Heritage/Sexism?

[ilikekicks]

http://l.yimg.com/k/im_siggt1EXC1GY51rsnTSFY3XxGg---y526-x595-q75-n1/omg/us/img/8d/f0/1867134615_7333944848.jpg

Above is a link that actually had me thinking for a moment.

I know this is a site about heels and such but. this being a fashion thing ( as are shoes ) I would be inclined to believe such a conversation could be held if it hasnt already? If so, please feel free to end this thread.

I was wondering where are the differences between a mans outfit and a womans?

From what I have come to understand, the Kilt itself was from the higherlands in Scotland from somewhere around the 15th ( 16th? ) century. I dont know if it was a gender specific item or not, but in todays world, its commonly associated strictly to men.

Skirts have been worn by both genders for quite a while and all over including Asia. Dhoti is a ' dress ' that men wear in some parts of india. The ' thobe ' was of Arabic descent. How about the Vatican and the cassock ( its a dress more then a skirt though ).

What I have mentioned is actually ( in some cases ) part of a traditional or formal wear for men.

Whats the reason/motivation for my bring this up?

In my brief visit to this site thus far, I have learned quite a bit. Its a ' different ' kind of crowd. Men whom are supposedly wearing womens footware.

At one time, in the UK and parts of what was to become the ' United States ', artificial hair was worn.( pic from this link is my referral )

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-67421776749544_2150_1233500197

Looks like a ' wig ' to me.

To be fair, from past threads, I dont want this to be about transgendered people, gay people, straight people, cross dressers or any specific group of individuals. Lets leave this as a wider perspective but with thoughts or comments of certain groups during certain times.

We all know you cant wear a dress to work crops in a field and not be worse for wear. Surely , boots would be best on our feet instead of flip flops. Common sense truly dictates certain things to us. Where I work, coveralls are a must with all the auto-fluids being about. Steel toed and shanked ' work boots ' are mandated by law. I cant ever wear sneakers as if something falls off a lift or some height and it has weight, damage and loss of bodily parts HAS happened before ( and still can happen ).

Inside our daily lives though, what starts fashion and where exactly was anything dictated or standards set?

I could see a good argument that a skirt or kilt ( loose traditional ones ) would be better for running or outdoor work. Ive never tried to run in a loose skirt but I could see advantages to it. Maybe those scot's were onto something? ( I dunno, thus I ask )

I figure there had to be some ' practical ' reasons moreso then just ' fashion ' in regards to why exactly these things changed. Men dropped wigs, why? Traditional ' dresses ' are still worn today but as mentioned before, its more for formality or some traditional/ethnic representation.. why?

I did find this although I really dont care for wikipedia.. heres a few snippits from it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-heeled_footwear

"In 1533, after men had already started wearing heels again, the diminutive Italian wife of Henry II, King of France, Queen Catherine de' Medici, commissioned a cobbler to fashion her a pair of heels, both for fashion and to suggest greater height. They were an adaptation of chopines and pattens (elevated wooden soles with both heel and toe raised, not unlike modern platform shoes or clogs and sabots), intended to protect the feet of the wearer from dirt and mud; but unlike chopines, the heel was higher than the toe, and the "platform" was made to bend in the middle with the foot. That raised shoes had already been worn as a fashion statement in Italy, at least, is suggested by sumptuary laws in Venice that banned the wearing of chopine-style platform shoes as early as the 1430s.

High-heeled shoes quickly caught on with the fashion-conscious men and women of the French court and spread to pockets of nobility in other countries. The term well-heeled became synonymous with opulent wealth.[2][unreliable source?] Both men and women continued wearing heels as a matter of noble fashion throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. When the French Revolution drew near, in the late 18th century, the practice of wearing heels fell into decline in France due to its associations with wealth and aristocracy. Throughout most of the 19th century, flat shoes and sandals were usual for both sexes, but the heel resurfaced in fashion during the late 19th century, almost exclusively among women."

"During the 16th century, European royalty started wearing high-heeled shoes to make them look taller or larger than life, such as Catherine de Medici or Mary I of England. By 1580, men also wore them, and a person with authority or wealth was often referred to as, "well-heeled"."

"In modern society, high-heeled shoes are a part of women's fashion, perhaps more as a sexual prop. High-heels force the body to tilt, emphasizing the buttocks and breasts – highlights of a woman's sexuality. They also emphasize the role of feet in sexuality, and the act of putting on stockings or high-heels is often seen as an erotic act."

So I ask, for centuries, it was a ' gender neutral ' thing, but now, its something frowned upon.

Im sure ' society ' has changed its mind(s) on a great many things. All our nations histories and many wars were fought over some of these differences, but, with the history being presented above, can someone point out to me exactly why it could be considered ' wrong ' or there being any dispute over any person wearing whatever it is they wish to and it not being a problem?

We know both genders have worn pants, dresses, socks, shoes, hats, gloves.. Why is there a ' put down ' at all?

I could see if someone had no background of the above being a bit distraught. We are ' what we know ' or ' what were told ' for the most part so I do believe there would be reasons, but if the above was presented, why should there be anything to question?

Thoughts?

[roniheels]

Even though the high-heeled shoe is just a shoe, it is a unique shoe. For such a simple accessory, it has stirred controversy, emotions, feelings, fashion, debate, lifestyles, and notoriety. Whether men will honestly and openly admit it or not, they love seeing a woman in high heels. And, as evidence of this website, there are many men who privately and publicly enjoy wearing some type of high-heeled footwear. I am 57 years old and have seen high heels go in-and-out of style on a regular basis. It seems like now, thanks to some of the most creative shoe designers ever, high heels have been a main-stay, especially as far as women's fashions. If you noticed in the Wikipedia article, they touch upon cowboy boots, early century male high heel wearers, rock bands whose members wear high-heeled footwear, and even the disco era that I live through and enjoyed, as far as being able to wear high heels publicly without anyone giving a second look because every other guy was wearing them. Whether anyone likes it or not, high heels will always be immediately be associated to women. But, as it has been mentioned in more than one post, as long as more men buy and wear high heels and in public, that acceptance might veer away totally from the one gender and hopefully the appearance of a man in high heels will be viewed with a look, but no reaction.

These articles reminded me of the old Irish Spring (soap) commercial and slogan: "Manly, yes. But we ladies like it, too." Now spin that around as far as wearing high heels are concerned.

[Dr. Shoe]

I have always said that I could wear all sorts of clothes that have been fashionable for men at sometime and look like a girl.

[Histiletto]

We can boo-hoo and speculate about the choices society has given men to wear or we can choose from the array of selections out there. Certainly, the conditioning we have received will have an effect on what we'll feel comfortable wearing socially at this time, but it is a start to having our rightful freedoms to make the personal choices that we should have been doing all along. People knowing the history of fashion will be better informed, but until our personal riight to choose for ourselves is fully vested, these by-gone days won't be that much of a factor in changing the present social attitude. The stereotypes are too ingrained. Therefore, if men want to have the choice to wear items, such as heels, we need to exhibit openly our desires to do so. We have to expect the derogatory labels and some confrontations for a season, but eventually the novelty will wear off and the surprise and discomfort of the look will diminish. Men in heels will become respected and commonplace, instead of being viewed as anti-social behavior. Society is suppose to be a result of its people, not its people the result of a society.

[SleekHeels]

Humanity's always had a need to polarise gender, and perhaps with 20th century developments in gender equality, working practices (more office/shop jobs) and mass media culture like cinema/television, the emphasis on fashion has been a reaction to that. With new manufacturing materials (synthetics like nylon) and construction (of course, the stiletto heel in the 50's) maybe women were just in the right place at the right time to get most of the shoe/fashion attention.

Although there has been a backlash against the "trappings of femininity" like high heels, the polarisation of gender persists as it always has done, it just expresses itself in different ways at different times and places... as Histiletto says: "Society is suppose to be a result of its people, not its people the result of a society".

I think something as arbitrary as who wears the trousers, cosmetics (e.g. ancient Egypt) or heels is all relative/transient and there's no "right" or "wrong" about it. What we can do is present ourselves positively to give others every chance to feel the same way about that.

[skirtedvik]

So called gender equality is one sided - if you don't see it you must be seriously blinded.It is only about women wearing or doing male stuff.Men are brought up to fear all that is connected to women (feminine) in terms of fashion and behavior and link it to homosexuality.Guess who has the major part in the early years of the child to put these views in the head.We are just a few guys who wear heels,and some like me other "female"apparel as a guy.I want to be gender equal to women but society suppresses that through many ways - public scorn and other similar rejections are part of the picture.