Fashion, Semiotics, and Gender Dynamics – A Study of High Heels in Social Context

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_20How to use a DOI?

Keywords

High heels; Semiotics; Gender dynamics; Symbolism; Gender equality; Cultural change; Social norms

Abstract

This report explores how the evolving semiotic representations of high heels reflect broader changes in gender dynamics and social values over the past 70 years. Using the semiotic square as the primary analytical framework, it examines the transformation of high heels from symbols of male authority to markers of female sexuality, and more recently, to tools for gender-neutral self-expression. Through historical analysis and cultural case studies, the report highlights how fashion both mirrors and shapes shifting norms around gender, power, and identity. The study contributes to understanding how everyday fashion items participate in the discourse of gender equality and cultural change.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Jiaqi Shen
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Fashion, Semiotics, and Gender Dynamics – A Study of High Heels in Social Context
BT  - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 182
EP  - 190
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_20
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_20
ID  - Shen2025
ER  -