Bata Shoe Museum To Open Bold New Exhibition Exploring Men in Heels

TORONTO, April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Never before have a few inches mattered so much… 

The Bata Shoe Museum is excited to announce its upcoming exhibition, Standing Tall: The Curious History of Men in Heels, opening May 8, 2015.  As the official exhibition to launch the Museum's 20th anniversary year, Standing Tall will challenge preconceived notions about who wears heels and why.  From privileged rulers to hyper-sexualized rock stars this provocative exhibition will explore the history of men in heels from the early 1600s to today, delving into the use and meanings of heeled footwear in men's dress over the last four hundred years. 

While today, the thought of a man in heels is met with disbelief and amazement, invoking images of indiscretion and being different, it hasn't always been this way.  "When heels were introduced into fashion at the turn of the 17th century, men were the first to adopt them and they continued wearing heels as expressions of power and prestige for over 130 years," said Elizabeth Semmelhack, Senior Curator, Bata Shoe Museum.  "Even after they fell from men's fashion in the 1730s, there were pockets of time when heels were reintegrated into the male wardrobe not as a way of challenging masculinity but rather as a means of proclaiming it".

Some lifestyles today continue to accept men dressing in heels; the rugged cowboy in heeled boots is the perfect example.  For most men even an extra inch on a pair of business brogues can prove to be highly destabilizing; calling their masculinity and intentions into question.  But with the advantages of height currently connected to higher pay and increased desirability, the real question is why don't men wear heels? 

Offering rare examples of men's heeled footwear from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, mid-nineteenth century military boots, 1930s cowboy boots and 1940s biker boots, visitors will have the opportunity to view John Lennon's original 1960s Beatle boot, 1970s platforms worn by Elton John and recent heels from haute couture collections, all from the Museum's own holdings. 

Fascinating and thought-provoking, Standing Tall: The Curious History of Men in Heels will be on display until June 2016. 

Rosmarie Gadzovski, Bata Shoe Museum, rosmarie@batashoemuseum.ca, +1-416-979-7799 x225