Why Flats Offend Me

Ok ladies, help me out here: why is it that anywhere I look, in any city I find myself, I see them everywhere on women's feet? I'm talking about the baby doll flat. Are they cute? Do you want a pair in a bright color or a metallic color to wear on an easy Saturday? Sure- they're fun, they're comfortable- so why not have a pair or two hanging around....

But my issue with them is that this trend has blown up so big that it's practically a movement. A compulsory footwear item for EVERY closet...for EVERY outfit.....in a variety of colors for work and for play--with shorts and t-shirts and business attire alike.

Where did this all start? Most recently in Spring 2006 with the emergence of the baby doll dress. A dress that falls knee-length or above, with no waist, more fullness than a shift dress (think maternity) and sometimes accompanied by a full sleeve, and any manner of neck detail and embellishment. It began at Chloe and a few other design houses that season. The trend caught on in the contemporary market in following seasons and then spread to the mass market. By the Fall of 2006 baby doll dresses were everywhere, at every price point, and it was then that we saw our first baby doll flat shoes hit the market and watched (and participated) in the trend as they too blew up.

So why the history lesson on the baby doll look? I find it interesting...fascinating actually, this phenomenon...the infantilizing of women, the reinforcement of the cultural messaging that younger is hotter, and the fact that this messaging is not something imposed on women by the powers that be in fashion or by men, but is actually fueled by the very women who buy the fashions and wear them.

Now, you might say, "OK, baby doll dresses, baby doll flats, they're a trend, buy them or don't, wear them or don't, but move on already." The thing is, somehow I can't help but feel a bit disappointed when I see women all around me in dresses made for cute pre-teens and teenagers and girly flat bulbous-toed ballerina flats--ad nauseam.

I have always believed that true power comes from within. But I also know that we constantly communicate who we are by what we wear, and how we carry ourselves whether we are aware of it or not. What we wear and how we wear it tells an entire story about us before we even open our mouths to speak. My dilemma is not at all about a dress vs. a pant or about a low heel vs. a high heel--it's about the entire message that this look conveys.

For me this is about women as objects, women as girls, and I'm curious about the impulse that drives us to present ourselves that way.

Is it that in our obsession with looking youthful we've gone too far?

Is it that we're not ready to face the complex issues of our day and our lives and so prefer to revert back to our childhood and come across as 'cute' to avoid accepting?

Is it an expression of sexuality, fresh faced, unspoiled innocence on the outside - a game of smoke and mirrors masking a far more salacious inner woman?

Do we want to be taken care of?

Comments

[YoungCleve]

maybe we want to avoid balancing our body weight on our toes which inevitably leads to corns (can we say "not sexy". just a thought.

[marysandra]

I am 65 and wore heels to work for many years..However, trust me on this, they used to be more comfortable...no its not just aging.....even moderately priced heels used to be made of real leather, and we wore pantyhose or nylons with them. Now hose did run a lot, sag a lot, etc..but once you found the right brand for you, those shoes slipped right on..three inch heels were considered tacky, and four inch were unheard of...now its pumps on bare feet, which is great if you're about 20, but after that, they are just sweaty and miserable....Also no one "fits" shoes anymore, and the sizes are all over the place, since the shoes are made all over the world to different standards..I still work part time, in cute leather flats, wear heels on special occasions, and flit flops the rest of the time...Still think open toes at work are tacky....call me old fashioned, but unless you work at a car wash, I don't want to see your toes in a business office. whether in heels or flats....

[texastrixie]

Around 60, you will find out what a lifetime of high heels will do for you - give you painful feet that make walking a chore. Heel pain, arch pain, toe pain. There is a variety to suit every woman who cared too much about how her body looked and not one whit about how it worked. I wear flats because they are pretty comfortable to begin with, and they hid my shoe inserts/arch supports.

[vanessamarie]

I think it's safe to say many women wear flats because they are more comfortable or suit their style better in general. I think it is also safe to say that you are reading into the whole trend a bit too much. I'd be curious to know what message you think stilettos convey.

[OnTheCusp]

Precisely what I was going to say. If a woman wears flats she's somehow needy, but if she wears heels I'll bet the author thinks a woman is exploiting herself!

[gymbunnybee]

Although I agree with the posters here that flats are simply comfortable alternatives for day-wear - I do understand what kind of flats and flat-wearers Claudia is probably referring to. It's the 'look at me aren't i dainty in this dress that's really so very big on my tiny pixie frame and teeny little ballet shoes' women that really get my goat! It's the casual-chic look they've taken too far by trying to appear like they're not trying to look pretty but oh-whatdya­-know-i-lo­ok-adorabl­e. More than infantalising, it's the false effortless­-shabby-co­ol thing they try to do - which honestly, is so obvious it's a little bit pathetic.

[jukesgrrl]

I have no interest in a baby-anything look. But I'm all for things that allow me to be on my feet all day and ready to move quicky. High heels are not conducive to anything but mincing and posing. That may have its place in some lives, but not mine these days.

[energiaeinformazione]

Respectfully, I do not understand why you are upset. The clothes and shoes that you are perceiving as symbolic of the "infantilizing of women" are just plain comfortable. A woman wearing flats and a baby doll dress is probably far less likely to be perceived as an "object" anyway.....

Also I know you said this is not about heel height or clothes---but your entire article actually seems to contradict that....

[markysgirl5]

Quite frankly, I prefer the "baby doll" look to the slutty overexposed one (paired with flip-flops all year long) that's been the trend for several years. At least the women who participate in this trend have clothes and shoes on!!!

[RobinSeattle]

Minding one's own business makes life easier. This is one area that calls for a little not being hung up on the harmless pursuits of others.

I like bare feet best, anyway. But it's also not up to me to tell others how to dress.

[Chrisallalone]

Interesting commentary, but I would like it better if you also said what you advocate as an alternative. I agree that a mid-heel is strong and confident. But I tend to think of the natural opposite of the flat as being the stiletto, which some women seem to think is empowering but I think is crippling. If you have to take baby steps just to get around in a shoe, it doesn't celebrate your adulthood, does it?

I'm 43 years old and would never wear a babydoll dress -- they really are for the young -- but I like my round-toes flats with other clothes, and it never occurred to me that they were infantilizing. It's just refreshing to have a shoe that's fashionable and yet comfortable.