High heels are in danger of extinction as sexual harassment and assault allegations skyrocket
- The high heel is on its way out, The New York Times reported.
- Ditching heels may be a nod to safety - especially as sexual assault and harassment allegations dominate the news.
- It also seems to be a way for women to reclaim their well-being more generally over being sexually appealing to men.
As powerful men in industries from the restaurant world to tech are hit with sexual assault and harassment allegations, women are ditching heels - both for safety and as a way to reclaim control.
The New York Times reports that many women are ditching high heels, and instead turning towards more comfortable options from the super-utilitarian Crocs to trendy sneaker brands like Allbirds.
There are many factors behind the trend - but a through line seems how women are treated in 2017.
First, there are questions of safety. High heels are often painful creations that are typically more difficult to walk in than the average flat, making it difficult to escape dangerous situations.
"You only need to spend a few minutes on the internet these days to see that, yes, there are quite a lot of times when, unfortunately, it would help to be able to run," Renee Engeln, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, told The Times.
"Men have no clue that this is something a lot of women think of," shoe designer Eree Kim said on the topic of making shoes that women can defend themselves in.
Still, ditching heels isn't simply a strategy to fend off sexual violence for most. Instead, at a time when women are exposing sexual predators across countless industries, ditching heels can be a way to show that they value their own general well-being over men's desires.
"High heels can lead to corns on the toes, corns in between the toes, damaged and thickened toenails, cause bunions to worsen, create hard skin on the sole of the foot, lead to changes in the shape of the foot, affect knees and hips, and affect foot function later on in life," podiatrist Andrew Gladstone told Business Insider.
With the obvious health repercussions, women - even women who wear heels - are increasingly protesting the fact that the high heels has become so widely accepted.
The Times interviewed Florie Hutchinson, who is campaigning to get a flat emoji to be added to the iPhone in addition to the current red high heel. Cannes was forced to apologize in 2015 after women wearing flats were reportedly turned away from a viewing of Carol. And, temp worker Nicola Thorp petitioned the British government to make it illegal for companies to require women to wear heels to work.
The Times reports that people often gravitate towards heels during times of heightened anxiety. Post-9/11, flats and sneakers sky-rocketed in prominence after a peak of high heel popularity.
Women's political power and unequal treatment have dominated headlines over the last year. As more women take a stand, it makes sense that fashion will also evolve - if not to kill the high heel all together, at least to make room for safer options for women.