High Heels Were Originally Designed for Men on Horseback

When you think of high heels today, you probably picture a woman's closet. But for centuries, heels were exclusively men's footwear—and their origin story involves Persian warriors, not fashion runways.

Persian cavalry soldiers in the 10th century invented heeled boots to solve a serious military problem. When riding horses at full gallop while firing arrows at enemies, archers needed maximum stability. The raised heel hooked into stirrups, creating a secure platform that let warriors stand up in the saddle and shoot with deadly accuracy. This wasn't about looking good—it was about not falling off your horse while launching arrows at 60 mph.

From Battlefield to Ballroom

Fast forward to 1599, when Persian Shah Abbas I sent diplomatic envoys to European courts. European aristocrats noticed the distinctive Persian heeled boots and were fascinated. Here was footwear that screamed power, masculinity, and exotic military prowess. Naturally, they wanted in.

By the early 17th century, European nobles embraced heels as the ultimate status symbol. King Louis XIV of France became particularly famous for his heels, often wearing shoes with five-inch heels and red-painted soles. Only the nobility could wear red heels at his court—it was literally illegal for commoners to copy the style.

The logic was simple: if you could afford to walk around in impractical, elevated shoes, you clearly didn't work for a living. Heels became a visible marker that separated the upper class from everyone else.

When Women Started Wearing Heels

Women began adopting heels in the mid-17th century as part of a trend toward masculine fashion. Women wore:

• Heeled shoes similar to men's styles
• Military-inspired jackets and hats
• Cropped hairstyles

But by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the Enlightenment era brought a shift toward "rationalism" in men's fashion. Men abandoned flashy heels, wigs, and ornate clothing in favor of practical, sober attire. Heels became associated with "irrational" femininity, and women inherited them almost by default.

The gender flip was complete by the 19th century. What started as Persian battle gear became Europe's ultimate symbol of masculinity, then transformed into an exclusively feminine fashion statement—all because ideas about gender, power, and practicality kept changing.

So next time you see someone teetering in stilettos, remember: those shoes have a warrior lineage that goes back over a thousand years.