Does footwear reinforce the stereotype of women as sexual objects? The fact that a high heel makes a woman look much more attractive is no secret. Their existence is documented from ancient Rome , where prostitutes or women of negotiable affection, used them to attract their clients. Now, a scientific study has confirmed that its power is real.
A team of researchers from the University of Southern Brittany (France) carried out an experiment to assess the influence of heels on a woman's life with respect to men's behavior, discovering that men behave very differently with women who wear high heels .
For example, if a woman drops a glove in the middle of the street, a man is 50% more likely to stoop to pick it up if she is wearing heels than if she is wearing flat shoes. Another conclusion of the study is that a woman with high heels is twice as likely to persuade men to complete a survey in the middle of the street compared to wearing a flat shoe.
“The size of a woman's heels has a powerful effect on men's behavior. In short, they make women more beautiful ”, explains Nicolas Gueguen, study leader to the Archives of Sexual Behavior magazine that includes the work.
