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High heel policy

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High heels have been restricted by law and policy in various places such as schools, museums and Mobile, Alabama.[1] In this case, the sign forbids them on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara, presumably from concerns about them getting stuck between planks.
A pair of pumps / court shoes with 12 cm (4 ¾") stiletto heels

High heel policy is a regulation or law about the wearing of high heels. These may be required or forbidden in different places and circumstances.

Regulations preventing the wearing of high heels

In history

In 1430, the height of chopines (which were at times 30 inches high) was limited by Venetian law to three inches, but this regulation was widely ignored.[2] A 17th-century law in Massachusetts announced that women who had lured men into marriage via the use of high heeled shoes would be subjected to the same treatment as witches.[3] In the eighteenth century, high heels and other cosmetic devices were made illegal in England.[4]

Floor surface concerns

The pressure under a stiletto heel is greater than that under the feet of an elephant.[5] Thus, from about the 1950s, as the very narrow stiletto heel became more widespread, the owners of many types of buildings, especially historic and high-traffic public buildings, became concerned about the effects of large numbers of such heels on their floors. Specifically, there was concern that the heels would either damage certain types of floor covering, or cause minor accidents through heels getting jammed in floor-grills, the gaps in planking, or uneven surfaces. Soft outdoor ground also caused problems, affecting both the surface and the wearer. Wood flooring was seen as the most vulnerable, but carpets, linoleum, and mosaic floors were also considered at risk of damage. Signs attempting to ban stiletto heels were often seen, though generally ineffective. A 1963 article in a US building maintenance magazine stated that "Replacement of floors is estimated to have cost at least half a billion dollars throughout the country since the advent of the stiletto heel fashion."[6]

When stiletto heels were first sold in Africa, many of the wearers fell through the floors of their homes, not realizing that the floor timbers had been partly removed by termites.[7] In the US, by 1963 it was being claimed by the Department of Agriculture Forest Service that "with style changes the stiletto-heel problem has diminished".[8]

In American personal injury cases involving slip and fall accidents, the wearing of high heels can represent contributory negligence by the plaintiff.[9] Many high heel policies are related to concerns over the potential for legal claims.

Regulations requiring the wearing of high heels

In media and fashion

The expectation that women should wear high heels in formal social situations has been challenged on occasion. In 2015, a group of women were turned away from a film première at the Cannes Film Festival in France for wearing flat shoes, including a woman physically unable to wear heels due to an operation on one of her feet.[10] The women complained that this was a sexist policy which forced women into a stereotyped appearance; festival organisers later responded that there was no official policy on footwear and stated they would remind red carpet officials of this.[10][11]

In workplaces

Guidelines on acceptable dress codes in the workplace are permitted by law in order to ensure that employees are able to complete their work safely and effectively.[12] However the inclusion of the wearing of high heels in these guidelines has created controversy. Some workplace studies show that women in the hospitality industry who wear high heels have suffered injuries after tripping, falling or slipping.[12] In addition, requirements for appearance which differ for male and female employees have the potential to be considered discriminatory.[12]

During the mid-1990s, several US-based airlines required female flight attendants to wear shoes with heels. Minimum heel heights ranged from one-half inch to the two inches mandated by USAir.[13]

In 2009, the UK Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists released a report outlining the dangers of wearing high heels for extended periods and approached unions and employers to collaborate on measures to ensure risk assessments would be completed on women's footwear, and to offer alternatives to high heels where these were deemed unhealthy.[14]

Policies have been challenged in a number of locations. In 2001, cocktail waitresses in Las Vegas organised a "Kiss My Foot" campaign which was successful in getting casinos to relax their requirement to wear high heels.[15] In 2014, waitresses at three restaurant chains in Calgary, Canada, claimed that they were required to wear high heels at work despite complaining of pain and injury. Management responded that there was no written policy on wearing high heels.[16] In 2015, the Israeli airline El Al introduced a requirement that female flight attendants wear high heels until passengers had been seated.[17] The airline's workers' union stated that the requirement would endanger the health and safety of the flight attendants and instructed its members to ignore the rule.

Policies were tested again in the UK in 2016 when a temporary receptionist, Nicola Thorp, was sent home unpaid after she refused to follow the dress code at the office of accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers. Outsourcing firm Portico stated that Thorp "had signed the appearance guidelines" but after Thorp launched an online petition, the firm changed their policy. The new guideline states that all female employees "can wear plain flat shoes or plain court shoes as they prefer."[18] The petition gained widespread support from public figures such as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and MPs Margot James and Caroline Dinenage[19][20] The petition will now be debated in Parliament, having gained over 130,000 signatures.[21]

Make it illegal for a company to require women to wear high heels at work

— Nicola Thorp, Petition at UK Government and Parliament

See also

References

  1. ^ Kunzle, David (2013), Fashion and Fetishism, The History Press, ISBN 9780752495453
  2. ^ Margo DeMello (2009). Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press/ABC-CLIO. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-313-35714-5.
  3. ^ Margo DeMello (10 September 2009). Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-313-35715-2.
  4. ^ Sherrow, Victoria (2001), For Appearance' Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty, and Grooming, Greenwood Publishing Group, p. 87, ISBN 9781573562041{{citation}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  5. ^ Green, Jack (2003). "Pressure Under High Heels". The Physics Factbook. Retrieved 20 December 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Modern Sanitation and Building Maintenance, Volume 15, 1963
  7. ^ Helmut van Emden, Handbook of Agricultural Entomology, 2013, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 1118469593, 9781118469590, google books
  8. ^ United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, research note, Forest Products Laboratory, 1963
  9. ^ Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen, Jon R. Abele, Slips, Trips, Missteps, and Their Consequences, p. 170, Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company, 2007, ISBN 1933264012, 9781933264011, google books
  10. ^ a b "Emily Blunt on Cannes heels row: 'everybody should wear flats'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  11. ^ "Cannes denies high-heel rule for women on red carpet". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  12. ^ a b c "Canadian Labour & Employment Law Blog | High Heels in the Workplace could be High Risk for Employers | Miller Thomson". www.millerthomson.com. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  13. ^ Marc Linder (1997-01-01). "Smart Women, Stupid Shoes, and Cynical Employers". University of Iowa. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  14. ^ "UK unions spark debate over high heels at work". Reuters. 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  15. ^ Chandler, Susan; Jones, Jill (2011), Casino Women: Courage in Unexpected Places, Cornell University Press, p. 43, ISBN 9780801450143
  16. ^ Hart, Danielle. "Original Joe's, Boston Pizza servers claim mandatory high heel policies". Global News. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  17. ^ Tucker, Erika. "'I don't think the girls thought they could question it': high heels policy study author". Global News. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  18. ^ Johnston, Chris (12 May 2016). "Woman's high-heel petition receives 100,000-plus signatures". the Guardian. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  19. ^ Lindsay McIntosh (16 May 2016), "Heel-loving Sturgeon steps into shoe debate", The Times
  20. ^ Yorke, Harry (12 May 2016). "MPs back temp worker's campaign to end 'sexist' high heel policy". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  21. ^ Herpreet Kaur Grewal (17 May 2016), "Temp's 'high heels' petition heads for Parliament", FM World
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