Heel, boy!

The other day I read one of those factoids--interesting facts of no real importance--that had a headline, "Men were first to wear high heels." The story was that men wore high heels to keep their feet in the stirrups while riding. It ended by saying, "Once women started wearing high heels men stopped wearing them." Well, most guys, anyway. (They forgot about cowboys, or the Beatles, who wore 3" heels on their boots when they came to the U.S. in '64.)

I'm not sure about that factoid, because my dad's childhood book, The Book of History, from 1930, shows pictures of high heels on women in ancient Greece. Here's an illustration from the book, which was taken from a fresco.

An illustration of Helen, wife of Menelaos, meeting Paris, prince of Troy, is given some authenticity by having the clothing taken from pictures of contemporary dress found on pottery and frescoes. It shows Helen and her handmaidens all wearing high heels. And exposed breasts.

(This picture had a particular fascination for me as a child, as you might imagine.)

I don't know the history of high heels, but I know that women have had a love affair with them forever. Shoe styles change, but high heels are never out of style.

I went on the Internet and found these pictures. So, who do you think looks better in high heels? This leggy lass?

How about this leggy lad?

This pair of queens?

Or this queen?