Women's Shoes

Pair of Women's Shoes, I. Miller Shoe Company, 1941

Peep-toed pumps, such as these, first became a popular style of women’s footwear in the 1930s. Made by I. Miller Shoe Company, this brand was known for being glamorous and high quality. The Second World War interrupted this trend towards fancy shoes; however high heels have gone in and out of fashion  over the course of the 20th century. Although it was initially considered provocative for women to expose their toes, since the emergence of the women’s liberation movement in the 1970s, the pattern of women conforming to the societal pressure to wear uncomfortable heeled footwear has caused some feminists to regard high heels as oppressive.