For women raised in the '70s, high heels can still carry a stigma; they're associated with being stupid, with just wanting to please a man. Other women find them empowering.
Interpretation
The perception of high heels differs among women, with some viewing them as symbols of empowerment and others as symbols of subservience.
Christian Louboutin highlights the complex relationship women have with high heels, particularly those raised in the 1970s. For some, high heels represent a tool for empowerment and self-expression, while for others, they carry a negative stigma, suggesting a desire to conform to societal expectations that prioritize pleasing men over personal autonomy. This dichotomy reflects broader themes of feminism and women's rights, illustrating how fashion can be both liberating and constraining, depending on the individual's perspective.
In practice
In a discussion about women's fashion choices, this quote can highlight differing views on high heels.
I wanted to be a shoe designer, but I never thought it could be a profession. But what was the alternative? Doctor? Too dirty! Air-hostess? Maybe not! Then someone gave me a book on Roger Vivier, and, cheri, instantly I knew that was it!
I never had a plan. I have to say, I'm very shocked when people start a company and say, 'In five years I want to launch a perfume, or in 10 years I want to have this.' How can you know?
These heels are candy for the feet; theyβre for pleasure, not practicality.
The thing I always try to remember is that feet are attached to the leg, and that you must prolong the silhouette. The shoe elongates the leg and does it discreetly. The goal is to get people to look at a woman's legs. It's all about the leg. No, it's not about the leg. It's about the woman.
Fashion isn't interesting when it comes from an uninspired place. It's like voodoo; we don't want things that are soaked in blood, sweat, and tears. I adore life, and I'm very easygoing - and it shows in my work.
A woman can carry a bag, but it is the shoe that carries the woman.
Elegance isn't solely defined by what you wear. It's how you carry yourself, how you speak, what you read.
It's not about what it looks like in the studio or on the runway. It's what it looks like on a real person that matters.
Fashion can be about escapism but I have always been interested in the aspirational side of it - wanting to present the self you hope eventually to become.
Whoever's designing for plus-size doesn't get it. The entire garment needs to be reconceived. You can't just take a size 8 and make it larger.
Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.
Fashion condemns us to many follies, the greatest is to make oneself its slave.
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