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Womens Shoes-A misnomer


mskim61

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We all like to go shopping at the womens shoe store, we visit the womens section of the department store and we wear our woman's high heels. Even we as a group can't seem to break away from connecting the adjective "woman" to our shoe preferance. I have to give my significant other high praises for looking at my shoes from the perspective of nice looking, classy, neat and cool with no concern as to the heel height. Perhaps we are our own worst enemy

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We all like to go shopping at the womens shoe store, we visit the womens section of the department store and we wear our woman's high heels. Even we as a group can't seem to break away from connecting the adjective "woman" to our shoe preferance. I have to give my significant other high praises for looking at my shoes from the perspective of nice looking, classy, neat and cool with no concern as to the heel height. Perhaps we are our own worst enemy

In my opinion you are deceiving yourself. Our shoes are womens shoes as long as we are buying our shoes in the ladies section, as long as I'm one of the few male "rocky horror freaks" on high heels in the shopping mall of my hometown and as long as the big majority of other people is convinced that I'm wearing ladies shoes!

On the other side - where is the problem if the big majority is tolerating more and more that some crazy guys are wearing womens shoes? I'm full of doubts if I will see ever in my life a male high heels fashion. If yes, that would be really nice :cry: If not, I'll don't worry. I'll continue simply wearing MY WOMENS BOOTS :D

nice greetings

micha

The best fashion is your own fashion!

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at the end of the day a shoe is a shoe regardless if a man wears it or a lady wears it, the fact that some shoes have high heels and others dont isnt a problem for me, its just a shame the platforms for men have not come back in yet, on the ladies side of footwear, platforms have come back and will probably go again so why dont some of these fashion designers that are paid to make fashions for both male and female bring the platforms and stilletos for men. if ladies can drive articulated lorries why cant we walk down the street with high heels showing for all to see?? cheers kinheels

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In my opinion you are deceiving yourself. Our shoes are womens shoes as long as we are buying our shoes in the ladies section, as long as I'm one of the few male "rocky horror freaks" on high heels in the shopping mall of my hometown and as long as the big majority of other people is convinced that I'm wearing ladies shoes!

On the other side - where is the problem if the big majority is tolerating more and more that some crazy guys are wearing womens shoes? I'm full of doubts if I will see ever in my life a male high heels fashion. If yes, that would be really nice :cry: If not, I'll don't worry. I'll continue simply wearing MY WOMENS BOOTS :D

nice greetings

micha

I can actually see where both sides are coming from here. In a way, both sides are right. It just depends on the frame of reference they use. One side defines a shoe's gender from the inside out frame (they are not women's shoes, they are my shoes). The other side judges a shoe's gender from the outside in frame (currently accepted gender norms for heels).

IMHO, The trick is to balance the two by finding the right time and place for each definition.

Feminine Style .  Masculine Soul.  Skin In The Game.

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Women's shoes are shoes women wear and men's shoes are shoes men wear. If men want to wear women's shoes that doesn't make them men's shoes because very few men will wear women's shoes.

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This question may never be solved satisfactory to all involved. I have heard your side and you have heard mine. I repect your views, so let's agree that we disagree and leave it at that. Cheers--- Dawn HH

High Heeled Boots Forever!

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Women's shoes are shoes women wear and men's shoes are shoes men wear. If men want to wear women's shoes that doesn't make them men's shoes because very few men will wear women's shoes.

Thats an outside in frame.

The father of general semantics, Alford Korzybski stated, "A map is not the territory it represents, but if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness". What this means is that our perception of reality is not reality itself but our own version of it, or our "map". Everyone has their own unique map they use to navigate the territory of the world.

I think some people just take the view that people filter experience through words before they examine the reality. I think (and I could be wrong because I don't practice this belief), that they might think the phrase "women's shoes" puts the shoe into a static freeze frame that denies their reality. Just as a map deletes some information, some people choose to linguistically delete the part of the map society imposes that says heels are "women's." Such deletion, distortion, and generalization is common to all mapmaking. And common to everyones constructions of how the world operates. Everyone tailor makes maps to best serve them in their unique reality.

Feminine Style .  Masculine Soul.  Skin In The Game.

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I thought the whole idea here was "high heels," not women's shoes. Certainly shoes commonly made for women tend to have more styles with high heels than do men's, but I've got some men's 3" heel cowboy boots that give me the same feeling of walking in high heels that any other 3" heeled shoe does. There are other high heel men's shoes which many of us wear. Now if we're talking only stiletto, then, IMHO, the're women's shoes that guy's are wearing.

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In actual fact, from an industrial point of view no manufacturer makes women's or men's shoes. Many will tell thier customers that that is what they are but from a design and manufacture point of view they are courts, pumps, stilettos, flats, walking boots or whatever. They adapt to fashion. Here's an example, platform boots. In the 1970s everybody, male or female, were wearing them. When they came around again, they were only available to women. Similarly cowboy boots.

It is true to say that certain styles are aimed at specifically male or female markets but that doesn't make them exclusive to that market.

Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.

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I don't wear womens shoes. They're my shoes.

Hi Trolldeg, thats principally the best answer! I answered like you when I dared the first time to appear on high heels in my chess club. I said "if I'm wearing these boots they are male boots cause I'm a guy" But this is only the half truth ...

In the eyes of the others we are wearing female shoes. I don't care anymore if my shoes are considered as female or male. They are my shoes. But I'm not stupid enough not to realize that I'm wearing in the eyes of the others womens boots :D

nice greetings

micha

The best fashion is your own fashion!

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it's not a matter of stupidity, it's a matter of convention. you're a guy wearing shoes that are aimed at the female market, but so what.

Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.

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all i can say about this subject is, a manufacturer makes shoes for either male or female markets but that does not mean that us blokes cant go and buy and wear a pair of high heels they just make them and shops only sell them when the shop has sold them to us or a lady they dont really care as long as they are paid for. so why is it someone on here has a slight problem/querie about wearing heels. at the end of the day just wear your heels and bugger what anybody else thinks. cheers kinheels

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I thought the whole idea here was "high heels," not women's shoes. Certainly shoes commonly made for women tend to have more styles with high heels than do men's, but I've got some men's 3" heel cowboy boots that give me the same feeling of walking in high heels that any other 3" heeled shoe does. There are other high heel men's shoes which many of us wear.

Now if we're talking only stiletto, then, IMHO, the're women's shoes that guy's are wearing.

There are some of us (myself included) who like most other styles of women's shoes for personal wear. I think the term "women's shoes" catches all of us, including those who may never have interest in a somewhat flat, stylish women's sandal.

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. - Oscar Wilde

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I like what Trolldeg said. If I go out and buy some stilettos, pumps, or boots....they're not "women's shoes" in my opinion, because they're not going to belong TO a woman, hence...they're MY shoes. It's just a long-outdated convention that eventually, like all things, will change sometime....it's just a matter of time.

SQ.....still busting societal molds with a smile...and a 50-ton sledge!

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  • 1 month later...

Now that everyone has looked at this thing from every angle, including inside out, I'd like to add my 2 cents worth.

Are the shoes I'm wearing my shoes? Yes! So that makes them a man's shoe - right?

Well just one thing. I just happen to be small enough to be able to buy shoes off the shelf in my size. That's a US women's size 10 or a US men's size 8.5. Now I've never seen a high heeled shoe in say a US men's size 12. But then sizes are crazy anyway, right? So why do companies always specify men's size or women's size?

Having said that, I really don't care anymore. When I get to the checkout counter my money is accepted just as readily as any woman's. Then once I have the receipt in my hand that makes them my shoes and that is that.

Keep on stepping,

Guy N. Heels

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In Brazil shoes sizes are the same for women's and men's. Unfortunatelly women's sizes go up to 39, abot US women's 8 or 9... My size is 44/45, about US women's 13 or 14. Some stores are specialized in 43, about US women's 12, then I can buy someones that fit a bit snug. If I want a good shoe I need to order in custom makers. Aways very expensive. But it's life.

Flavio - Brazilian heel lover, now in France.

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Each to their own description, as long as you enjoy them does it matter whether we term them as womens' or not? Personally I do tend to think of my heels as being womens', but then I like to wear feminine ones anyway. Chris

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hi all- before I start, I wanted you all to know that I had to change my screen name once again! :x I'm formally tuckedinboots, then for a very brief time bradinboots (I'm Brad by the way) :cry: so this me again! well I fully agree with you on this point-I only wear "womens" shoes, so I do not really CARE what side of the shoes dept. I get MY footwear from :o oh yeah, I just recieved my new black mega platform boots from DEMONIA (my NEW name, hint hint :D) they are what you call "KISS" style they are called "Monet-610" & they are AWSOME I will tell you!!

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The father of general semantics, Alford Korzybski stated, "A map is not the territory it represents, but if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness". What this means is that our perception of reality is not reality itself but our own version of it, or our "map". Everyone has their own unique map they use to navigate the territory of the world.

Excellent!

My take:

Perception isn't reality. It's merely an abstraction thereof, and qutie often, not a very good one at that. If it were true that perception is reality, none of us would have heard of the likes of Sun Tzu or Von Claustwicz. Words like "subterfuge" and "deception" wouldn't exist.

Nay, perception is not reality. Only idealists and fools, often both, believe otherwise.

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