S01EP16 高跟鞋的发明竟然是为了男人?

Were High Heels Always a Symbol of Femininity?

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Andrea: Why were you wearing high heels for so long?

Brie:  I wore them to work and didn’t find a chance to take them off.  

Andrea: You work pretty long hours.  Is wearing high heels a requirement at your workplace?

Brie:  It’s not a requirement at my work, I just like to wear high heels because they make me look taller and feel lady-like.  Though I have heard that not so long ago there was a lot of controversy over companies requiring their female employees to wear high heels, even though studies had shown that they could hurt their feet after extended wear.

Andrea:  That’s true. In the US in the 1990s, several airlines required their female flight attendants to wear heels of at least one half to two inches in height during work. High heels were also required as part of the dress code of cocktail waitresses in some casinos.  The US is not the only country that has grappled with this issue, though.  In Japan, females in customer-facing roles are often required to wear heels as part of the company dress code. In 2017, the UK put in place legislation that only requires women to wear high heels on the job if men in the same position are required to dress equivalently.  This legislation came about after a female worker was sent home from her job without pay, because she didn’t want to wear high heels.  

Brie:  I think that requiring a woman to wear high heels is a form of gender discrimination.  It doesn’t make sense why the rule would only apply to women.

Andrea:  I agree, but what I find especially strange about this whole controversy is that, historically at least, high heels were originally a fashion for men.

Brie:  Really?  So high heels weren’t always a symbol of femininity and female dress?   It can’t be!

Andrea:  Before you dig your heels too far into that conviction, let me go back in time through history to explain what I mean about this crazy fun fact!  Paintings have revealed that high heels date back to at least the 1590s.  The warriors of ancient Persia are known to be the first to wear shoes with one inch heels.  When they rode horseback, it made it easier for them to keep their feet in the horse stirrups while using their weapons in battle.   In fact, what we refer to today as the cowboy boot comes directly from this early shoe.  

Brie:  原来如今商店琳琅满目的女性高跟鞋最早的历史记载可以追溯到十六世纪末期。当时的高跟鞋是为战场上波斯男性设计的，他们为了在作战时能更稳地踩紧马蹬，坐稳马鞍，挥舞武器杀敌而成为了第一批穿上高跟鞋的人。So, the first high heels were made for purposes of war.  How then did they become a fashion statement?

Andrea:  Persian migrants introduced them to Europe.  By the 17 century, they were worn by male European royalty and aristocrats to show off power, wealth, and military prowess.  For men at that time, fashion was all about showing off sculpted calves and thighs, and high heels helped to make men look taller and do just that.   Louis the XIV, the French sun king famously known to wear high heeled shoes with red heels, believed that the higher the heel on a shoe, the better.  He wore heels of up to 5 inches in height!  In 1670, he even made it illegal for anyone other than nobility to wear them. 

Brie:  波斯移民随后把高跟鞋带到了欧洲。到17世纪，欧洲皇室贵族男士们都穿上了高跟鞋。他们认为高跟鞋可以让他们看起来更加高大，还可以让他们的腿看上去更加的健美。 法国太阳王路易十四以穿红色高跟鞋而闻名，他认为鞋的鞋跟越高越好,可以充分显示自信与权威。他甚至颁布法律禁止贵族之外的人穿高跟鞋，因为他认为高跟鞋是尊贵身份的象征。How come only royal and aristocratic men wore high heels and women of the same social standing did not?

Andrea:  At that time, high heels were seen as a sign of masculinity and demonstrated a man’s ability to crush his enemies. It was not befitting of a woman.  There was also a practical reason that women did not wear high heels.  Unlike men, they had to keep their legs covered under multiple layers of skirts, and the risk of falling and possibly miscarrying a baby was too high to risk wearing high heels.  Therefore, women only wore low heels or platform shoes. 

Brie:  在当时的欧洲，高跟鞋被认为是体现男子气概以及战胜敌人能力的标志， 并不适合女性。 贵族孕妇们也担心穿高跟鞋容易使她们被厚厚的裙摆绊倒，而导致流产。So, when did the situation flip?  When did high heels become a fashion statement only for women?

Andrea: The design of women's shoes changed in the 18th century, becoming higher, more decorative, and more narrow.  Innovations in shoe design and changes in women’s fashion made it more safe for women to wear high heeled shoes.  In the 1730s, wearing high heels was no longer trendy for men as their fashion became more practical and high heels came to be seen  as a less practical shoe choice.  Also, the shoe’s growing popularity among women made the shoes seem more feminine.  By the time of the French Revolution, high heels were only worn by women. 

Brie:  到了18世纪，随着女鞋设计的创新以及女性时尚潮流的变化，越来越多的女性开始穿起了让她们看上去更高，更具装饰性也更加安全的高跟鞋。 到法国大革命时期，高跟鞋已经演变成了女性们的专利。Wow, that is a very strange historical twist!  First, high heels were a symbol of masculinity and now they are a symbol of femininity.  For a long time, women were not allowed to wear high heels because they were seen as belonging to the dress code of men.  Now, high heels are so ingrained in the dress code of women that, in some industries, women are required to wear them to work!   I’m surprised, and now also kind of angry about this whole situation.

Andrea:  Yes, it is a strange turn of events, but don’t let that set you back on your heels.

Brie:  Set me back on my heels, what do you mean?  I already took my high heels off!

Andrea:  I mean don’t let this surprising fun fact be a setback for you, instead use this newfound information to make a positive impact!

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Controversy  / ˈkɒn trəˌvɜr si /    争议

Flight attendant  / əˈtɛn dənt /  空乘务员

Cocktail  / ˈkɒkˌteɪl /  鸡尾酒

Casino  / kəˈsi noʊ /  赌场

Legislation  / ˌlɛdʒ ɪsˈleɪ ʃən /  立法

Equivalently  / ɪˈkwɪv ə lənt li /  同等地

Discrimination  / dɪˌskrɪm əˈneɪ ʃən /  歧视

Femininity  / ˌfɛm əˈnɪn ɪ ti /  女性气质

Conviction  / kənˈvɪk ʃən /  定罪

Persia  / ˈpɜr ʒə /  波斯

Stirrup  / ˈstɜr əp / 马镫

Migrant  / ˈmaɪ grənt /  移民

Aristocrat  / əˈrɪs təˌkræt / 贵族

Prowess  / ˈpraʊ ɪs /  威力，实力

Nobility  / noʊˈbɪl ɪ ti /  贵族

Masculinity  / mæskjʊˈlɪnɪtɪ /  阳刚之气

Befitting  / bɪˈfɪt ɪŋ /  合适的

Ingrained  / ɪnˈgreɪnd / 根深蒂固的

Phrases:

Grapple with (something)  尽力解决，设法应对

Dig your heels into  尤指不顾他人劝说，坚持己见，一意孤行

Turn of events  形势的变化

Set (someone) back on (someone’s) heels  使人处于惊奇，不安或迷惑的状态, 而影响他的表现

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们，请别忘了点击订阅！拜拜，咱们下期再见!

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