Friday, January 12, 2018

High Heels

Improbable research links to articles trying to answer the most important question of the day: Why wear high heels?


 a new (experimentally-tested) hypothesis by David M. G. Lewis, Eric M. Russell, Laith Al-Shawaf, Vivian Ta, Zeynep Senveli, William Ickes and David M. Buss, presented in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, Nov. 2017.
“[…] we hypothesized that high heels influence women’s attractiveness via effects on their lumbar curvature. Independent studies that employed distinct methods, eliminated multiple confounds, and ruled out alternative explanations showed that when women wear high heels, their lumbar curvature increased and they were perceived as more attractive. Closer analysis revealed an even more precise pattern aligning with human evolved psychology: high-heeled footwear increased women’s attractiveness only when wearing heels altered their lumbar curvature to be closer to an evolutionarily optimal angle.”
See: Why Women Wear High Heels: Evolution, Lumbar Curvature, and Attractiveness

the website TheHistoryOfHighHeels notes that wearing high heels goes back to at least 5000 years ago.

more at Nimma'sFashionsourcebook. that has a photo of heels used in ancient Egypt.

although many of the "high heels" seem to be clogs: Raised on platforms, presumably so you didn't step into mud or animal droppings.

And of course, high heels were worn by men: maybe to look tall, but even today, cowboy boots have heels to better hold the stirrups when you are on a horse.

and if you like Fashion history, try to find this film:

No comments: