- In 1533, Catherine de Medici wore two-inch high heels to impress the court at her wedding to the Duke of Orleans, and European nobility soon copied her example. In the early days of high-heeled shoes, only the wealthy and aristocratic could afford to wear them.
- Mass-produced shoes made their debut in the 1920s. Women's hemlines were higher, so their shoes' appearance was much more important to them. Heels taller than two inches were all the rage throughout the decade.
- Many vertically challenged women, England's "Bloody Mary" (Queen Mary I) included, have worn high heels for the sense of power they provide to the wearer.
- The construction of high-heeled shoes forces changes in the posture of the wearer that result in a sexy, undulating walk. They cause the wearer's legs to appear longer and create a myriad of illusions about the feminine form that appeal to both sexes.
- The high heeled "shoe mania" exhibited by the character Carrie on "Sex and the City" is well known, and Hollywood celebrities and other examples of society's elite are often seen stepping from their limousines onto the red carpet in high-heeled shoes. For this reason, many women feel more glamorous when wearing a pair of high heels.
- High heels force the ball of the foot to bear the entire burden of walking, rather than distributing the weight evenly. Heels higher than three inches put seven times the amount of pressure on it. Foot deformities, knee and back pain, as well as sprained ankles can all result from wearing high heels.
