When Real Men Wore Heels

[dr1819]

Catchy title, interesting history, and certainly some fodder for discussion!

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0507.larson.html

For example, I did not know that rulers across Europe coveted talons rouges (red heels) for their footwear. I did know that King Louis XIV of France wore red high heels, some of which were as high as five inches. But I didn't know is how much influence Enlightenment thinking had on the return to more utilitarian garb. I suspect Englightenment had a lot to do with the French Revolution, though, which put an end to opulence in the French courts.

[Guest]

like I've said before in this forum dr1819, it was MEN who 1st wore heels, NOT women!! I'm glad you were able to point this out in this article!

[Guy N. Heels]

like I've said before in this forum dr1819, it was MEN who 1st wore heels, NOT women!! I'm glad you were able to point this out in this article!

It was MEN who first wore skirts, ruffles and lace, high heels, and much more that is now considered the domain of women's fashion. (Talk about a propaganda snow job.) So who, exactly, are the real crossdressers?

[dr1819]

It was MEN who first wore skirts, ruffles and lace, high heels, and much more that is now considered the domain of women's fashion. (Talk about a propaganda snow job.) So who, exactly, are the real crossdressers?

GREAT QUESTION!!!

Of course it's the women!

Consider the current styles marketed to women:

Gauchos - the cropped, flaired pants that are still worn by cowBOYS of the same name in Brazil.

Ponchos - High Plains Drifter. Clint Eastwood. A pullover worn by MEN in Peru. Need I say more?

Caftans - A MALE garment worn by MEN in the Middle East. Yes, today, and by most men, there.

Kimono - A loose, wide-sleeved robe, fastened at the waist with a wide sash, worn by men and women in Japan, and yes again, by many Japanese men.

Sarong - A length of brightly colored cloth wrapped about the waist and hanging as a skirt, worn by both men and women in Indonesia, the Malay Archipelago, and the Pacific islands. (From the Malay word for sheath or covering), and yes, by most men there.

Pareo or pareu - Tahitian word for a rectangular piece of cloth worn by Polynesian men and women as a wraparound skirt or loincloth, and still worn by most men there.

Tunic - A gown-like outer garment, usually around knee-length, either short-sleeved or sleeveless, and sometimes belted at the waist. Robin Hood. Need I say more? Today’s “tunics” are not true tunics, however, as the “tunic” is an outer garment designed to cover one from the neck to the mid-thigh. The remainder was covered under tights. And yes, by men, even if it were originally under the guise of doublets (hose worn by men and women that tied around the waist).

ALL of these garments are MALE garments in their countries of origen, with only three of the seven being worn by both sexes; the rest were/are worn exclusively by men. So, yes - WOMEN are the CROSSDRESSERS, not men!

Kilt - Kilts are skirt-like garments, traditionally worn by men in the Scottish Highlands. Kilts are NOT skirts, but try to find one through Macy's, JC Penneys, or the like. Unless you're looking in the women's section... So make that four ways women are currently crossdressing in Western fashion circles.

Yet kilt wear is on the rise - in the last decade, more than 30 thriving online shops have spring up that sell both traditional and, more commonly, contemporary kilts for men, and perhaps half that many shops have been marketing skirts for men. Not frilly things, but manly skirts, that look like they were made for men.

Some of the contemporary kilts are pleated, some are nothing more than skirts of the same general length as kilts. A kilt is a pleated wrap, while some of these "kilts" are fasted or even zippered and belted like any other skit, and quite a few models available don't have pleats at all. A zippered, non-pleated unbifurcated garment is a SKIRT, not a kilt. But hey - if calling it a kilt gains more sales, I'm all for it. The more men showing up in unbifurcated clothing the better for everyone. It's all about freedom, baby, and I'm not talking about the freedom to wear what you want to - I'm talking about freedom for the pair, which, by God's design, need a cooler climate than is afforded by a pair of jean pants. Think about it - why, really, is the birth rate throughout the western world declining, as sperm motility rates throughout the Western world drop through the floor? I'm no Einstein, but if the biologist say they need to be at 93 degrees or less, and I'm corralling them into a 98.6 degree sweatbox, it's not rocket science to figure out that releasing them into the vented enclosure of a skirt is probably the best thing for them. For that matter, I sincerely doubt that Monostat 7 would have been invented if women had kept to skirts, as it's largely been cited that the confines of pants greatly exacerbates this problem.

As for me, I have one true kilt (bought used, as they're very expensive), and about six skirts, ranging in length from mini (worn only around the house on very warm, muggy days) to mid-thigh, knee-length, calf-length, lower, and two that are truly ankle-length. To date I've worn only three of my skirts in public - the mid-thigh (because it really looks exactly like my pair of men's Columbia shorts, except for the number of openings at the bottom), my full-length black cotton twill ankle skirt (because in a dark tavern it pretty much disappears), and my Macabi skirt, which is actually made for men, and which I've worn while hiking (that's what it's made for).

Of course I've worn the kilt in public. It is, after all, a MAN'S garment! I wasn't all that fashionable, wearing it with my rugby shirt and hiking boots, but heh - I'm a man - who expects me to be fashionable?

As far as my skirts go, the flies on all of them open to the right (like men's pants), and when I wear them in public, it's with my black leather Levi's MEN'S belt. Most I wear on the hips, like jeans, but my black ankle-length skirt is too long, so I wear that one at my waist. I rarely mix skirts and heels, except at home, but there I'm often spotted by neighbors getting a log off the woodpile wearing my jeans skirt and my black leather boots with 4" heels. They all know, having seen me going to/from my car, etc., and since the friendships started first, they really don't care. No big deal. They still say hi, let me hold their kids, or even babysit once in a while (I do it for free - kids are tons of fun). In fact I play cards with the couple two houses down at least once a month and I do so wearing my black ankle-length skirt and a pair of "women's" black leather toe thong sandals (but they're so masculine with wide stripes they look like they could easily be men's sandals). Twice, though, I've worn my 4" cork and leather-strap sandals (two thick straps - looks just like a man's sandal, except for the cork wedge heel and 1/2" platform). Worn with my black jeans, they didn't say a thing, even though they saw the sandal clearly whenever I crossed my legs (the pants largely hid the heel, but even then it was still noticeable).

I've worn Franco Sarto black leather 4" tapered-heel boots to the movies, to renew my driver's licence, to get gas, to etc., numerous times. I've worn lots of heels, lots of times, and really, nobody gave a damn. I'd have attracted 100 times more attention wearing a pink tutu. Same goes for skirts - nobody cares. They see a man in a skirt, and most people think, "he's from another country," particularly when the skirt is fairly masculine.

They don't care.

Nobody cares.

Except, of course, self-righteous and self-appointed fashion police and others who continue to rant, "that's not the way we do things now."

That's not the way WHO does things now? Those in your family? Your community? Look around, Butch, 'cause men in your community, no matter how small, are violating YOUR rules (while adhering to the rules of what men have worn for between 500 and 50,000 years - duh). Men have always worn heels. For perhaps 100 times that length of time, they've worn skirts and robes - unbifurcated garments. Grow a brain! (if you can - most can't, so I'm not holding my breath).

Bottom line: Follow Nike. Just do it.

Let the rest of society fall where it may.

Your life is YOUR LIFE!!!

Live it to the fullest. Don't let society tell you how to live your life. It's not their life. It's YOUR life.

Make it a good one, enjoy it well, hang with the people that matter the most to you, avoid those who try to change you for no other reason than because they're pathetically narrow-minded, wear whatever the hell you want to wear (but do obey the laws, because it's not worth the fines, jail time, your time, etc.), and HAVE A GOOD TIME!

I love the Golden Apples book. I don't know if that's the exact title, but my Mom had it on the table a long time ago. It talks about holding hands while crossing the street, and a bunch of other golden oldies. Great book! Nowhere does it talk about fashion choices, but many times it mentions how to live one's life to the fullest, and I think inherent in that is that everyone should purpose and follow through on doing what they feel is right, just, and moral. Since men have worn skirts for more than 50,000 years, I have absolutely no qualms about wearing skirts. Since men have worn heels for at least half of the 500 years since heels were invented (and many men have worn them anyway, in or out of style), I have absolutely no qualms about wearing heels. Since robe-like dresses are common to many of the places I've lived or visited, I have no qualms about wearing them.

Key points (and if you're of a different opinion, I'm perfectly fine with that - whatever floats your boat):

1. I'm not into trying to pass.

2. I don't wear feminine attire - only masculine attire (regardless of cut).

3. My choice in heels is primarily masculine, as the feminine cuts just don't do it for me. I like heels, yes, but I'm not into "women's shoes."

4. Skirts and other unbifurcated garments have been the historical norm for more than 2,000 times the amount of time they have not, and modern medicine says pants are the problem behind immotility, so.... DUH!!! Who the hell is stupid enough to continue wearing pants? And if you're so stupid, you deserve to have less children!!!

FMs, all.

Out.

[Guy N. Heels]

WELL SAID However, I would like to add that as a leather crafter I am often called upon to tool belts. Except for the sizes and the buckles used, there is no real difference between a man's belt and a woman's belt. But for some reason that I still am unable to fathom, men invariably ask for very plain dowdy colors whereas women want really bright colors. If I only tooled for men I doubt if I would ever need more than 6 different stains or colors.

[jmc]

. . . If I only tooled for men I doubt if I would ever need more than 6 different stains or colors.

Reminds me of one of those "Mars vs Venus" things. It went something like this:

Most men distinguish about thirty different colors, tops. It's more than the basic "crayola-8" set but definitely less than the big "64" set. To most men, "bone" and "taupe" are indistinguishable, "peach" is a fruit and "rust" is something we hate to see on our cars! Women, on the other hand, distinguish 14 different shades of white! To the technically-minded guy, white is not a color at all, rather it is the absence of color -- or it is all colors mixed together.

[dr1819]

WELL SAID

However, I would like to add that as a leather crafter I am often called upon to tool belts. Except for the sizes and the buckles used, there is no real difference between a man's belt and a woman's belt. But for some reason that I still am unable to fathom, men invariably ask for very plain dowdy colors whereas women want really bright colors. If I only tooled for men I doubt if I would ever need more than 6 different stains or colors.

Ah, now, JMC, I'd have to differ. Perhaps my brain is wired differently. Perhaps those of artists and photographers past are similar, but I distinguish no less than 1 in about 30,000 shade difference. Then again, I'm a semi-professional photographer. No painter, but I writer, too. I'm a prolific writer (in case you haven't guessed).

Nevertheless, a recent study noticed that women, in general, preferred, brighter, and more pastel colors than men. Since this multi-cultural study showed similar results throughout the world, I suspect it's the result of a hormonal wiring of the brain.

Ok, that's fine! I like subdued colors, in both clothes and heels, even in my skirts. Then again, I'm a man...

[Guy N. Heels]

...Nevertheless, a recent study noticed that women, in general, preferred, brighter, and more pastel colors than men...Ok, that's fine! I like subdued colors, in both clothes and heels, even in my skirts. Then again, I'm a man...

I was totally astonished to learn that the Japanese, who consider most Western colors garish, prefer pale colors because they are so sensitive to color. Personally, I prefer bright colors. But most of the men that I've produced belts for asked for a USMC Black finish - even on belts that, to my mind, clearly demanded color. My advice to anyone getting custom crafted leatherwork is to ask for the brightest colors available, because experience has shown that the colors will fade and darken over time.

[Guest]

well thats just about the way it IS dr1819, you hit EVERY point in this descussion about heels & men!! I do NOT think that I NEED to care what these so-called "fashion police" think one way or the other!! they just DONT get it, now DO they!! if THEIR minds were like roadways, they are just like old 2-lane hwys (hint:like old Rt 66, namely NARROW) & all others like modern interstates!! LOL :rofl: I love to see the look on their faces when they cant figure out why I wear boots with some kind of heels, or even showing them as high boots in any way (shaft and/or the heels as being "high" as if they saw the strangest thing that a man would be WEARING!!) like drones, clones, monotone thinking people out there, NOT knowing any better than to wear what the NEXT clone happens to be wearing!!

[dr1819]

Thanks, demoniaplatforms - I appreciate your sentiment. In fact, I'm so motivated by the support here I'm going to send this thread to the Smithsonian for preservation for all time. Don't think it'll last beyond the first 23 seconds, but hey... (no, I won't send it - useless)

[jmc]

. . . if THEIR minds were like roadways, they are just like old 2-lane hwys (hint:like old Rt 66, namely NARROW) . . .

More like an old rutted dirt two-track out in the woods! The kind where you have to find a place to pull off to make room if somebody else is coming the other way.

[Guy N. Heels]

well thats just about the way it IS dr1819, you hit EVERY point in this descussion about heels & men!! I do NOT think that I NEED to care what these so-called "fashion police" think one way or the other!! they just DONT get it, now DO they!! if THEIR minds were like roadways, they are just like old 2-lane hwys (hint:like old Rt 66, namely NARROW) & all others like modern interstates!! LOL :rofl: I love to see the look on their faces when they cant figure out why I wear boots with some kind of heels, or even showing them as high boots in any way (shaft and/or the heels as being "high" as if they saw the strangest thing that a man would be WEARING!!) like drones, clones, monotone thinking people out there, NOT knowing any better than to wear what the NEXT clone happens to be wearing!!

I am reminded of the story of an American pilot who was shot-down over Viet-Nam. In order to ensure that he was properly delivered to Hanoi, his captors put him in a "Tiger Cage" and carried him around for days. But as he got to studying the cage he was in, our pilot soon figured-out that if he could manage to work just one rung loose, the entire cage would fall apart and he could escape. So he set about working on one particular rung whenever his captors weren't looking and, sure enough, eventually he managed to get it loose and made good his escape.

Now my point is that most of us are walking around with our minds in a "tiger cage". All we need to do is figure out how we are mentally imprisoned and then break out of our personal "tiger cage". This is especially true of the realm of fashion.

[dr1819]

Reminds me of one of those "Mars vs Venus" things. It went something like this:

Most men distinguish about thirty different colors, tops. It's more than the basic "crayola-8" set but definitely less than the big "64" set. To most men, "bone" and "taupe" are indistinguishable, "peach" is a fruit and "rust" is something we hate to see on our cars! Women, on the other hand, distinguish 14 different shades of white! To the technically-minded guy, white is not a color at all, rather it is the absence of color -- or it is all colors mixed together.

Hmmm... Perhaps that's what happened between myself and my wife. She wasn't technically colorblind (she could distinguish all the plates on the standard test), but she could never grasp the more subtle colors, and as her paintings were about the only thing at which she felt successful in life, she had a difficult time when I commented on her choice of colors. She would claim they were exact replicas, whereas I could see vast differences in color.

Over time I learned to simply complement on her work, and shut up about the colors...

Probably explains why I'm always re-calibrating my monitor using programs and equipment that cost me $173...