For many generations, high-heels have signified femininity and trendiness, but they were initially worn as a form of riding footwear. In Persia, or modern-day Iran, horsemanship was an essential fighting style and soldiers wore heels for a more secure stance in their stirrups. After awhile, Persian culture was spread throughout Western Europe; wearing heels was adopted by aristocrats and became one of the biggest symbols of masculinity. As the popularity of heeled shoes increased, many members of the lower ranks in society began to catch on to this trend, and decided to wear heels as well-- this prompted the aristocracy to increase the height of their heels, giving birth to popularity of high heels among the wealthy. The fashionable trend was soon passed overseas, and Europeans caught on to the trend. In the seventeenth century, elites followed a unisex shoe fashion, but masculinity was what was "in". With this, women adopted the heel in efforts to masculinize their outfits. Overtime, the style of heels began to differ for men and women-- men's heels were bulky while women's were dainty and curvaceous.

The eighteenth century brought about change in gender roles with the Enlightenment. With a new respect for education, men began to wear more practical clothing. This began what is known as the Great Male Renunciation, where men began to wear darker colors to give off a more "sober and homogeneous look". Signifiers of social class became less important, while the differences between sexes became important, and thus, more defined. "There begins a discussion about how men, regardless of station, of birth, if educated could become citizens. Women, in contrast, were seen as emotional, sentimental and uneducable. Female desirability begins to be constructed in terms of irrational fashion and the high heel - once separated from its original function of horseback riding - becomes a primary example of impractical dress" (Kremer, 2013).

The former trend of high heels being associated with masculinity was over, and heels were seen as effeminate-- by 1740 men stopped wearing them altogether. Heels did not become fashionable again until the mid-nineteenth century, when photography was heavily focused on the female self-image. With new technology, taking pictures and videos of naked women became more popular, and this is when wearing heels became a "feminine act".