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A Brief History of Shoes
The Greeks took good care of their feet, adapting their footwear for every type of activity. Women at first went barefoot but began to wear sandals as both style and quality of sandals flourished. Shoes were used to identify station with the height of the sole and the colour orientation indicating the wearer's social class. The Greeks emphasised design and beauty with elegance, refinement, extravagance and rich ornamentation, especially for women. Greek women of ill repute wore elevated sandals to attract men's attention. Their sexy Trendleberg wiggle created an audible "clacking" when walking and this was acknowledged as a deliberate flaunting of sexual charms. Romans devised military style thongs, which enabled their legions to travel the empire on foot. The caligae was a sturdy thick-soled heavy leather sandal with an upper that reached the instep. When victorious soldiers returned from war they frequently substituted the bronze nails, which held the caligae together with gold and silver tacks. Women's feet were a symbol of chastity and worshipped by fetishists. Senator Lucius Vitellus kept a shoe of his mistress under his tunic and would kiss it frequently. This type of fetishism, according to Ovid in his Ars Amandi, led Roman women to confine their feet into tiny shoes. The Romans, like the Greeks never entered a house without removing their shoes. Although shoes have never been as expensive as today's styles. Cheap shoes can cost less if you do your homework. The internet seems to be the cheapest place to find shoes. The only problem is that you can't try them on first. What has been done in the past is to find the same style in a retail store and get your size. Then find a company online selling the shoes you want at a discount price. You'll usually find a larger selection and if it wasn't exactly what you were looking for, the return shipping is sometimes free. Yes, they are cheap shoes, but no one will know how much you paid for them. |
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