Odds are that if you’ve ever worn heels, you’ve experienced the splendor of needing to take them off and walk home/dance/sit barefoot to prevent the (what feels like) permanent damage from worsening. So why do we do it? Shoe designer Christian Louboutin has some ideas.
“There is an element of seduction in shoes that don’t exist for men,” he told UK Vogue. “The language starts with the shoe and radiates over the whole body. A woman can be sexy, charming, witty or shy with her shoes. Shoes for men are about elegance or wealth – they are not playing with the inner character.”
He continues by saying the above is why “women are happy to wear painful shoes” because “a little discomfort is balanced by something else, which has to do with desire”.
“You feel yourself, empower yourself, know yourself,” he continues. “You are aware of your body. This little act of discomfort pays off in lots of other ways.”
That’s fair enough for Mr. Louboutin to say, but when has he had to brave weddings, work events or even a walk home with ill-fitting footwear that leads to the need for slippers, socks and the fetal position for several days? True, the man’s launching a book to celebrate his 20 years in the industry and considers Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss among his closest clients – but we all remember what happened with Posh Spice’s feet.
Here’s to Christian Louboutin contemplating designing some sort of magical insole.
