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MORE MEN ARE WEARG STILETTOS—IF THEY CAN FD THEIR SIZEHIGH THEREAS FASHN EMBRAC FLUIDY, THERE’S JT ONE PROBLEM: HOW DO MEN F TO STILETTOS?ALAA DEMOPOULOSUPDATED OCT. 03, 2018 4:44AM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 03, 2018 4:43AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY SARAH ROGERS/THE DAILY BEASTSHAOBO HAN PUT ON HIS FIRST PAIR OF HEELS AT AGE 11. THE PAIR WASN’T HAN’S, EXACTLY—HE’D STOLEN THEM OM HIS MOTHER, TO PRACTICE “PRANCG AROUND THE HOE WHEN NO ONE WAS AROUND.” HAN THOUGHT THAT BOYS WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO WEAR HEELS, SO HE MA SURE TO PLAY WH THEM PRIVATE. “I HAVE OTHER MALE-PRENTG IENDS WHO HAVE THE SAME MEMORY OF TRYG ON THEIR MOTHER’S CLOTH,” HAN TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “IT’S FASCATG THAT A LLECTIVE MEMORY EXISTS. EVEN THOUGH NOBODY TGHT HOW TO WEAR HEELS, WE ALL TRIED ON OUR OWN.” YEARS LATER, HAN WENT TO FOREVER21 TO BUY HIS FIRST REAL PAIR OF HEELS FOR $40. “I WAS LUCKY THAT MY SHOE SIZE IS A MEN’S EIGHT, WHICH IS A WOMEN’S 10,” SAID HAN. “OTHER PEOPLE AREN’T AS FORTUNATE. IF THEY HAVE LARGER FEET THAN ME, ’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FD SOMETHG THAT FS.” IF A BOY HAD LARGER FEET, HE ULD FD STILETTOS AT A DRAG STORE, BUT THAT ROURCE WOULD DRASTILLY LIM ANY SAY HE’D HAVE HIS OWN STYLE. “THOSE SHOPS TER TO PERFORMERS, SO THE SHO ARE MUCH MORE OUTRAGEO,” HAN SAID. AT DRAG OUTLETS YOU N FD STUDD STILETTOS, LEOPARD PRT PUMPS—BUT NO SUBDUED, DAY-TO-DAY HEELS. HAN GREW UP TO BE A GRAPHIC SIGNER, ALONG THE WAY NNG THE FEMME FOOTWEAR LE SYRO WH BS PARTNER HENRY BAE. THE BROOKLYN-BASED PANY SELLS HEELS AND BOOTS MEN’S SIZ 5-14. THE STYL ARE CHIC AND TRENDY—PLAID, PATENT, OVER-THE-KNEE—BUT NOT GDY à LA KKY BOOTS. WHETHER A CTOMER IS MALE, TRANS, OR NON-BARY, THE MISSN OF SYRO IS TO PROMOTE FEMY AND ENURAGE A FLUID SENSE OF STYLE. “WE GET EMAILS WHERE KIDS ARE SAYG HOW GRATEFUL THEY ARE TO DISVER , WHICH IS REALLY HEARTWARMG,” HAN SAID. “THEY TELL THAT THEY’RE WEARG THEM TO PROM, OR TO A WEDDG. THOSE SPAC ARE SO GENR-NFIRMG SO ’S NICE TO PROVI THEM A WAY TO EXPRS THEMSELV AND CHALLENGE NORMS.” BUT TO A LARGE EXTENT, THE MASTREAM FASHN DTRY STILL RELEGAT GENRQUEER, NON-BARY, OR TRANS WOMEN BACK TO THE SHAMEFUL, EMPTY HOE BURNED HAN’S “LLECTIVE MEMORY.” STILETTOS, PECIALLY, HAVE NEVER BEEN KD TO ANYONE WH LARGER FEET. WOMEN WH LARGER FEET HAVE LONG BEEN CRAFTY WHEN TO FDG SPIKE HEELS THAT F. REGARDLS OF THEIR FIGURE, THEY MIGHT SHOP A PL-SIZE STORE SUCH AS LANE BRYANT OR TORRID, BOTH OF WHICH RRY UP TO A WOMEN’S SIZE 13.LAST WEEK, LUXURY ITALIAN SIGNER FRANC RSO LNCHED A GENRLS LE OF STILETTOS AVAILABLE ITALIAN SIZE 35 TO 45. “IT’S NOT A POLEMIC, ’S NOT A POLIL,” THE SIGNER TOLD VOGUE. “IT’S SIMPLY HOW SOCIETY IS MOVG FORWARD. I THK ’S OUR DUTY AS PEOPLE TO PRODUCE PRODUCT TO RPOND TO THE WORLD.” AS RICK CATALDO STOPPED FOR A SMOKE BREAK OUTSI OF RUPL'S DRAGCON, THE PRO WRTLER/DRAG QUEEN (PERFORMANCE NAME: THE BOY DIVA), TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT HE GOT HIS FIRST PAIR OF HEELS AT PAYLS. “THAT WAS THE ONLY STORE I ULD FD THAT HAD BIG WOMEN’S SIZ,” HE SAID. NOW, THE SELF-PROFSED “KNOCK-OFF BCH” GO TO HIGH-END NSIGNMENT STOR TO SPE OUT SIZE 10S AND 11S. “I HAVE TO SAY, JSI SIMPSON IS GOOD WH BIG HEELS,” CATALDO SAID. “AND SO IS”—CATALDO TOOK HIS SHOE OFF, ON THE SIWALK, TO CHECK OUT THE LABEL ON HIS BLACK PUMPS—“DEXFLEX COMFORT.” POUR ONE OUT FOR DEXFLEX.WH A LACK OF OPTNS, MEN WHO WANT TO WEAR HEELS ARE LEFT OUT OF LUCK, TRYG TO PACK THEIR FEET TO THE CLOST F. AT DRAGCON, MANY QUEENS TEETERED STILETTOS AT THE EVENT, BUT CHANGED TO SNEAKERS FOR THEIR MUTE HOME OM THE JAVS CENTER. PERHAPS THEY SWCHED SHO FOR FORT, OR MAYBE BEE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO AL WH STAR ON THE SUBWAY—EHER WAY, SHOWED THAT FOR MANY, HEELS ARE STILL NSIRED STUME. THE SAME PERSON WHO MAY SNAP AND "YASSS" WATCHG A QUEEN DO A SPL HER STEVE MADNS MAY LOOK AWAY, UNFORTABLE, WHEN A TRANSWOMAN WALKS TO WORK THEM. SENSUAL AS THEY MAY BE, HEELS HAVE A VLENT HISTORY. AFTER ALL, STILETTOS TAKE THEIR NAME OM THE PREFERRED KNIFE OF MEDIEVAL ASSASSS. ACRDG TO EDWARD MAER, HISTORIAN AND FOUNDG DIRECTOR OF THE BATA SHOE MM, ONE THEORY IS THAT THE FIRST HEELS WERE WORN BY PERSIAN LVARYMEN. “DURG THE MIDDLE AG, THERE WAS A TYPE OF SHOE THAT HAD A HEEL ED FOR RIDG,” MAER TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. HOWEVER, THE BASE WAS MORE OF A RAISED PLATFORM THAN A TE HEEL. LOUIS XIV, WHO LED FRANCE OM 1643 TO 1715, WAS PERHAPS THE FIRST HEEL FLUENCER. HIS ORNATE, UALLY RED SHO WERE LECTABLY UNSUABLE FOR ANY ACTIVY THAT WASN’T SHOWG OFF HOW CUTE THE MONARCH THOUGHT HIS LEGS LOOKED. “MEN WORE KNEE BREECH THEN, SO YOU SAW THEIR LV,” MAER EXPLAED. “IF YOUR HEEL IS HIGHER THAN THE BALL OF YOUR FOOT, YOUR LF MCL ARE GOG TO EXPAND. THE LARGER THE LF, THE SEXIER ONE WAS NSIRED.” ONCE MEN’S LEGS WERE HIDN BY TROERS AT THE BEGNG OF THE 19TH CENTURY, THEIR HEELS DISAPPEARED, TOO. IMPRACTILY ONCE MA HEELS SO APPEALG TO THE UPPER ECHELONS, BUT ORNATE, BRIGHTLY LORED CLOTHG AND ACCSORI WERE SOON DISMISSED AS WOMANISH, FOPPISH, AND EFFEMATE. A CENTURY LATER AND A HALF LATER, THE ‘60S SAW THE REEMERGENCE OF BLOCK HEELS OR PLATFORM BOOTS FOR MEN, BUT STILETTOS WERE STILL RERVED FOR WOMEN. “THE ONLY WAY YOU ULD GET PROPER STILETTOS AS A MAN WAS IF YOU GOT THEM CTOM-MA,” MAER SAID. HOWEVER, CROSS-DRSG WAS ILLEGAL 40 STAT FOR THE MAJORY OF THE 20TH CENTURY. EVEN DAVID BOWIE, WHO LIGHTED GENR-BLURRG FASHN, STUCK TO WEDG OR PLATFORMS. ACRDG TO MAER, THE RELEASE OF THE 2005 BRISH FILM KKY BOOTS SPURRED A FLURRY OF TERT DRAG CULTURE. “THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DRAG QUEENS, BUT KKY BOOTS WAS KEY BRGG TO THE MASTREAM,” MAER SAID. RUPL’S DRAG RACE PREMIERED 2009, AND KKY BOOTS BEME A BROADWAY MIL 2013. MEN, WHO ULD ONCE ONLY WEAR HEELS THE FORT OF A LOCKED BEDROOM, WERE EE TO SLIP ON THOSE BEDAZZLED WEZMANS—IF THEY ULD ONLY F TO THE DAMN THGS. CISGENR WOMEN ARE ENURAGED TO WEAR HEELS—IF ROM- CLICH ARE TO BE BELIEVED, THE AVERAGE GIRL BASILLY LIV PATENT BLACK STILETTOS. THE SAME NNOT BE SAID FOR MALE-PRENTG HUMANS. EVEN NEW YORK, A CY WHERE YOU N OPENLY SOB ON THE SUBWAY AND BE LEFT ALONE, PEOPLE WILL OPENLY GAWK OVER A MAN HEELS. THEY’LL TLL. THEY’LL SNEER. THEY’LL SNAP NOT-SO-VERT PHOTOS. “IT’S REALLY HARD TO HAVE TO CHOOSE EXPRSN OVER PRIVACY OR SAFETY,” HAN ADMTED. UNWANTED, SOMETIM DANGERO, ATTENTN N STOP MEN OM DRSG FEMME. “MAL WHO EXPERIMENT WH HEELS GENERALLY DO MUCH LATER LIFE THAN MOST WOMEN DO,” HAN SAID. “THEY’RE 18, 19, 20 WHEN THEY BUY THEIR FIRST PAIR. IT N BE HARD FOR THEM TO FEEL FORTABLE HEELS.” THEN AGA, NO ONE IS EVER TLY FORTABLE HEELS. “I’VE BEEN THE MIDDLE OF A SERT ON TOP OF A ROCK, WEARG STILETTOS FOR A PHOTOSHOOT, AND I’VE ROLLED MY ANKLE,” STYLIST WILLIAM GRAPER TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “IT FUCKG HURTS, BUT I’M NOT ABOUT DRSG FOR REALY. I’M MORE ABOUT THE FANTASY.” “WHY DO PEOPLE WEAR SPIKE HEELS? BEE THEY N,” SURMISED MAER. “IT CHANG THEIR STANCE AND THE WAY THEY WALK. IT EMPHASIZ THEIR BUTTOCKS, AND MAK THEM FEEL MORE SENSUAL AND ATTRACTIVE. YOUR BRA WILL TURN OFF PA IF YOU THK YOU LOOK GOOD. COMFORT IS NOT THE EQUATN.” ACRDG TO GRAPER, THE RISE E-MERCE HAS ENABLED BRANDS TO START TERG TO A WIR SELECTN OF CLIENTELE. BACK THE DAY, THE MANAGER OF A STEVE MADN BOUTIQUE MAY NOT HAVE WANTED TO TAKE A CHANCE TAKG UP PREC SHELF SPACE WH AN OUTLYG SIZE 43. “ZARA, TOPSHOP, ALDO, STEVE MADN, AND EVEN JIMMY CHOO WILL ALL RRY UP TO A 42 OR 43, BUT ONLY ONLE,” GRAPER TOLD THE DAILY BEAST.GRAPER, WHO INTIFI AS MALE BUT PLAYS WH GENR EXPRSN HIS WORK, N’T TELL IF MAJOR BRANDS ARE THENTILLY EMBRACG QUEERNS, OR SIMPLY EXPLOG THEIR BRANDG TO MAKE A PROF. “I SEE THROUGH CLIENTS HIRG CERTA PEOPLE BEE THE OPTICS OF LOOKS REALLY GREAT,” HE SAID. “BUT, IF YOU’RE HIRG SOMEONE WHO’S GENR-FLUID OR TRANSGENR, AND GIVG THEM A PLATFORM, ’S GOOD FOR EVERYONE. THE MOTIVE BEHD MAY NOT ALWAYS BE PURE, BUT GIV VISIBILY. GROWG UP GAY, I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE YOU AN AD OR MAGAZE, YOU START TO FEEL LS CRAZY.” THAT’S THE BT-SE SCENAR. AT WORST, MASTREAM LABELS N THE RISK OF TOKENISM. IN 2016, ZARA LNCHED A NTROVERSIAL “UNGENRED” LLECTN, WHICH FEATURED BAGGY SWEATSHIRTS AND WHE T-SHIRTS—LOUNGE-WEAR STAPL LONG WORN BY EHER GENR TO LTLE NOTICE. IT WAS AS IF THE MEGA RETAILER WAS SCREAMG, “LOOK, WE’RE WOKE!” TO A GIANT, MEGAPHONE, EXPECTG A OKIE. INSTEAD, BACKLASH WAS SWIFT, WH CRICS BEMOANG ZARA FOR G GENR FLUIDY AS A MARKETG PLOY. SUCH WAS THE SE WHEN CHANEL LNCHED A “MAKP FOR MEN” AUGT. THE PRODUCT RANGE CLUD FOUNDATN, LIP BALM, AND EYEBROW PENCILS—PIEC THAT ARE ALL AVAILABLE CHANEL’S MA “WOMEN’S” LP. “BETY IS NOT A MATTER OF GENR, IS A MATTER OF STYLE,” REPS FOR THE PANY SAID A STATEMENT TO WWD, WHILE SIMULTANEOLY SEGREGATG S LIP BALM BY GENR.SUCH APPROPRIATN HASN’T E FOR THE STILETTO WORLD YET, BUT ULD BE JT A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE BIG FASHN FOR MEN’S HEELS WH DOLLAR SIGNS S EY. COULD SUCH MERCIALIZATN RPT WHAT SMALL, QUEER-OWNED BRANDS HAVE DONE PROMOTG CLIVY FOR CLIVY’S SAKE? HAN’S “BIGGT FEAR” WOULD BE A FOREVER21-QUE “MALE STILETTO” LLECTN. “WE’RE AAID THAT THE MASTREAM DTRY SE AS A MONEY OPPORTUNY. BUT ’S TRICKY, BEE AT THE SAME TIME, I WOULD LOVE FOR MORE HEELS TO BE ACCSIBLE TO EVERYONE.” PERHAPS TERT MEN'S HEELS IS A LONG OVERDUE VALIDATN FOR A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE LONG BEEN MARGALIZED, BUT MIGHT BE TOO LTLE, TOO LATE. IN A SNEAKER-CRAZED SOCIETY, WHERE THE WASHGTON POST REPORTS THAT STILETTOS SAL ARE DOWN 12 PERCENT 2017, DO ANYONE—REGARDLS OF GENR EXPRSN—REALLY WANT A HEEL, ANYWAY? "PEOPLE ARE UNFORTABLE AND UNHAPPILY POLILLY, AND MAK SENSE THAT THEY WANT TO FEED GROUND," GRAPER MED. "WHEN YOU'RE SKY-HIGH A STILETTO, YOU'RE NOT GROUND." THERE ARE MANY KDS OF HEELS, BUT NONE E CLOSE TO MUNITG DRAMA QUE LIKE A STILETTO N. IT'S WHAT'S KEPT THE LOOK VOGUE FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS. SURE, THEY'RE FORTABLE, BUT KTEN HEELS WILL NEVER BE AS STYLISH AS THEIR TALLER S. IN GRAPER'S WORDS, "I DON'T LOVE WHEN PEOPLE GO FOR A SHORTER BEE WILL BE EASIER TO WALK . IT'S LIKE, SH OR GET OFF THE POT." ALAA DEMOPOULOS
I really don’t know if this is some sort of “metro sexual man” kd of thg, or whether has to do wh an isolated attempt by members of the LGBT muny to rporate high heeled sho to the fashn repertoire of the gay muny.
”Bis, our clothg n no longer tomatilly be nsired a “tell” for anythg, as was reprsive eras when, say, closeted gay men were forced to signal their sexualy to each other through the kd of d sartorial gtur that gave rise to slurs like “queer as Dick’s hatband. It was the 24th edn of the annual race Chue, a gay-iendly neighbourhood, which draws petors om abroad and is one of the most eagerly awaed parts of the ftival of the LGBT muny. Growg up gay, I know that when you see someone who looks like you an ad or magaze, you start to feel ls crazy.