely present a sexually assertive message and additionally, because they raise the woman's height they seem more equal with men. No wonder men were afraid to have women break the glass ceiling.
While the power message is still there, it is attractiveness that drives the behavior. Women will do almost anything to make themselves attractive to men. Bustles, which made it impossible for them to sit, were required in good company. Corsets made it impossible for them to breath and fantastic amounts of money have been spent since ancient Egypt started the practice of alluring disguise: cosmetics. Billions are spent on cosmetic augmentations. Women paint their faces coif their hair, shave their legs and douse themselves with pleasant aromas to send the message. Without a clue about how it all started, they are simply modern versions of Madame Pompadour who surely knew how to attract men. And, huzzah for that. And sensible shoes, the kind that don't cause pain or twist feet; hell, one would think they would exemplify the ideal and the heels described as nonsensical. And now, women are wearing heels with 3-inch soles. I bet ERs will become busier with twisted ankles, scratches and bumps. Not so. Hells, whoops, heels are here to stay.
Contrast all this with the Muslim ideal for woman and to some degree for Orthodox Jewish women and some Christian sects. The idea is that woman's sexual attraction is so powerful that they must not come into contact with men and with the strict Muslims, the only parts of a woman a man may see are her eyes and hands. Orthodox Jewish men may not shake hands with a woman, or worship with them; the distraction would be too much for him. In such societies, women’s sexuality is considered incredibly potent and in Western Civilization women, like the Red Queen have to run hard just to stay in place in the sexual game.
For most women it is surely apprehensible
If they merely wear shoes that are sensible
They put up with the pain
For sexual gain
And argue that such is defensible.
CRUSHING PAIN: An Way of Life
There is a device, used by hordes of people, which crunches muscles, leads to back aches and headaches, sometimes causes fractures, bunions, shortened Achilles tendons and reduced mobility in dangerous situations that is foisted on girls rather early in life. If you haven't caught on, I'm talking about high heels. Yes, high heels without which the vast number of women does not feel properly dressed. Because of the discomfort, sometimes extreme, women carry “sensible” (more about this below) shoes with them to wear at every opportunity or, if none is handy, heels are kicked off at the first opportunity.
High heels are essentially torture devices so why, with women represented as the sensible sex, do they foist such pain and distress for themselves?
Starting in ancient Greece, the history of heels follows two paths. Sandals were, are perfectly reasonable ways to protect feet from unpaved surfaces. But, muck and mud made life difficult. Aeschylus, that great Greek playwright, inadvertently provided a solution. He insisted that actors who played exalted roles make themselves taller and heels did the trick. For dramatic purposes, he wanted gods and kings to tower over humans and heels provided the message that the role played was noteworthy. It became obvious that heels could raise the person above the muck of the streets so they gradually became somewhat popular. Women continued with heels; aristocratic women wore what were essentially stilts to demonstrate their superior social position. Sometimes these were as much as thirty inches tall and required that servants keep the woman from falling. And, what better way so show superiority than being kept erect by non-entities.
Madame Pompadour started the high heel vogue, it was known as the French heel. Other courtesans followed suit; some women in the oldest of professions noticed that men were a bit more interested in them if they wore heels. This reality became formalized in an American brothel when a heel wearing, French lady of the night got most of the business Something about a semi-clad woman prancing around in heels prompted men's sexual enthusiasm, and men are always willing to pay for such fun. The Madam then insisted that her other sporting ladies also wear heels. I suppose that put the French lady back into the pack, but you can bet that brothel did superior business.
The men, the beneficiaries of such displays of pulchritude then demanded that their wives also wear heels; if you can have it at home, why pay for it? I assume the wives were enthusiastic about their increased allure; heels became essential to a come-hither style.
What, the perpetually curious person might ask, is so sexually compelling about high heels? Well, they make the foot seem smaller, plump out the calves, make the buttocks protrude and thrust the breasts forward. Further, the high heel walk with its gentle sway adds to the enchantment. What's pain and suffering compared to that?
Okay, but things have changed. Now that all women can get such footwear, they no longer are a symbol of social superiority. Women no longer need protection from muck on the ground; they no longer wear clothes that drag and now have boots for walking in mud. Of course, once at their destination, off come the mud shoes and on go the heels. Heels surely present a sexually assertive message and additionally, because they raise the woman's height they seem more equal with men. No wonder men were afraid to have women break the glass ceiling.
While the power message is still there, it is attractiveness that drives the behavior. Women will do almost anything to make themselves attractive to men. Bustles, which made it impossible for them to sit, were required in good company. Corsets made it impossible for them to breath and fantastic amounts of money have been spent since ancient Egypt started the practice of alluring disguise: cosmetics. Billions are spent on cosmetic augmentations. Women paint their faces coif their hair, shave their legs and douse themselves with pleasant aromas to send the message. Without a clue about how it all started, they are simply modern versions of Madame Pompadour who surely knew how to attract men. And, huzzah for that. And sensible shoes, the kind that don't cause pain or twist feet; hell, one would think they would exemplify the ideal and the heels described as nonsensical. And now, women are wearing heels with 3-inch soles. I bet ERs will become busier with twisted ankles, scratches and bumps. Not so. Hells, whoops, heels are here to stay.
Contrast all this with the Muslim ideal for woman and to some degree for Orthodox Jewish women and some Christian sects. The idea is that woman's sexual attraction is so powerful that they must not come into contact with men and with the strict Muslims, the only parts of a woman a man may see are her eyes and hands. Orthodox Jewish men may not shake hands with a woman, or worship with them; the distraction would be too much for him. In such societies, women’s sexuality is considered incredibly potent and in Western Civilization women, like the Red Queen have to run hard just to stay in place in the sexual game.
For most women it is surely apprehensible
If they merely wear shoes that are sensible
They put up with the pain
For sexual gain
And argue that such is defensible.
CRUSHING PAIN: An Way of Life
There is a device, used by hordes of people, which crunches muscles, leads to back aches and headaches, sometimes causes fractures, bunions, shortened Achilles tendons and reduced mobility in dangerous situations that is foisted on girls rather early in life. If you haven't caught on, I'm talking about high heels. Yes, high heels without which the vast number of women does not feel properly dressed. Because of the discomfort, sometimes extreme, women carry “sensible” (more about this below) shoes with them to wear at every opportunity or, if none is handy, heels are kicked off at the first opportunity.
High heels are essentially torture devices so why, with women represented as the sensible sex, do they foist such pain and distress for themselves?
Starting in ancient Greece, the history of heels follows two paths. Sandals were, are perfectly reasonable ways to protect feet from unpaved surfaces. But, muck and mud made life difficult. Aeschylus, that great Greek playwright, inadvertently provided a solution. He insisted that actors who played exalted roles make themselves taller and heels did the trick. For dramatic purposes, he wanted gods and kings to tower over humans and heels provided the message that the role played was noteworthy. It became obvious that heels could raise the person above the muck of the streets so they gradually became somewhat popular. Women continued with heels; aristocratic women wore what were essentially stilts to demonstrate their superior social position. Sometimes these were as much as thirty inches tall and required that servants keep the woman from falling. And, what better way so show superiority than being kept erect by non-entities.
Madame Pompadour started the high heel vogue, it was known as the French heel. Other courtesans followed suit; some women in the oldest of professions noticed that men were a bit more interested in them if they wore heels. This reality became formalized in an American brothel when a heel wearing, French lady of the night got most of the business Something about a semi-clad woman prancing around in heels prompted men's sexual enthusiasm, and men are always willing to pay for such fun. The Madam then insisted that her other sporting ladies also wear heels. I suppose that put the French lady back into the pack, but you can bet that brothel did superior business.
The men, the beneficiaries of such displays of pulchritude then demanded that their wives also wear heels; if you can have it at home, why pay for it? I assume the wives were enthusiastic about their increased allure; heels became essential to a come-hither style.
What, the perpetually curious person might ask, is so sexually compelling about high heels? Well, they make the foot seem smaller, plump out the calves, make the buttocks protrude and thrust the breasts forward. Further, the high heel walk with its gentle sway adds to the enchantment. What's pain and suffering compared to that?
Okay, but things have changed. Now that all women can get such footwear, they no longer are a symbol of social superiority. Women no longer need protection from muck on the ground; they no longer wear clothes that drag and now have boots for walking in mud. Of course, once at their destination, off come the mud shoes and on go the heels. Heels surely present a sexually assertive message and additionally, because they raise the woman's height they seem more equal with men. No wonder men were afraid to have women break the glass ceiling.
While the power message is still there, it is attractiveness that drives the behavior. Women will do almost anything to make themselves attractive to men. Bustles, which made it impossible for them to sit, were required in good company. Corsets made it impossible for them to breath and fantastic amounts of money have been spent since ancient Egypt started the practice of alluring disguise: cosmetics. Billions are spent on cosmetic augmentations. Women paint their faces coif their hair, shave their legs and douse themselves with pleasant aromas to send the message. Without a clue about how it all started, they are simply modern versions of Madame Pompadour who surely knew how to attract men. And, huzzah for that. And sensible shoes, the kind that don't cause pain or twist feet; hell, one would think they would exemplify the ideal and the heels described as nonsensical. And now, women are wearing heels with 3-inch soles. I bet ERs will become busier with twisted ankles, scratches and bumps. Not so. Hells, whoops, heels are here to stay.
Contrast all this with the Muslim ideal for woman and to some degree for Orthodox Jewish women and some Christian sects. The idea is that woman's sexual attraction is so powerful that they must not come into contact with men and with the strict Muslims, the only parts of a woman a man may see are her eyes and hands. Orthodox Jewish men may not shake hands with a woman, or worship with them; the distraction would be too much for him. In such societies, women’s sexuality is considered incredibly potent and in Western Civilization women, like the Red Queen have to run hard just to stay in place in the sexual game.
For most women it is surely apprehensible
If they merely wear shoes that are sensible
They put up with the pain
For sexual gain
And argue that such is defensible.
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