Are pointed flats the modern rendition of power dressing?
During the 80s women adopted a decidedly more masculine silhouette. Reprising the suit from their male counterparts and moving away from the ethereal aesthetic of the 70s into sharp tailoring and oversized proportions accomplished largely through the 80's stalwart, the shoulder pads. This however, was not to be mistaken for women dressing as men, rather it was a visual signifier that women too are powerful (an attribute associated with the suit and more poignantly with men in suits).
Whilst suiting, especially those that come in pastel varieties, are experiencing a revival this season and are now appropriated by men and women, this article isn't to posit the benefits of suits or shoulder pads (give them a try though). Rather it's about a pair of shoes that I feel captures that same essence of rebellious power dressing synonymous with the 80s; the pointed toe flat.
Similarly to the power suit, the pointed toe flat is a silhouette that breaks with the tradition that women should take up less room, both visually and verbally. Petite proportions and quiet clothing culminate in an image of visual docility that speaks of the historical role of agreeable women. However, like the razor edged shoulders of the 80's, the pointed toe flat seeks to challenge this stereotype. The pointed toe pump rages against restriction, elongating rather than shrinking and thus opposing the attractive image of the small, dainty female and the image of the foot that follows this.
To reference the fairytale of Cinderella, the story focuses upon the elevation from hardship to high society of a mysterious young women, who after a night's rendezvous disappears back into the obscurity of her daily chores, only to be rescued purely upon the identification of her petite foot and the revelation that this dainty foot fits the magical glass slipper. The Ugly Stepsisters (being ugly inside and out) are symbolised by their big, unfeminine feet, the identification of which leads to the unravelling of their image as high society women.
Cinderella is identified as princess-worthy through the fetishisation of femininity and the idealisation of the female body (i.e small feet being conducive to female attractiveness). Concurrently the Ugly Stepsisters possess negative qualities that are visualised through physical attributes that are considered unfeminine and ergo unattractive (bad looks such as big feet, denote a sense of female fraudulence).
Though the ugliness of the stepsisters runs far deeper then just their large footwear, the presumption that a dainty foot amounts to beauty is historically rooted. The practise of foot binding as a means of physical perfection, social progression and marital desirability was practised for more than 1000 years. And a recent google search brings up articles such as 'women with size five feet are most attractive to men' (Telegraph) and 'man's perfect woman has this type of foot' (Footfiles).
According to research documented in the Telegraph, the formula for the perfect foot is "a size five, wearing three inch heels and red toe nail varnish" with a third of men "making a character judgement based on the state of [... a women's feet]. The article focuses on self-care of female feet, mens' views on female feet and how "more than half of the UK's top earning women spend nothing on caring for their feet" - how truly shocking.
And it would seem that a man's affinity for the petite foot may be inherent, as an experiment by Jeremy Atkinson, in which composites of small footed and large footed women were shown to men in a bid that they would choose who they found most attractive. The results concluded that men were three and a half times more likely to choose the images of the small footed women as those most attractive (Footfiles).
With this in mind, it would seem that the pointed toe shoe is truly radical, elongating as opposed to encouraging a small refined, stereotypically 'attractive' image. The angular shape contradicts the typical softness and curves associated with femininity, the female form and prescribed female behaviours. The streamlined point of the shoes speaks of a tailored sophistication that is aesthetically chic in its simplicity , yet powerful in it's rebellious spike shape. Images of Rosa Klebb (the Bond villain) spring to mind and though minus the debilitating poison dipped tips, the rebellion feels palpable, metamorphosing from the material and informing my attitude.
It may be a small step of rebellion, but my pointed toe shoes encourage purposeful strides rather than reluctant shuffles. So walk tall, the world truly is at your feet.
(Photos via : WhoWhatWear, elleuk.com, vogue.es, theyallhateus.com)
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