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Icon or sheer torture?

SHOES TO DIE FOR

Designer shoes have a huge price tag and have become objects of female desire.

But our obsession with dainty feet has a chequered history.

In the 19th century, 40-50 per cent of Chinese women had bound feet. Other cultures also revered small feet — think of Cinderella’s dainty glass slippers.

Modern high heels, so revered as the height of femininity and fashion, have been linked to a range of medical conditions including bunions, osteoarthritis and tendon injuries. Little wonder that some have compared them to restrictive corsets.

In 2016, receptionist Nicola Thorp, who was sent home without pay for refusing to wear heels to work, led a 150,000-signature petition against such footwear at work and sparked a Parliamentary debate.

HANDBAG of HISTORY

Not long after her marriage in 1867, Millicent Fawcett — later a leader in the suffragist movement — had a run-in with a pickpocket who stole a purse from her handbag.

When the thief appeared in court, he was charged with stealing her husband’s property, not hers. She later recalled that she ‘felt as if I had been charged with theft myself’ and the incident spurred her on to campaign for women’s equality.

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