The History of Banning High Heels

Buy a DNA kit here: and use code NICOLE. As an added bonus, you can start a 30-day free trial of MyHeritage’s best subscription for family history research — and enjoy a 50% discount if you decide to continue it. Though the early origins of high heeled shoes in European fashion were not gendered, as they returned in the 1850s popularity (and height) grew mainly on women’s shoes. This placed yet another fashionable folly on the growing list of dangerous choices for women to make in the 19th c. With growing concern about both individual and public health, these choices were seen as much more than just silly clothing- they were downright deadly. And while the Victorians and their contemporaries were nothing if not dramatic, the concerns did not fade away in their era. As of the 1920s heels began to rise once more and the concern was revived. So much so that multiple states attempted to pass bills to ban heels over 1.5“ (380mm) And it wasn’t just conc