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I saw an exhibit at a museum about wealth throughout history. Italian "chopines" were popular during the renaissance to show power and wealth. The higher the shoe, the more elite you were. Look at this goofy shit:
I think there was a small bit of practicality to these, even if they were primarily wealth and status symbols. Most of the streets were covered in excrement at the time, as there wasn’t any sewage or plumbing. If you could afford a pair of these “chopines,” you could keep up out of the muck while walking about. I guess just don’t get them too tall, or ya might trip and tip lol
You can see the discoloration around the base of sone if them, which shows the utility of the idea, but I suspect the extreme height was deliberately to make them impractical to show you don't need to work, in the same way long trains on dresses show you don't do anything much and can afford someone to follow you around holding it up, or lawns showed you didn't need your land to produce food.
Like how pale skin used to be a mark of rich people because poor people had to toil in the sun all day. Of course, once the poor people moved into offices and other indoor jobs, it became attractive to have a tan showing you can afford to lie on the sun all day instead of working.
Or nowadays excessively long nails that don't let you do anything
If you could afford a pair of these “chopines,” you could keep up out of the muck while walking about.
Reminds me of Monty Python.
"I could tell he's a king!" "Really, how?" "Well, he ain't all covered in shit now is he?"
That would certainly make sense, considering how the front of these towards the bottom is shaped like a wedge.
Sure, people are good at the silly "i'm better than you".
I can see someone walking on the short ones top left, and I might add the design is not bad aesthetically. But the other two? Is it possible to walk with that? I think stilts would be more practical to be honest
They made a comeback recently. Platform shoes are everywhere