Our fixation with tall men is not a new phenomenon, height has always been important. The ancient Romans and Greeks used platform shoes to appear taller. A tall person is more likely to get a job that requires authority. A shorter person irrespective of his qualification is bound to lose out to tall men as the human eye is programmed to associate height with strength, confidence and assertiveness. Countless studies have shown that short people do not command the same respect as tall people do. Tall people are also likely to climb the social ladder faster than their shorter counterparts. Till the 1980s there was a way short men could gain height instantly - platform shoes. However, the disco era ended and with it platform shoes went out of fashion.

Due to the overwhelming desire of short people to gain height there was immense pressure on the shoe industry in Europe and North America to find a suitable replacement for platform shoes. The shoe industry responded positively and introduced elevator shoes. These height increasing men’s shoes are mostly hand crafted and are available at select stores; however, most manufacturers also have online stores from where you can order a pair or two.

The construction of elevator shoe is markedly different from platform shoes. The elevator shoe is like any other normal shoe in outward appearance. Each pair of elevator shoe has an in-built heel lift, which is also called as insole. The insole is made of tough yet shock absorbent material to bear the weight without sinking. The shoe is similar to other shoes on the outside and it is very difficult to spot any difference by casting a cursory glance. Earlier these elevated shoes were worn only by celebrities on advice of their consultants. Today they are available to anyone who is ready to pay for it.

The height increasing insoles are discreetly stitched inside the shoe. People low on self-confidence have benefited immensely by using these height increasing shoes. The height gained can vary between 1 - 3 inches depending on the height of the insole.

So, if you are less than average height and feel that fate has dealt you a poor hand, order a pair of elevator shoes and see your confidence soar through the roof. Your social and professional life will also see a qualitative change.

Walk Tall Shoes are one of the North America’s top manufacturers of elevator shoes. The shoes manufactured by them are not only contemporary in style but are made from some of the finest leathers.

Footwear is estimated to have started its long history of human use during the Ice Age some 5 million years ago. Unkind weather conditions are said to have created the necessity for footwear.

Other evidences show that footwear came to use at the end of the Paleolithic Period, at about the same time the early humans learned the art of leather tanning.

Early pieces of footwear were made of wrappings, usually made of leather or dried grasses. Later on pieces were developed from an oval piece of leather which is bound by a piece of strong leather thongs. Sandals, which are the first crafted footwear, are the successors to these wrappings.

In Egyptian funeral chambers, paintings show the different stages in the preparation of leather and footwear. The images also show that in Egypt, footwear depicted power and class.

The Pharaohs’ sandals were distinguished by the turned up toes, a characteristic which is missing in the commoners’ footwear. Egyptian sandals were crafted using straw, papyrus, or palm fiber.Later on, Egyptian women adorned their footwear with precious stones and jewels.

Material evidences showed that the Greeks loved and took good care of their feet by using different footwear for different activities. Greek women began wearing sandals to signify their social class. Their footwear signified beauty, elegance, refinement, and extravagance.

It has been said that Greek women of bad reputation attracted men by wearing elevated sandals. These sandals create a “clacking” sound when the wearer moves, and this sound was considered as a symbolic flaunting of sexual charms.

In Mesopotamia, leather wrappings are tied to the feet by a strip of the same material.

Romans, on the other hand, created durable leather thongs so their legions can travel to places on foot. It is also believed that foot fetishes began with the Romans when Senator Lucius Vitellus frequently kissed the shoe of his mistress which was hidden in his tunic.

In Rome, footwear also exhibited social class. The consuls wore white shoes, the senators wore brown shoes, and the uniform footwear for the rest of the region was a short pair of boots that uncovered the toes.

But in all of these early civilizations, footwear indicated social status. Footwear consists of garments that are worn over the feet. They are worn mainly for protection and hygiene, but also for fashion and adornment.

Footwear items come from a wide range of materials including leather, rubber, canvass, wood, and plastic. But early pieces were made from available materials like straw, leather, cowhide, and grasses.

When footwear is assembled, the main components are adhesives, cushion, counterfort, heel, hook, insole, laces, sole, steel shank, tack, toe puff, tread, and welt. Generally, footwear is classified into: boots, industrial footwear, shoes, and sandals.

Boots are available as cowboy boots, galoshes, ski boots, thigh length boots, and so on. Industrial footwear includes plastic boots and rubber loafers which are used in laboratories, construction sites, and production lines.

Shoes include athletic shoes (or running shoes), climbing shoes, clogs, high heels, mary janes, moccasins, mules, loafers, tap shoes, and cross-training shoes. Sandals, on the other hand, include espadrilles, flip-flops or thongs, slide-ons, and slippers.

Footwear is considered an extension of one’s personality. Well-maintained footwear says things about the owner, with cleanliness as the most important concern. Although the intricacy of this craft may have been lost to modernization, their influences are still present in shoes today.

The moccasins worn in early times by people in cold countries are still being worn there, while the sandal patterned after the Egyptians’ creation is still frequently used in hotter countries.