High Heels Sales Dropped 71% in 2020 — Will We Ever Go Back?
Sales of dress shoes, including heels, went down 71% in the second quarter of 2020, according to fashion site Glossy. As the world approaches the one-year anniversary of working from home, will women really go back to teetering around an office in stilettos? And, perhaps more importantly, will they be required to in order to be taken seriously and get ahead in their careers?And I remembered the time that John from Glamour Boutique up in Auburn MA came down to talk at the support group. He was always more than eager to make the hour drive at night to talk to us.
That night he told us about the time he went down to a shoe convention in Los Vegas, he was visiting various shoe manufactures booths. When he stopped at one booth and he said that he was interested in sizes 10 through 14, the salesman asked him why so large of sizes? John replied that they were for crossdressers, the salesman step back and told just we don’t take orders from “those people.”
Well John was used to those replies and he said that he wanted to buy 500 pairs.
The salesman paused, thought for a moment and replied ‘What colors and styles are you interests in?”
Our money talks… nobody walks.
I find this is true in many things that I come across, many of a salesperson overcomes their initial hesitancy and realize a sale is a sale.
As for high heels…
Maybe dressing for a special event will always be a thing. But younger women still aren't willing to feel foot pain for professional or romantic gain. Think back to Sarah Jessica Parker and her Sex and the City gang strolling in their LBD's and sky-high Manolos; it's hard to imagine today's SJP-esque friend group willing to risk New York City potholes for some idealized feminine look.I think in the younger generation is turning off to high heels, work can no longer require high heels, the Supreme Court liberated us, and as the younger generation enters the work force you will start seeing low heel pumps and comfortable shoes.
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"High heels are dead. I threw out half my shoes, good riddance," says Kenner. She's currently finishing a master's degree to work as a registered dietician with a more relaxed dress code of boots, jeans, and sweaters. "Fashion is just a reflection of societal ideals," she adds. "[Our generation] wants to do our own thing."
One of the things that I noticed when I transitioned was that women shoes have thin soles, when you walk over those rubber bumps at crosswalks you can feel everyone of them, while men’s shoes have thicker soles and you don’t feel the bumbs as much.
P.S. I found the article on Facebook “Yes She Can” with over 284 comments and a lively debate for and against heals.
