Avocado @myavocados - Tumblr Blog

I’ve seen this image going around, and I feel compelled to point out that it’s only half-right. It’s true that high heels were originally a masculine fashion, but they weren’t originally worn by butchers - nor for any other utilitarian purpose, for that matter.

High heels were worn by men for exactly the same reason they’re worn by women today: to display one’s legs to best effect. Until quite recently, shapely, well-toned calves and thighs were regarded as an absolute prerequisite for male attractiveness. That’s why you see so many paintings of famous men framed to show off their legs - like this one of George Washington displaying his fantastic calves:

… or this one of Louis XIV of France rocking a fabulous pair of red platform heels (check out those thighs!):

… or even this one of Charles I of England showing off his high-heeled riding boots - note, again, the visual emphasis on his well-formed calves:

In summary: were high heels originally worn by men? Yes. Were they worn to keep blood off their feet? No at all - they were worn for the same reason they’re worn today: to look fabulous.

nebcondist1

so then how did they become a solo feminine item of attire?

prokopetz

A variety of reasons. In France, for example, high heels fell out out of favour in the court of Napoleon due to their association with aristocratic decadence, while in England, the more conservative fashions of the Victorian era regarded it as indecent for a man to openly display his calves.

But then, fashions come and go. The real question is why heels never came back into fashion for men - and that can be laid squarely at the feet of institutionalised homophobia. Essentially, heels for men were never revived because, by the early 20th Century, sexually provocative attire for men had come to be associated with homosexuality; the resulting moral panic ushered in an era of drab, blocky, fully concealing menswear in which a well-turned calf simply had no place - a setback from which men’s fashion has yet to fully recover.

rifa

FASHION HISTORY IS HUMAN HISTORY OK

alliartist

Thank you, history side of tumblr. That “stay out of blood” thing has been driving me mad.

casey-jane-lewis

Wait. So, you’re telling me that the reason straight boys dress horribly is because they’re not over a 100 year old gay panic?

You’re telling me that the gross, baggy, shapeless menswear that has been almost singlehandedly ruining my life is the result of a bunch of dudes in the 1900’s collectively going ‘AAAAH WHAT IF THEY THINK WE’RE GAY’

Fuck that shit. BRING BACK MENS HEELS

BRING BACK MENS TIGHTS

MAKE MEN SEXY AGAIN

langste-deactivated20150222

mediamattersforamerica

This amazing video is well worth taking a moment to watch, via NBC News.

acoustickub

This!!!! Fucking this!!!!!!!!

paintdeath

David Hockney

as-warm-as-choco

Before the computing era, ILM was the master of oil matte painting, making audiences believe that some of the sets in the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogy were real when they weren’t. They were the work of geniuses like Chris Evans, Michael Pangrazio, Frank Ordaz, Harrison Ellenshaw and Ralph McQuarrie ! Forever thank you, to their handmade art and the work of their colleagues, that made us dream of impossible worlds and fantastic places across Earth and the Universe.

There are more background paintings on this article, featuring comments by the masters/artists themselves !

Some of the following pieces were made by other artists:

kateordie

Awesome.

overtheunderpass

A cat caller from Minnesota

strongcat

passionjuicespot

What the actual f

weloveshortvideos

It’s a beautiful day to smile.

carlboygenius

theshouldbequeen

American History 101

miss-mouth-blog

True life: I got kicked out of class in the third grade for bringing this up.

beautyofthesun

I’m pretty sure my child is going to get kicked out of class for being aware. And I will take them out for pizza when it happens. Fools won’t brainwash my babies. Uh uh.

africa-will-unite-deactivated20

^^^ same here fam cuz my child gon’ teach the teacher a lesson or two about world history.

weloveshortvideos

girthakitt-blog

More body positivity and general support for fat girls with eating disorders

formerlymsw

I don’t usually add to posts like this but this is super important to me and this is why:

When I was thirteen, I told my therapist about my eating disorder. I was starving myself for days, then binging and purging, and then starving myself again, etc etc.

I told my therapist this and she said to me “That’s not going to help you lose weight.” And she told me to see my doctor about a diet plan. And she asked if I had anything else I wanted to talk about.

I told my best friend as a last ditch effort to get someone to care. I pulled her aside at a church meeting and said I had something to tell her. It was so hard for me to say.

She laughed it off and said she was expecting worse and then she told me “don’t do that anymore” with a smile. And I said okay, thanks, and we went back outside. And I got the sense that she was humoring me, like “aw, fat girl thinks she has a skinny person illness.”

Those were the only two people I told. I kept it to myself after that. I had NO support. I had to claw my way out of my ED on my own. I still get the urge to throw up sometimes if I’ve had a big meal, or skip a meal or work out until I pass out.

Please support fat girls with eating disorders. Please help them. Please don’t make them feel like they deserve what they are doing to themselves.

eye-of-orion

I have said it once and I’ll say it again: we absolutely teach young people disordered eating

I remember seeing a women’s magazine advertising the “coffee diet” where they advised drinking warm cups of coffee in place of meals

and that - that’s an ana trick, drinking hot water to convince yourself you’ve had food

The magazine acted like it was perfectly reasonable to eat one meal a day

s2ma

It’s not alarming to most people to see a fat girl skipping meals. It is easy to hide the disorder in the open because no one thinks “she hasn’t eaten lunch a single time this week.” Even if someone does notice, it’s seen as an attempt to “get healthy” and not “holy fuckballs, is she starving herself? Should I be worried? Should I try to help?”

A fat girl eating is cause for ridicule. A fat girl not eating is nothing to worry about.

mycorrhizall

I turned my frustration with myself into art.

unfuckyourhabitat

I feel like this is really important for people to see. I’ve been saying depression and mess go hand-in-hand for years, but so many people feel like they’re alone in it. You’re not.