Male observers found women wearing high heels consistently more attractive than those wearing flat shoes. Researchers say the attraction stems from the fact that heels make a woman's gait more feminine. High heels require a slightly adjusted way of walking, one that involves shorter steps and more hip movement. Since these characteristics are specific to women, overemphasizing these traits would in essence increase one's femininity, they say, and by extension, one's attractiveness to a male. Just because high heels make a woman more attractive doesn't mean that women wear them for sex appeal alone. Heels are a pervasive part of modern society, and have come to represent many other cultural values such as socioeconomic class and career success. The results of this study, published in Evolution and Human Behavior, only begin to address the ongoing tug-of-war between the evolutionary and cultural influences that make high heels so attractive.
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