Why women around the world are ditching high heels and starting to wear athletic sneakers

In medieval Asia, there was a curious tradition of binding girls’ feet with tight bandages to prevent their growth. What was the result of this practice? Thousands and thousands of adults with disabilities. Do you think something has changed in our days? Employers often require women to spend at least 5 days a week wearing shoes that deform their feet. And yes, we are talking about heels. Fortunately, today there are more and more women who can refuse to wear them and go to the office or to a social event wearing sneakers.

At the awesome.club, we try to figure out what’s going on with the modern shoe dress code. And do you know what we discovered? Very interesting stuff that we want to share with you.

First, women stopped agreeing with the need to hurt their feet in order to comply with invented beauty standards and norms.

Recently, the internet was rocked by the Japanese campaign #KuTooin which residents of that nation presented their employers with permission to go to the office with sneakers and comfortable shoes.

The name “KuToo” originated as a play on words, a symbiosis between the name of the famous #MeToo movement (“Me too”) and the Japanese words kutsu (“shoes”) and kutsuu (“pain”).

The actresses who are supposed to walk the red carpets in high heels also decided to show that they find it very uncomfortable. An example of this denial happened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, when Kristen Stewart took off her shoes in front of photographers, who were astonished.

Actresses Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph also took theirs. Both were supposed to announce the winner of “Best Short Film” at the Oscar ceremony in 2018, and they took the stage holding their sandals in their hands. One of the women was barefoot and the other came in with comfortable slippers on her feet.

Doctors never tire of reminding women that frequent wearing high heels provokes serious illnesses. The unnatural position of the feet when wearing these shoes causes a change in the body’s center of gravity, overloading the forefoot and increasing muscle tension. And this can result in arthritis, osteoarthritis, swelling, flat feet, varicose veins and serious back problems.

For those who are not yet ready to give up their favorite shoes, doctors advise:

Choose shoes with thick heels: this distributes weight more evenly and reduces the risk of bending your ankle. Avoid those with tight ends, which compress and deform the fingers. Choose models of the correct size to prevent the feet from moving from side to side (this friction causes the appearance of calluses and wounds that bleed). Perform exercises to strengthen the muscles in the ankles and lower legs (for example, balance on each leg for 30 seconds).

It seems that the sports shoes business has been growing rapidly. Draw your own conclusions: in 2014, Nike earned more than 16 billion dollars from the sale of sports models and Adidas earned more than 8 billion dollars. In 2018, the same manufacturers received 22 billion and 12 billion respectively.

At the same time, sales of high-heeled shoes began to decline: in 2017, they decreased by 11%.

This is largely due to the fact that more and more women prefer comfortable shoes. Also, the dress code has undergone major changes. If the combination of sports sneakers with a sundress was perceived as a sign of bad taste a few years ago, now such an outfit is considered ultra-modern.

The work of marketers had a lot to do with this, because they taught us to see sneakers not as ordinary models, but as objects of art by designers. As a result, the world received mass-produced comfortable footwear, which, moreover, was accompanied by additional sensations and experiences.

There are sneakers associated with subcultures and with significant events (for example, the London Olympics). And, in the spring of 2019, Adidas released the game of Thrones, in an event that coincided with the end of the popular series. Now, fans can experience models like “House Lannister” or “House Targaryen”.

Classic white models, the color of nails or hair, with platform, perforated, with a suede upper and elastic straps… Nowadays you can choose sneakers for any situation.

But there are also exclusive models that are highly sought after by collectors (yes, who go after unusual or “stellar” designs). They wait for official releases of this or that series, participate in closed communities and participate in exhibitions like “Sneaker Con”.

Some even “addict” to it for many years and assemble huge collections that can cost up to 500 thousand dollars

The love of stiletto heels is quite common among women in big cities. They can wear these shoes in winter or take them on vacation and parade in them on the sidewalk in the old quarters of Rome or Istanbul. And all this to impress, demonstrate the slender legs and feel stylized.

Fashionable women are unlikely to accept sneaker collection. For many, they are associated with common sports shoes or very low-quality consumer goods on the market.

But the doctors wouldn’t object to them wearing comfy shoes massively. In 2014, the issue of banning high heels was discussed, the constant wearing of which leads to ligament and joint injuries, as well as the development of flat feet.

Good news for everyday consumers: shoes will become more and more comfortable and respectful of the environment. Since 2012, knit sneakers created in the run-up to the London Olympics have not gone out of fashion. The upper part of them is made from a single piece of yarn.

Another emerging trend in the footwear industry is 3D printing. It is already possible to create models designed specifically for each type of foot.

It’s possible that uncomfortable heels will be a thing of the past soon, but they’re unlikely to disappear from the runways. However, they will no longer be ordinary heels. Not long ago, designer Iris van Herpen presented at Paris Fashion Week some unique crystal shoes in her style. In its manufacture, not only 3D printing was used, but also laser cutting.

What do you prefer to use? Cute heels or comfy sneakers? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.