You may remember Carrie’s deep attachment to her shoes if you watch the Sex and the City, a famous American TV drama. Especially, in embarrassing situations when Carrie faces a mugger and suddenly pleads, “Please sir, you can take my Fendi baguette. You can take my ring and my watch, but do not take my Manolo Blahniks.”
Most women consider their shoes as not just shoes, but key points of the lower body. Kim (21) said, “Frankly speaking, I think that people’s clothes are similar to my eyes. A deep interest with shoes represents her real style and even her characteristics.” There is a highly regarded voice among women’s shoes, of course. Kang (40) said, “I have entertained wearing high heels for years except when I exercise, although I am in later middle age. High heels can make the beauty of leg lines and even body lines survive to some degree, for whoever is fat or slim. Except for very small shoes, a women’s size of shoes is similar regardless of their real body line.”
We can present some questions such as, since when have women been enthusiastic for shoes, and why? Why are women wildly excited at high heels? Is there really a connection between women and shoes? Furthermore, how has the recognition in some of the world’s famous stories such as Cinderella, Red shoes dealt with women’s shoes? Let’s make those questions clear, focusing on the relationships between women and shoes.
Women’s Small feet
At the beginning of the world, the feet of animals were a matter of concern, to find clues about the prey while hunting animals. Later, primitive men could notice their prey by just seeing the footprint, and in the process, they were attracted with the size or shape of the animals. Finally, this concern was connected with that of human’s feet, not just an animal’s footprint for their direct survival. As the appearance of shoes caused elevated thoughts about survival, the natural environment became more important and it made humans think about types of behaviors such as ‘putting in and pulling out.' In other words, people thought of sex embodied in putting in or pulling out of the shoes, which was the first erotic fantasy of humanity. The people thought of a man’s sexual organ being put inside that of a woman.
It is within bounds to say that the enforcement pursuing and demanding women’s small feet had begun by this natural recognition of primitive behaviors. The fact that most men prefer women’s small and sweet feet is one of the common sayings, and is not deniable. Above all, many scholars of Freudianism said shoes symbolized a woman’s vagina and feet stood as a symbol to a man’s penis. In the West, because of the rumor that penis length is in proportion to men’s feet, men like women’s small feet, sometimes women are forced to have small feet. The directive ‘Goose-foot’ is an example to rebuke women of large feet. In the East, foot binding is known well to most people worldwide. The phrase, ‘A pair of foot bindings is a jar of tea’ is not below the average. It was one of some old customs of China, which had oppressed Chinese women by binding their feet as a rag for years. Of course, it also indicates bound feet itself.
Analyzing the original reason deeply, you might find two major causes. First, Chinese men have an interest in women’s feet. A long time ago, there were two styles of Chinese beauty, one was a slim woman’s style and the other style was fatty. Cho Bi yeon represents the former, and Giifei Yang the latter. The most important thing, one common point between them, was that they had small feet. Ultimately, at that time women were compulsive to shorten original feet size, although the pain could be endured for at least 2 years for young girls. Actually, this point is similar to the recent trend many women now undergo with plastic surgery for more beauty. Second, we can think of the origin as the purpose of Chinese men for sexual entertainment to use women. You might assume that it was far beyond women’s power to walk with their tiny feet, which didn’t grow past ten centimeters.
The Secret of Animation Dealt with Women’s Shoes
Actually, there are a variety of opinions regarding Cinderella. Let’s take notice of her shoes made from glass in this paragraph. Cinderella’s feet were suitable for the glass shoes given by the prince, but the big feet of stepmother’s sisters were not worn in the shoes. Finally, the sisters cut their feet to some degree, but the cutting behavior was interpreted as just trying to prove woman by herself at most, or the loss of virginity in other views.
Second, try to remember a poor girl of Red Shoes, who had to dance incessantly whenever she wears specific red shoes, in Red Shoes. Contrary to the shoes of blessed former Cinderella shoes, the shoes represented woman’s sexual desire and a curse and penalty owing to it. Similarly, a bad queen who tried to conspire against Snow White by handing her a poisonous apple in Snow White received a punishment that must dance with wearing too much hot shoes made of cast iron. In these two stories, you are able to know society’s attitude at that time where Christianity did cruel things and limited severely personal desire, especially women’s desire which contains that of sex.
Women and High Heels
Actually, there are lots of stories about the origin of high heels. Above all, a fact that you may be surprised about is that high heels were first worn by men, not women. The main use of high heels was not for decoration, but rather for functional purposes, the fact that men prior to women began to have concerns with shoes is certain. Finally, on the large lawn of the palace, nobles did their needs anywhere, so they felt the need to avoid lots of excrement of others, desperately. Actually, the first appearance of heels is portrayed in a wall painting of Greece Thebes old tomb of the 4th Century. The time that high heels were in all the rage was the era of Louis XIV. He frequently wore high heels to compensate for his small height. It was not until 18th Century women wore high heels. From that, men’s high heels had became.
Historically, women had stronger desires for beauty than most men. So, it is some women who persevere through very severe damage. Should a women’s real beauty be valued by men and not from women?
