Shoes：The Meaning of Style

Today,buyingshoes,wearingshoes,andcollectingshoesisformanyofusahabitthatbordersonfetish.Shoeloverornot,weallmakechoiceseverydayaboutwhichshoestowear.Butwhydowechoosethefootwearwedo?InShoes:TheMeaningofStyle,ElizabethSemmelhackexploresthehistoryofshoesandhowdifferenttypesoffootwearhavecometosayvaryingthingsaboutthepeoplewhowearthem.Organizedaroundfourmainshoetypes—boots,sneakers,highheels,andsandals—thebookexplainstheirorigins,theimpactoftechnologyonhowshoesareproducedandworn,andexplorestheirdesigns,describinghowshoesnowhavesocialmeaningfarbeyondtheirusetoprotectthefoot.Sheconsidershowsomefootwearhasbeenusedtoprotectpowerstructuresandperpetuateculturalvalues,whileotherfootwearhasbeenworninprotestofprevailingculturalnormsdespitesimultaneouslybeinganunabashedproductofconsumercapitalism.Alongtheway,Semmelhackrevealsthescandals,successes,andobsessionsofthedesignersandconsumersthathavebuiltthejuggernautshoeindustry.