What's a foot?

Controversy rages in the UK about what constitutes a foot. Retired UK podiatrist and archeologist, Phyllis Jackson made some startling findings about the Saxon foot recently. According to an article which appeared in the Observer newspaper however Scots, Irish and Welsh people have been forced to wear shoes designed more suited to the broader Teutonic foot than their native Celtic foot. Now whether this is true or not, and I rather think not. There most certainly was a Saxon foot which measured 39 barleycorns long or was approximately 13.2inches long. The Welsh foot was a mere 27 barley corns long or 9.9 inches. Most people assume standards in foot measurement have been with us since earliest civilization. But an accurate and reliable measurement has only been available less than 200 years and an organized shoe sizing system, stemming from general measurements, less than one hundred years. Most measurements, even those we use today, have their origins on the lengths of parts of the body or body actions. For example in Roman Times the foot was the length foot, no surprise there. One inch was a twelve of a foot and measured the span of the middle of the thumb. A yard from the English "gyrd" meaning stick or stick length was the measure of the length of an arm from shoulder to fingertips, or sometimes nose to fingertips. Some tailors still use this when measuring cloth. A furlong was abbreviated from furrow long, and measured about one eighth of a mile or 220 yards, a common distance in foot or horse racing. A mile or the Latin, mille passum meaning 1,000 double paces or strides. In Rome this equated to about 5000 feet, a little short of the imperial mile which measured 5,285 feet. The human foot has always been prominent in measuring systems. The ancient Greeks used a step for a measurement. This was in actual fact a two step stride equivalent of two imperial yards. A popular running distance was 100 steps or a stade. The amphitheater where such races took place was called a stadium. Throughout the early centuries the absence of standard with which to measure must have been a major source of frustration and disagreement. As early as the seventh century the ear of the barley corn was used as a means to measure small amounts and it was considered three barley corns placed end to end was the equivalent of one inch or the width of a thumb. This still left plenty room for variation but it took till 1324 (Brave Heart's battle was 1314) before scholars and tradesmen could convince Edward II (1284-1327) to accept three barley corn laid end to end would constitute one inch, 39 to a foot, 117 to a yard. Still far from perfect the beginnings of standard measurements was begun. Whilst Edward II is credited with introducing shoe sizes using the barley corn this did not take place until 1688. During the reign of his son, Edward III (1312-1377), pointed toes were prohibited to all who did not have an income of at least forty pounds a year. And while a prince might wear shoes as long as he liked, pikes could not be more than six inches long for a plain commoner, twelve inches for a landowner, and twenty four inches for a baron, and princes could wear them as long as they liked.

Booty things

It is worth noting before we start that boots are really a fairly recent idea. They came out of the need by armies for tough footwear for marching over rough terrain carrying heavy loads for battle. Roman foot soldiers wore leather sandals and officers wore buskins, with the higher the ties the more senior. In ancient Greek Society noisy boots always had a following. Many dandies wore half boots which made the stones under foot ring as they walked. Amazon Indians dipped their feet and legs in latex to produce a tight fitting waterproof boot which protected their skin against thorns and insect bites. In the fourteenth century one of the most popular clergy in England was a fellow by the name of Sir John Shorne. He was the rector of North Marston between 1290 to 1314 and his claim to fame was he trapped the devil in one of his boots. There are many contemporary woodcuts (prints) in books which show him holding the trapped demon. Unfortunately for us all, when Sir John died, he lost grip of the boot and allowed the devil to escape. At the time it was considered an act of piety to burn a candle at his shrine. Those who burnt two candles however were thought to do to honour the devil. Sir John Shorne is better known to us today as, "Jack in the box. A boot containing a tiny, savage bull is supposed to be buried below the doorstep of an old church in Hyssington, Wales. If the step is ever moved the bull will escape. The mini bull will quickly grow and terrorise the village according to the legend. Many hundreds of years ago there was a poisonous dragon who it was prophesied would kill the heir to lands in Penmynydd, and the boy was sent to England to be safely brought up. A clever youth in the parish decided one day he had a way of killing the dragon and dug a large pit before throwing a highly polished pan into it. When the dragon looked into the dark abyss, he mistook his image for another dragon. The dragon started to fight his image and when he was exhausted, the youth pushed the exhausted dragon into the hole. When the heir returned he wanted to see the evidence and visited the dragon’s grave. The grave was opened and in an act of victory the boy kicked the head of the dragon, Fate intervened and the boy struck a poisonous fang which quickly killed him, thereby fulfilling the prophecy. Michelangelo (1475-1564) was thought to have worn a pair of dog hide boots when he painted the Sistine Chapel. At the end of the enormous task he had to peel the boots off from his skin because he had never taken them off to bathe. The modern leather boot with leather sole was developed in the Scarpa valley of Italy. Developed by English boot maker who made the valley into the boot-making capital of the world. That led to the era of hobnails, cleats and tricounis, and great arguments about different nailing patterns. Later Vitale Bramani invented the rubber Vibram sole which replaced leather and nails. The Macaronis in London added new joy to life by wearing heel tips which clinked on the cobbled streets. By the time of John Bull, Proust book in his book A la Recherche du temps perdu made reference to a dandy called Swann and polishing expensive shoes with Champagne.
In the nineteenth century many West Indians living in the UK insisted on wearing boots that "squeaked." Wellington boots were made from leather and worn by the Duke at the Battle of Waterloo. They t0ok the public imagination and reference to them appears` in a William Moncrieff play (1817). People started to wear them in honour of the Duke from 1851. A year before the Duke died. Henry Cooper, the great white hope who knocked down Cassius Clay stopped polishing his boxing boots early in his career after losing fight with shiny boots. Willy Pastrano World Champion light heavyweight in the mid 60s tied his wedding ring to his left bootlace as a lucky mascot. Ugg boots have had their Andy Warhol 15 minutes now replaced by Eskimo, Mukluks. Traditionally these were made from seal, moose or walrus skin and worn by North American Induit people living in the Artic regions. The hair was worn next to the skin like ugg boots for warmth. The leather was chewed by the women who make them to soften them.

Working on a shoe string

In 1927, Al Capone visited New York City and as was the custom then had his shoes shinned whilst having his haircut. Capone was gracious with his tip and gives the shoeshine boy, 23-year-old Jack Hughes, a five-dollar tip. Five dollars was quite a lot in the twenties and the going rate for a shoeshine was a nickel (5c.). As a souvenir Jack kept the gangster old lace and would idly wrap it around his fingers. Soon the frayed lace became a ball and over the next 53 years, that ball grew as the famous and not so famous added their shoelaces - Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Joe DiMaggio, and Sonja Henne among them. By the forties Jack’s shoe lace ball was famous and he decided to add to his celebrity by giving the American public a new sales slogan, just like Big Kev’s, “I’m excited.” Jack coined the more elaborate.
"Pedal habiliment artistically lubricated expeditiously with luminosity and ambidextrous facility for the infinitesimal renumeration of .15 cents per operation."
By the time of Jack’s death in 1980 his ball of old shoelaces weighed 200 pounds and measured 1.5 feet in diameter. It is now acknowledged as biggest ball of shoelaces in the world. And all that from scar face’s cast off shoe ties. Not a lot of people know this either but phrenology is the science of reading head bumps. Very popular in the nineteenth century, practitioners of the time would feel a patient’s head and depending on the size and shape of the lumps and bumps determine their metal health. The science is still is around but more a curio than a serious medical specialty. You can however buy a china phrenologist’s head, which have become very collectable and used as decoration. The original model for today’s modern replicas was thought to be the most famous libertine, Marquis de Sade. Back to shoeshine boys, Fats Domino probably has made more reference to feet, shoes and walking in his hits than any other recording artist. Domino has so far been unable to account for this but it is a well known fact on his way to the small recording studio where he cut most of his hits, the fat man had to squeeze past a shoeshine stand in the shared lane to the studio. Maybe like, William Shakespeare he subconsciously absorbed the image and translated into his artistic works. One reason cited why there are so many references to feet and shoes in the great English Bard’s writing is because Shakespeare had to pass through the cobblers quarter of London to get to the Globe Theatre.

Bumpers

If you are thinking about getting a loved one that special gift and you have not been able to find something for the person with everything. Try locating a pair of shoes made from tyres used by Formula One aces like, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill and David Coultard. Paul Dooner worked for Dodge Shoes and he buys old formula one tyres then makes them into soles for shoes and boots. Each tyre is stamped with a code to identify the team and driver and footwear are sold with certificates guaranteeing authentication. These popular novelties retail at $200 per pair and according to the manufacturer still retain the original tar and debris from the track. I suppose if you want to get ahead Schumacher soles are a must, but if you are the kind of person that bumps into things then Damon Hill shoes are the thing. Maybe Niomi Campbell should take note and get herself a pair of Grand Prix shoes because according to podiatrists her painful bunions, revealed recently in TV commercials, are caused by wearing high fashion shoes. No problem bunions for Uma Thurman caught dancing barefoot in Pulp Fiction. The potential dangers of wearing poor fitting footwear were put to the test in the recent past when a convicted robber attempted to sue the British Home Office for making him wear ill fitting shoes during his incarnation. Despite his unusually wide feet he was ordered to wear standard prison issue shoes. This, he claimed, caused corns, deformed nails, hammer toes and blisters. During the three years he wore them he had two foot operations as well as regular visits to the prison podiatrist. Unfortunately the case was thrown out of court on the basis of insufficient proof. I wonder what they would have done with Robert Wadlow who at 8ft 11 ins tall had shoes which were 37AA. Big footed athletes can have a real problem finding shoes. Most brands go as far as a 14 but that's all. Many wear shoes that are smaller than their feet either because that is all that is available or they are sponsored and need to wear the sponsor’s footwear. Close inspection of the athletes foot clearly shows what tight boots can do to disfigure the skin and buckle the toes. If that were not bad enough research from Holland indicates mosquitos prefer to attack the feet and lower leg. One theory is mosquitos prefer sweaty skins which contain corynerform bacteria. This particular bacteria gives Limburger cheese its distinctive smell. As a footnote to finish some authorities think the cheese was developed because dairy workers used to sweat over their labours. Makes you wonder what future generations will miss now these industries have become so scrupulously cleaned up.

When a shoe is not a shoe

The power and impact of the shoe and boot are unmistakable when chosen to represent the human condition. Recently I was privileged to be invited to see an exhibition of shoes, children had decorated at a local infants’ school. The medium obviously caught the children’s imagination and the range of exhibits was fantastic with each one surpassing the other for originality. All too good to be singled out but the piece with a pair of overlapping court shoes, one painted in Aboriginal and the other in Iraq national colours epitomised the bond and friendship of the two originators, was outstanding. Shoes and boots have been used to convey many human traits from those found in roofs and walls of medieval houses to the large pile of discarded shoes left by those escaping falling masonry, during September 11th. The former for luck and the latter for survival, humans place a lot more than their foot comfort in a pair of shoes. In the Holocaust Museum, New York there is an exhibit which is a large pile of old shoes. It takes up half a room and the size and smells of the leather fills the senses poignantly expressing both magnitude and depth of horror the ghosts that fill them, faced. In Washington recently 800 sets of combat boots bearing the names of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq formed an exhibit called "Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War in Iraq". The exhibit was put together by the American Quaker group called American Friends Service Committee. Combat boots are not just personal but crucial for every soldier and a pair of empty boots is both a fitting memorial and a stark reminder of the human costs of this war. Each pair of boots were tagged with the deceased's name, rank and home state The boot display was part of a larger exhibit called "Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War in Iraq,'' that also includes photos of a 24-foot wall of the names of Iraqi civilians killed in the war.

Valenki: Russian Boots with honour

An old Russian proverb is “Stupid as boots” but there is nothing wanting when it comes to Russian footwear of yesteryear. When we think of Russia, I suppose we think of Siberia and the cold, cold winters. Well, I suppose it will come as no surprise to know the Russians had good reason to invent lambskin lined boots called "valenki". Now I know Australia claims the Ugg as their own and true Ozzie icon. However sheepskin or felt boots have been around, almost from the beginning of time, as a visit to the Valenki Museum in Moscow would confirm. There you can see felt boots dated to the 4th century B.C. Excavations of an ancient burial mound at Pazyrlyk, in Russia has shown people wore felt socks and as crafts developed these became felt shoes and boots. Imagine feet “cocooned” in thick felting, made from pure wool, hand-shorn from Central Asian sheep, would make your average peasant jump for joy in the freezing extremes of the Tundra. As trades developed felt boot making (or fulling) was one of the principal traditional trades in the country. In the motherland of Russia, the valenki has become a national hero and the icon and was worn by peasants, the military as well as members of the tsar family. No less than Peter the Great (1672-1725), the morning after a feast, always bathed his feet in an ice hole before calling for his pims, not the drink but another name for valenki. Then he partook of a plate of cabbage soup. He was so taken with his Russian Ugg’s he decreed the establishment of felt factories in Russia (1701) and there they remain to this day. When Catherine II (l762-1796) suffered from a peripheral nervous disease called radicolitis, she used her felt valenkis to insulate her legs and feet. Lambs wool hairs traps air, which reflects body temperature thereby aiding blood circulation in the feet. This in turn strengthens the immune system and the felt boots were worn to ease the effects of rheumatism and hangovers. They were also worn as a cure for impotence. Now we can understand why Uggs are so popular in Australia J. Empress Anna Ioanova (1730-1740), also complained of painful legs and swore by her “valenkis”. She loved them so much she encouraged the ladies of her court to wear lambs wool socks with their ballroom gowns. This was of course the beginnings of bedroom slippers, but not sure if it was the start of the wincette nightie. Russians attribute their valenki with hero status because of the role they played in the countries ‘darkest hours’. Both during the Napoleonic (19th century), and Nazi (20th century) invasions, eventual victory was attributed to, in no small part, the superior insulating footwear. Red Army soldiers during World War II, often fighting in Arctic conditions, regarded a pair of “valenki” as the best possible present from their families. Going back further in time, in peasant society the boots were regarded as a means of communicating with the “house spirit”. If the family had to move, they would pray to the spirit to lodge in one of their “valenki” and follow them. The quaint custom of a young girl throwing her boot onto the ground in the belief the point would indicate where their future fiancé lived is thought to have originated from Russia and worked best with the Ugg. Since the turn of this century the Russian valenki has become a key symbol of new Russia, a country now rediscovering its cultural heritage. In Moscow’s, the Valenki Museum there are more than 200 kinds of valenki on display, among them models of the 19th and 20th centuries. Exhibitions around Russia have encouraged a new interest and exhibits include hand painted and embroidered boots, some with inlaid glass beads, others include “disco-style” platform boots, football “valenki” with studs, “valenki” skates, and Ugg styled Roman bushkins. On display is even a collection of "Bride's valenki". Demand for valenki today is so high in the big land that existing factories cannot satisfy demand. The price for one pair of valenki ranges from 3 to 10 dollars (US). The shoes are still made in Myshkin (a mouse’s town) small town north of the Volga River in the Yaroslavl region. The shoes now made by women (although traditionally made by men) are sold in the local store, somewhat novelly displayed in a mound surrounding a coffin. Myshkin is perhaps better known as the family home of the Smirnovs (Vodka) and Laughter Olympics. Something I am told you might like to do in the comfort of your Uggs.

Zen and the art of walking

Walking for exercise has a Zen pointlessness which encourages introspection but may not seem to achieve much by itself. Walking as transport gives purpose not just getting there but also a reminder how artificially pampered we are to our two car existence. People today walk in addition to driving yet rarely walk instead of driving. The absence of a pavement network in our suburbs can attest to that. Walking has so much to offer the biped; it burns calories, lets you meet the neighbors, exercises the dog, keeps your surrounds safe, cuts down crime, not to mention saving natural resources and money. So why do we not do it more often? The ravages of gracious living have already earmarked a disease ridden future for all Australians, who unless they do something about it now will hasten their own mortality through degrading morbidity. A few steps now could make all the difference to all our futures. Maybe we should think of walking for others rather than just ourselves? Shanks’s Pony offers a worthwhile civilian protest which may by itself not immediately influence foreign policy options but does send a clear environmental message. Oil is a natural resource worthy of not squandering. Rather than helplessly read about the latest war tragedies from the Middle East, let’s get out and walk, if not for you, then for others. Something which will find their way into many stockings this year will be pedographs. Little electronic gismos which can calculate the number of steps you take. Although there are few published accounts`of the distances we travel in a day, one report indicates housewives are no slouches when it comes to clocking up the kilometers. It takes 10,000 steps to do you any good. That would be about ?klms (? miles). Before you embark on any exercise and physical activity always best to consult your general practitioner. While you are there “knock your socks off”, flash the pair for the once over. Feet often show the first signs of more serious medical conditions like diabetes. Doctors can easily pick up on discomfort and a timely diagnosis can mean prevention of serious consequences.

Blue chip trainers

Without question in the ath-leisure industry, the blue chip shoes have been basketball footgear. Whilst other types of sport shoes share the limelight the real star is the jumper. However over the last six years or so market lead has eroded and many observers attribute this to superstar endorsement no longer sells shoes. The formula worked for a long time, although sports varied from Baseball’s Converse’s Chucks to Nike Jordan’s the shoes have sold in their billions over the last seven decade. Now it has all changed and urban teens (aged 12-17), which set the sneaker agenda, value leisure shoes as a kind of body art, or foot armour, which expresses their individuality rather than they are fans of Shaquille O'Neal (the biggest shoe endorsement deal ever when it was signed). Not old enough to drive, the kids transpose the same kind of brand equity and fashion more to sneaker type then their parents and older siblings have for quality cars. The young kids many it would have to be said belong to the sk8’s or thrashers cult, (that is skate boarders to you and me). They require all the protection sport shoes can afford but need to conform to the fashion for campri of the urban guerrilla. Conservative brown and black are back in and this further frustrates the giant sport shoe companies, who are now in crisis mode trying to recover their market lead. The new kids on the block reject the brand leaders in preference for their own shoes made specifically for skateboarding and sold through small specialist surfing outlets. All this comes at a time when many well-known retailers are expanding their premises to cater for the growth of accompanying apparel. Sport clothing is enjoying a renaissance and shoes are considered by the market as the lure. Of course the real irony is by far the vast majority of people who are seen wearing said sports accessories have never seen a playing arena, let alone played the game for which the gear was designed. What does this tell us about ourselves? Why are we so willing to seek the best (well according to the elite athlete) to be able to truck up to the shopping mall for a few rounds of Woolworths. Australians continue to buy more designer trainers than any other Western Country yet the general health of the populous would compare favourably to a third world country. We pride ourselves we wear the gold medal shoes yet most of us could not run the distance of ourself without breaking into a puff…..

Answers, please on a plane postcard.

Reference
Lefton T 1998 Brandweek Feb 2, 1998

Wearable Technology

Of all items of clothing, the shoe presents a logical choice for wearable technology. According to experts, unlike other articles of clothing that must be washed or cleaned, shoes present a more stable place to add useful electronics. The inclusion of micro technology into footwear has to date had limited success. There has been some exploration with microchips in military footwear for the purpose of global positioning identification and sports shoes have until now had novelty lights and time pieces fitted. One major challenge has been the electric charges generated by walking have been low and unable to drive anything other than small currents. Hence no real advances as such but certainly a fertile area for future development. The German based company, Adidas-Salomon, have released a prototype sports shoe with microchip technology, which continuously reconfigures its sole to provide a constant level of support whilst being worn. Contained within the shoe’s heel is an impact sensor and magnet, which gauge compression with each heel strike. Every second, the sensor takes up to 20,000 readings then relays the data to an embedded microprocessor, housed in the arch. The microprocessor is built around a motor unit battery (battery must be replaced after 100 hours.) The embedded electronic brain makes 10,000 calculations, directing a tiny electric motor to change the properties of the shoe. Impulses from the control centre compresses or decompresses the sole every four steps, to maintain the same level of support by reconfiguring the level of shock-absorption provided by the shoe. The aim is to make the shoe adjust to changing conditions and custom the footwear to the runner's particular style while in use. The soon to be released Adidas range, called "1", has a fine tune facility and the athlete can adjust for softer or harder cushioning with the turn of a switch. Adidas-Salomon have not announced any plans to trial the shoes at this year’s Olympics, but with their rivals Nike, working hard to develop similar wearable technology it is certainly something to look forward to in the near future. Researchers in North American have recently developed vibrating shoes using in built microprocessors. With each step the shoe gently vibrates causing stimulation to proprioceptive nerve endings. This in turn helps seniors control their balance. Development of wearable technology has much to offer the older community and will without doubt revolutionise footwear for the future.

Toe cutting

In 1977 the Johns Hopkins psychologist John Money published the first modern case history of "apotemnophilia". The condition is referred to as a paraphilia of the stigmatic/eligibilic type in which sexuerotic arousal and facilitation or attainment of orgasm is dependent upon being an amputee, or an attraction to the idea of being an amputee. He distinguished apotemnophilia from "acrotomophilia", a sexual attraction to amputees. The apotemnophile's desire is to be an amputee, whereas the acrotomophile's desire is turned toward those who happen to be amputees for sexual pleasure. Apotemnophiles become fixated on carrying out a self-contrived amputation, or obtaining one in a hospital. I suppose when you stop to think about it, people are strange (cue Jim Morrison and The Doors). The length some on us go, to be in fashion is quite remarkable if the following report is to be believed. I said length but should have said short because I understand the latest trend in the US has found many ladies arriving at their friendly cosmetic surgeon to have their toes shortened. Yes, the little pinkies are amputated. For no medical reason but just to be able to fit more comfortably in the lean slick fashionable shoes enjoying a fashion vogue. Now the idea is not new and it appears a prominent member of the Royal Family of yesteryear had his little toes amputated to fit more comfortably into the trim brogues he made so popular. Can we live without our little toes? Apparently so indeed may amputees live perfectly fulfilling lives without any toes but this is not recommended, if it can be possibly avoided. Several years ago I did some preliminary research at the Bioengineering Unit at Strathclyde University in Scotland and was amazed to find out how much the toes contributed to foot function during walking. The new trend for cosmetic surgery in New York and Californian ladies is to have the length shortened by surgically filleting their toes. The small toes have three little bones which give two knuckles sometimes osteoarthritis fuses the knuckle joints and leaves a prominent “sticky out bit”. I am using technical terms now. Foot surgeons may remove this if it is the cause of extreme pain and or recurrent infection. Pain is usually the sole (excuse the terrible pun) criteria for orthopedic intervention. Cosmetic foot surgery would be frowned upon in orthodox circles, so not to be recommended. A somewhat bazaar footnote here is a very some percentage of people will derive sexual pleasure from having parts of their fingers and toes amputated. But not to leave you on that note I much prefer the story that supports the introduction of wide fitting shoes. In fifteenth century Spain the fashion for bear’s paw type shoes, a broad fitting shoe that measure 12 inches across the ball of the foot with individual compartments for each toe came about because the prince regent was born with polydactilism (six toes). Absence of antibiotics and a high mortality rate post surgery meant the prince was allowed to keep his extra toes and the shoe fashions were changed to accommodate. Way to go.

Feet & chocolate

The University of Virginia undertook some interesting research a few years back. They paired 48 subjects into male female couples. None of the volunteers knew each other. The complete group were instructed on how `to play a game of cards.’ then were divided into three groups. Group one could talk to each other but were not allowed to have physical contact. The couples in the second group could communicate non-verbally by secretly playing footsie under the table, they could not communicate verbally. The last group could communicate by touching feet openly. The groups were then asked to play cards and during this time observed by independents recording. The results supported those who talked and touched feet openly were much less attracted to each other than those instructed to play footsie. The risk of detection heightened the erotic feelings for each partner. Secrecy apparently releases phenylethylamine (PEA). The same chemical is released during the early stages of infatuation. This keeps us up all night and suppresses appetites. PEA raises blood pressure increases heart rate and `is evidenced in thrill seekers. The same buzz comes from eating chocolate. But care is required as too much of the stuff can have the opposite effect. All of which did not stop Montezuma the Mexican emperor from drinking 50 cups of chocolate every day before visiting his harem of 600 women. Testosterone levels drop in most males consuming high fat food diets and a wee glass of alcohol gives a rush of testosterone to females , which can do just the trick to women’s sexual desire and energy levels.

Where's my Viagra?

Concealed Shoes

The conundrum of shoes left hanging from telephone wires and their meaning has left many baffled but so too has shoes concealed in domiciles. American families have discovered a trove of old shoes hidden in house walls. Not quite an epidemic but none the less puzzling. During the Middle Ages it was commonplace to leave old shoes in roofs and attics for good luck and to ward off evil. More than a thousand concealment shoes, some dating back to the fourteenth century, have been reported in Western Europe alone. In North America concealment shoes have been reported in New England, but there have also been finds of buried shoes as far south as Virginia and far west as Missouri. Very rarely are pairs of shoes found, usually solo shoes, but many caches contain footwear from different people. Almost half the shoes concealed belonged to children with more female footwear found than males. Almost all shoes were well worn. Talisman is not restricted to shoes alone although they are commonplace. An old custom, where I come from, was to scatter coins under the carpet for good luck. Which of course meant as kids, every time mum and dad moved house we lifted the carpet. How many sceptics among us would deliberately walk under a ladder just to tempt fate. If I do I always have my fingers crossed, same goes for when you allow a pole to come between you and a friend, bad Karma, easily undone by saying “bread and butter”. First utterance on the first of the month always is “White rabbits” in our house and so it goes on. Back to shoes though. The penny loafer is a robust moccasin type shoe which had a luck penny caught in the snaffle bar just like any new purse given, as a gift should have a lucky penny within. A rare find reported recently in the US, concerned the demolition of an 18th century house where they discovered a baby's white, ankle-high shoe, some small wooden toys and some ears of corn. Since 1750 the house had undergone many additions and experts remain unclear whether the shoes were hidden at the time the chaise house was built or in a later renovation. All such shoe finds are reported now to the Northampton Shoe Museum in the UK and there they keep a register of concealed shoes. No-one has been able to explain why shoes have been used in this way. Some speculate the tradition stems from an ancient custom of killing someone then building the house over the grave, later in more enlightened days, shoes became a substitute for human sacrifice. Unlikely I think simply became shoe wearing in the very distant past was a minority sport and unless the person was fairly affluent then the chances were they went barefoot. More than likely shoes were selected because they reflected the personality of the wearer. By the Middle Ages, you still had to be pretty well off to have shoes and wearing them was status. They incorporate the spirit of a loved one and their shoe may have been kept as a form of Fen Sui. (or old shoey really). Shoe finds are usually reported near openings in the home eg doors, windows, chimneys etc. To the believer of the occult these are all places in the building that are vulnerable to evil. These finds indicate shoe concealment was widespread and long lasting yet it was not recorded in writing until references began to appear in mid-twentieth century archaeology literature in scholarly journals. Men being more secretive than women about such matters it fuels the theory hiding shoes was a male superstition, kept secret almost out of fear that telling about it would reduce its effectiveness. Another reason why this may not have been spoken off was it could have been construed in less enlightened times as a pagan ritual carrying severe punishment. The same superstition has been observed across the globe so for anyone out there involved in home renovation that involve removing walls especially around windows and doors, under roof rafters and behind old chimneys, be alert to the possibility of turning up concealment shoes. While most are found in eighteenth and nineteenth century homes, a find hidden as late as 1935 has been reported. If you are lucky and find concealed shoes tale a photograph as they lie because this information is as important as the shoes themselves. Then you might like to get in touch with
Northaampton Shoe Museum who are documenting shoe finds.

http://www.northampton.gov.uk/museums/default.htm

Knickers: Shock, horror & protest

Knickerbockers, later shortened to "knickers" were popular casual wear for the well-dressed gentleman at the turn of the twentieth century. Variations of knickers included plus-fours, plus- sixes, plus-eights and plus-tens. The "plus" referred to how many inches below the knee they hung. In 1925 when Oxford undergraduates were prevented from wearing their knickers in the classroom the wags wore baggy pants or Oxford bags. Knickers as in undies for ladies really only date as far back as 200 years ago. Even then only high society ladies had the luxury of daily underwear changes. Although makeshift briefs were worn by Sumerian women in the form of a strategically knotted cloth these probably served as athletic briefs. Bloomers come from Amelia Bloomer in the 19th century. She was an emancipated young lady who was simply fanatical about cycling. She loved her bike and chose to wear modern clothes that gave her freedom to move. Her bloomers were blousy ending in the ankles with a buckle closure. The Can-can girls in Paris were the reason bloomers got shorter and the shorter bloomers were stitched up and these were known as French knickers (camisole knickers). Ladies undies were also called pantaloons and drawers. Drawers became fashionable about 1806. At first they were replicas of men’s long johns and considered rather risqué. These were worn by little girls and called pantalettes. During Regency Period underwear was sold to improve the line of clothing but later ladies undies in 1905 were made from black silk knickers edged with ecru lace and a baby pink ribbon. Cruchless panties are not new by any lyrca stretch and were worn as a novelty up until the Thirties. Rigby & Peller must be the most famous lingerie firm in Britain - even the Queen is a customer. R&B undies were featured in the new Bridget Jones movie, The Edge of Reason. According to a spokesperson for Marks & Spencer, since the first Bridget Jones film, sales of big pants have soared. Geri Haliwell has come out her gusset to confess she is big pants wearer.

From the French language, the English directly imported the word ‘lingerie.’ In the 19th century, the term referred to ‘linen articles collectively’ especially those that were part of a woman’s wardrobe or ‘trousseau.’ (Lingerie and linen are closely related words and in French, ‘linge’ is linen). Today, the word means ‘women’s underclothes’ even though they are seldom made of linen.

It is that time of year again with the catwalk full of what we will be wearing in the coming season. Lingere is no different and undies are on show. The new TV advert featuring a lingerie-clad woman caressing a carving knife then scrubbing blood from the floor is causing controversy. Elle Macpherson's Intimates lingerie line features several vignettes by fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti. One spot titled "Kitchen" begins with a woman in bra and knickers pensively handling a large knife then segue to her scrubbing blood from the floor. A middle segment, not shown on TV because it features frontal nudity but available on the company's Web site, has two naked women stalking each other in a knife fight. Macpherson said in a statement she loves the "cinematic mystery" of the ads. The ads are only be shown after 9 p.m. under guidelines set by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre and an Intimate print ad that showed a woman with her thumbs insider her knickers was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority in March. Who has won many friends and influenced people with her cheek, well both cheeks really, was Miss Universe, Australian Jennifer Hawkins when she recently exposed a darling thong (not the kind you wear on your feet - the other intimate apparel). In true professional style the gorgeous lady recovered a catwalk trip with aplomb when by accident she exposed her Bonds hipster G-string. As a callow youth my love map was Cilla Black in her undies but I am quite willing to change my fantasy to Jennifer Hawkins’ in her thong-gate. And who could blame me. The designer of the tailor-made gown, Bora Hwasook Lee has subsequently confirmed it was three of the sturdiest press-studs available in Australia that were used. In any event it certainly impressed this stud.

Miss Universe is not the only one to suffer the embarrassment of an unintentional quick flash the last time menswear designer John Bartlett mounted a runway presentation, the collection was inspired by surfers and there was a split second of full frontal nudity when a model in a beach wrap experienced terry-cloth slippage. Bartlett clothes are familiar and charming, wearable but not boring. The Axis of Eve is a coalition of brazen US women on a mission to expose and depose President Select George W Bush and are willing to wear the protest pink boy-short panties to prove it. In their titillating campaign of truth flashing the girls have a adopted protest panties, emblazoned with anti Bush slogans like “expose bush”, “Give bush the finger.” The protesting panty wearers believe the current administration is anti woman and hence their intimate protests. There mass flash is a demand for transparency and accountability with a call to end political cover–ups. Using the Tupper wear party concept the Eve-olutionary strategy held pantyware parties with a political agenda. George W Bush has certainly come in for some major criticism with Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” but now the Republican faces yet another slap, not in the face this time but in the bottom. London Corset and Lingerie Boutique Agent Provocateur have posted on their web site a tongue in check, four minute video of a ruthless dominatrix whipping a George W Bush look-alike. In the piece (or so I am told), a madam dressed in darling black stilettos has the leader of the free world tied by his wrists and with a nipple twisting wrench she proceeds to thrash him on his boyish white briefs. Surreptitiously slinking into camera at the end of the sequence is a man on all fours dressed from head to toe in black latex. Off pops the hood only to reveal ….. No not any one we are likely to know, but look alike British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

Proskynesis (Greek: prostation)

Proskunew describes a Persian custom which involved kneeling and putting the face to the ground. This sometimes involved kissing the ground. Taken as the act of submission, respect, gratitude, supplication, neediness, and humility. This was used on all sorts of occasions. Thought to have originated as a non-verbal greeting where men of equal rank would kiss each other on the lips. An inferior kissed his superior on the cheeks, and where one was much less noble rank than the other, he fell to the ground in homage. Considered to have become ritualized at the oriental courts, depending on rank, visitors would prostrate themselves, kneel in front of, bow for, or blow a kiss to the king. There may have been practical reasons for blowing a kiss as halitosis was thought to be common. Magicians would use the same technique in order to prevent contamination of the sacred fire. Alexander the Great (327) spread his empire to incorporate others and naturally took Iranians to serve at his court. To win his or her respect and support he had to act like a Persian king, and ordered everybody to behave according to the oriental court ritual. The court custom, caused consternation amongst the Greeks as prostration, bowing or kneeling, to anyone other than the Gods was unacceptable. Despite violent opposition it is not clear whether Alexander the Great’s attempt at cultural infliction, succeeded. However, proskynesis was commonly practiced at the courts of his successors and remnants remain today occidentals, still bow for kings and queens. By the time of the Old Testament the custom had passed in judicial behaviour and when an accused was brought before the judge, he lay prostate. If found guilty, the judge would place his foot on their neck. If innocent the judge would stoop over and lift their face with his hand. Lifting the face was a Hebrew concept, which equalled a declaration of innocence in a judicial, proceeding. When Muslims bow towards Mecca this is another reference to proskynesis and by contrast the posture of early Christian worship. was standing. According to Brasch (1989), kissing the feet was a gesture of homage and deference, far removed from its erotic roots. Millions of pilgrims with loving pressure have worn down the feet of the statue of Saint Paul in Rome with their lips. At the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire it was the custom for the faithful to kiss the right hand of the Papal Father. In the eighth century, a rather passionate woman took liberties and according to legend, the Pope cut off his hand in disgust. The custom of kissing the Pope’s right foot was adapted as more appropriate. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) had kings and churchmen kiss his feet. Today the act of homage involves kissing the Pontiff’s right shoe. Lips are aimed at the cross-depicted on the shoe. This is either taken as a tribute to his authority or the simulation of servitude.

Damned High Heels

Traveling across the city and sometimes passing through the CBD, it never fails to amaze your intrepid reporter how many ladies I recognise wearing trainers with their business suits. Transpires after discrete enquiries, the ladies prefer to travel to and fro the workplace in the comfort of sports shoes, then dawn the old high-heeled shoes during business hours. Clever peeps. This fad had its origins back in the seventies when the public transport strike in New York City brought the Big Apple to its knees, well to its feet, really, if you want me to be more accurate. Forced to walk to work the resourceful North Americans put on their trainers and hence the cross over fashion from sport to ath-leisure was born. A cunningly clever young Australian shoe designer has come up with a practical solution for all those ladies who wish to get to work in low heels but can power dress in the office in high heels…. and never take their shoes off. Her new design for adjustable high heels converts a high 7 cm heel to a low 3 cm heel with one simple twist on/off action. Sophie Cox is a design student from University of Technology, Sydney and has come up with a practical answer to a common problem which is very important to a lot of people. Cox’s CONVERTIBLES (Adjustable High Heels) are inter-changeable and twist on, and off. According to Sophie high heels now play a very complex role in modern society and have become the only shoe accepted for women on formal occasions and the shoe of choice for women in business. Her concern for the health of women wearing high heeled shoes was the spur for her design innovation. Now her design has been put forward for an Australian Design Award®. The shoes come with a stylish accessory in the form of a drawstring bag for storage of unused heels to prevent loss. Smaller than a spectacle case, this can easily be put in any sized handbag or desk at work. ‘Where can I get a pair of Cox’s Convertibles?’ These are not yet commercially available…just a clever concept in a young designer’s mind. The idea borrows heavily from sporting cleats which are interchangeable; however Cox’s heel is new. There are some technical problems however and it is not clear whether these have been addressed. Shoes are walking machines which adjust the foot to function efficiently during walking. One of the most important role feet play is to give a stable lever action to push the weight bearing leg forward and off the ground. This relies on the balance between heel height and toe spring (bend on the front of the shoe). In simple terms, the angular difference allows the foot to bend, effortlessly, across the tread line. This formula varies with both high and low heels. Sorry to sound a spoil sport, but it is unlikely the interchangeable heels would take this into account. Good idea but not as practical as it appears. However if the object was to simply change the design of the heel, then provided it was the same height this would have a very practical purpose, and allow a range of fashion options for comfortable pumps. I would not be surprised when the design innovation eventually convert to mass produced fashion, this becomes a more practical application.

Paraphilia and paraphilic related disorders

Paraphilia means love (philia) beyond the usual (para). The condition of paraphilia exists when a person’s sexual arousal and gratification depend on fantasising about and engaging in sexual behaviour that is atypical and extreme. Paraphilic behaviours revolve around particular objects or around particular acts. Two examples would be inflicting pain (sadism), or publically exposing genitalia (exhibitionism). In legal parlance, paraphilia represents a perversion or deviancy; in common vernacular, this is referred to as kinky or bizarre sex. The American Psychiatric Association, (1994) consider those who suffer from paraphilia have several behavioural characteristics in common. They are recurrent, fixed, compulsive, sexually motivated, and personally or socially maladaptive, and interfere with capacity for reciprocal affection. To comply with this definition these behaviours should have been an established pattern for no less than six months duration. Sexual acts are only considered paraphiliac if the person’s internal experience matches these criteria (Love, 1990). A second aspect of paraphilia pertains to the object to which the person is attracted too. For example, a podophile would be attracted to feet and a restifist, shoes. A third aspect of paraphilia involves compulsion and its aspects that make self-control of undesirable behaviour difficult.

The neuro-transmitter, which stimulates compulsive behaviour, is glucocorticoid and is normally triggered when the individual becomes excited. The function of the neuro-transmitter appears to help focus on the stimulus and will remain until the person can conquer it, resolve it, or are out of danger. Provided some type of arousal surrounds the object the release of glucocoticoid increases compulsive behaviour and makes a return to normal routine very difficult. A fourth aspect of paraphilia relates to loss of compensation. Experts believe the brain creates pain and anxiety to ensure the body is provided with certain items needed for survival. In return the body produces opiates that trigger a pleasure response. Under certain circumstance the brain may compensate when the simple primal needs are lost or restricted. Instead the brain will use another need and use it as a source of pleasure. Eating disorders are thought, by many, to be a compensating measure when the brain releases opiates to gratify the action. Symptoms of depression may develop in individuals with paraphilia and are often accompanied by an increase in the frequency and intensity of the paraphiliac behaviour. Anything that has the potential to cause fear or anger can be utilised by some people to induce passion or sexual arousal. Passion, like other forms of emotion, produces adrenalin (epinephrine) which leads to the production of other neuro-transmitters.

Factors, which appear to determine how this stimulus is perceived and acted upon, relate to an individual's judgement of these circumstances or sex appeal of the other person. Change in body chemistry may cause things such as avoidance behaviour, an increase in heart rate, oxygen intake, and blood pressure; all of the responses needed to flight or fight (and sex). Anxiety and distress are thought by many to be the initial driving force behind the need to seek pleasure or gratification. It appears during infancy or early childhood, at a primitive learning level, certain individuals discover pleasure and gratification as a coping mechanism to deal with stress, and that, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) helps to establish the paraphilia or paraphilic related disorder.

It is generally thought paraphilias and paraphilia related disorders are more clinically prevalent than most clinicians suspect. These disorders are cloaked in shame and guilt and it is unlikely clients will encourage conversation about their particular fetish. Paraphiliac behaviour is more common in men than women. The focus on a paraphiliac is usually very specific and unchanging. This may explain the difference between a foot fetishist or podophile and a shoe fetishist or retifist.

Paraphilia may be classified into two pathological categories. In severe cases the essential features of a paraphilic are recurrent intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges or behaviours generally involving:
1) non-human objects,
2) the suffering or humiliation of oneself or one's partner, or
3) children or other non-consenting persons.

In less severe states the behaviour, sexual urges, or fantasies cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other relevant areas of functioning.

Paraphila types are distinguished by the preoccupation with the object or behaviour to the point of being dependent on that object or behaviour for sexual gratification. Unless the person fantasises about the paraphilia at the same time they loose their arousal or satisfaction potential.

According to Money (1984), the DSM III incorrectly designated the majority of paraphilias as atypical and have classified them into eight types based on forensic history rather than by pathology and therapeutic need. The rationale for defining paraphilias as crimes instead of illness derives from the philosophy of the Inquisition and demon possession, for which offenders were burned at the stake. In the eighteenth century this was replaced by degeneracy theory. This theory was first published by Tissot in 1758 and was issued to explain both social and individual ills on the basis of personal responsibiliry, for the cause of degeneracy was attributed to the loss of vital fluid in masturbation, and also to indulge in concupiscent thoughts and fantasies. After the event of germ theory in 1870s degenercy theory rapidly became outmoded in most branches of medicine, except in sexual medicine. Degeneracy theory allows the paraphilic to be held responsible for his condition and hence punishment as a treatment is held justified. He argued heterosexual childplay in childhood lays the foundations for uncomplicated heterosexuality in adulthood. Inteference with an individual's lovemap development may result in some developing paraphilia. Money attested every one developed a lovemap which carries the program of an individuals erotic fantasies and their corresponding practices. Once formed these remain uniquely personalised. This develops throughout childhood. If the love map is interupted this alters the functioning of the sex organs in genital intercourse. (hypophilic solution). The hyoperphilic solution is one in which the lovemap, defied defacement so sex organs of the adult are used with exaggerated defiance frequency, and compulsiveness and or with great multiplicity of partners, in pairs or in-groups. Another variation on the love map is not completely defaced but redesigned with detours that includes either new elements or relocations of original ones. Relocation may derive from a history of atypical sexual rehearsal play and /or erotosexual experience in childhood. Or they may derive from some other childhood encounter or series of encounters in which the sexual organs become stimulated e.g. seeing a shoe. The erotic fantasies and their practices or animations are programmed in distorted lovemaps and recognised by others as kinky or bizarre behaviour. Each paraphilia has its own paths on the mental lovemap which is a strategy for circumventing the individually encountered incompatibility of the sacred and the profane in erotosexualism. Money (1980/1984) based his theoretical model called lovemaps. He believed these brain schemata were not complete at birth and required input form social environment. Perper (1985) thought there was a existence of pre figured gestalts of the ideal partner. He suggested these were not encoded in the genes, but were created by a slow development process involving genetic regulation detailed and recognisable image. Bancroft (1989) argued although these concepts may provide a useful framework for thought they are impossible to test scientifically. Many of the early theoretical models describing fetishism developed from the work of the psychoanalysis. Attention has also focused on possible biological mechanisms, ethological explanations, and sociocultural and sociobiological factors. Much remains unknown and understanding still at a limited stage. ( Wise, 1985; Huws, Shubsachs & Taylor, 1991; Stoller, 1986)

Money classified paraphilic lovemaps into six strategies. Developmentally paraphilic imagery constituted a love map that goes awry during the juvenile period of hetrosexual rehearsal play.

Predatory Paraphilias describe those wicked and degenerate ecstasies of the sinful act of lust which is so defiling it can be indulged only if stolen , or taken from the saint by force. In some cases stealing alone takes place as a substitute for genital intercourse. The Sleeping princess syndrome (somnophilia) may involve kissing or intimacy with the feet. When reported to the police this is usually mistaken for attempted rape.

Merchantile Paraphila decribes the wicked and degenerate ecstasy of the sinful act of lust and is the social vice practised only by whores and hustlers for pay. This may appear as a role playing fantasy within domestic sex.

Sacrificial Paraphilia is where one or both of the partners must atone for the wicked and degenerate acts of defiling the saint with ecstatic lust by undergoing and act of penance or sacrifice. Sadomasochistic sacrifice is not always directed at the sex organs. Erotic arousal may arise from afflictions of other parts of the body including the feet. They may be beaten, squeezed, stretched, pierced or cut. In some cases of erotic masochism the first pain produced fades and becomes transformed into sensuous ecstasy. This describes those wicked and degenerate ecstasies of the sinful act of lust which is so defiling it can be indulged only if stolen, or taken from the saint by force. In some cases stealing alone takes place as a substitute for genital intercourse. The Sleeping princess syndrome (somnophilia) may involve kissing or intimacy with the feet. When reported to the police this is usually mistaken for attempted rape. This decribes the wicked and degenerate ecstasy of the sinful act of lust and is the social vice practised only by whores and hustlers for pay. This may appear as a role playing fantasy within domestic sex.

The Fetish paraphilias describe a compromise made with the saintliness of chastity and abstinence by including in the sexual act a token that symbolises the wickedness and degeneracy of the sinful act of ecstatic lust. The token symbolically permits the partner to remain as if saintly pure and undefiled. The fetish is the sinful agent of exotic and sexual excitement and arousal. Often the fetish item is stolen. The item may be more important that the owner and with transvestites they have to wear the item to perform genitally. If the partner objects he must fantasise he is wearing them in order to perform. Attractions vary but may include rubber fetish combines feel and smell. Shoes are often sought after and frequnetly collected, by the fetishist who uses them to obtain sexual arousal. Masturbation commonly accompanies real or imagined contact with the fetish (McGuire, Carlisle and Young, 1965)

Eligibility Paraphilias describe self abandonment to the wicked and degenerate ecstasy of the sinful act can be achieved only if the partner qualifies as something different i.e. from a different religion, race or creed. Nacrophilia would represent a special niche attraction. Body tattoos may attract and in some cases stigmatoghilia (erotic piercing) is the attraction. In severe case the attraction is to mutilation or surgical amputation. Erotic turn on is to the stump. In very rare cases people may be turned on by getting amputation (apotemnophlia) Cases have been reported where people have staged managed an injury to ensure a professional amputation is undertaken in a hospital.

Once a paraphilia is lodged in the brain it becomes like an addiction and difficult to dislodge. Many paraphilic men are able to have several ejaculations (hyperorgasmia) as many as ten on a daily basis. Paraphilias appear more frequently in males which may relate to the gender specific reliance on visual stimuli favoured by males. Females are more dependent of skin feelings for erotic excitation. Love maps enter the brain through vision. rather than through sound. Early childhood appears a vital time for the lovemap development.

Foot Tickling

Apparently foot tickling has become the latest, behind closed door, activity in the US of A. No idea why this is so but it is true to say since the 18th century all things foot and shoe have taken on special meaning, particularly around and beginning of each century. Many theories prevail but no satisfactory explanation has been put forward. Shoes have certainly had their ’15minutes of fame’, post September 11th . Today’s society is very aware of the shoe as a weapon for example and this association is unique to the 21st century. Perhaps foot tickling is a reaction to the fearful aspects of shoes and the spectre of terrorism. Algophilia describes sexual arousal gained by sensation. Primitive tribes held painful rituals for entering adulthood and valued the ability to endure pain as a prerequisite for marriage. The proof of pain may by itself have been the ultimate proof that decoration was an unselfish act and that it was done to give pleasure to others (Rubin, 1949). This might begin to explain the action of footbinding. Certainly tribes may have used pain such as scarifications to induce passion and thus fertility. The registration of pain is caused by the release of chemicals such as bradykinnin, substance P and prostaglandins and can be divided into two types somatic and visceral Somantic pain most often in the muscles and skin. This is mild by comparison to visceral pain, which radiates from internal organs causing nausea and weakness. We detect somatic pain by stimulation of the free nerve endings that lie near the surface of the skin. Once activated they transmit a signal to the brain, however it is not a guarantee that the sensation will be perceived as painful. The message maybe thwarted in several ways. Nerves, which transmit sensations of deep pressure, vibration, heat and cold, can override pain signals. Moods also affect the process pain is sharer when the person is anxious. Once pain has been registered for 20-40 minutes the body will begin to produce opiate like chemicals to reduce pain sensations. The release of chemicals cause anaesthetic europhoric and trance like qualities. Moderate anxiety increases the response to pain. High levels of fear including terror or fear decrease the response to fear. Pain can trigger a reaction from the autonomic nervous system causing an increase rate of breathing heart rate and blood pressure. This may enhance sexual sensitivity or experience.

Foot Note
Tickling. This may be used as stimulation especially in a abrasion scene. Tickling of the soles of the feet can produce extreme mental distress. Warning: tickling can be a very heavy scene. See Abrasion.

Tickling Fantasy
http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/kendra/
http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/mybook/
http://www.geocities.com/solelovr/pg53/links.html

Foot Flirtations

In the early 90s, Dianne Brill was a model, actress and fashion designer. Dianne was voted the most desirable body of the decade and her body image was taken by Adel Rootstein and used for her shop window mannequins. In her book Boobs, boys and high heels she includes a section on Foot Flirtations, which I thought, might intrigue our listener. Playing footsie has been known since the Middle Ages but perhaps never described in such detail as Dianne does in her book. According to this fashion dogne, there are six ways you can play footsie. The first starts with a toe nudge followed by delicate investigation up under the trouser hem. She suggests you follow this by resting your foot against your partner, alternating between removing the pressure then pushing again. To be effective this should be done in a spontaneous manner so the pathetic individual in unsure if the contact is intentional or utterly innocent. Another way to torment men is by sitting at a distance then continues to cross and uncross the legs. Done slowly and sensuously, the sound of the legs gliding languorously over each other is reported to be hypnotic. When sitting facing a partner, the Cross-Action B method comes into play. Here the lady wraps her right leg over his left leg so it rests between his legs. The temptress then swings her calf before finally pointing the toes at which point the poor partner is left as if putty in her hands. Foot flirtations continue with the Seductive Adjustment a move which is still in the same position as Cross Action B but this time the lady leans forward to adjust the base of her shoe. Leaving her fingers to linger on the feet she actively engages her partner in eye contact. This move is guaranteed to make the coldest victim's heart melt. A variation on this theme is when the lady stands leaning forwards over her hips. With one leg bend at the knee, she toys playfully with her shoe strap or stocking. Coming up to full height the head is tossed haughtily as her hips swivel forward and she wears that smile. No mortal can resist the temptation. The Devilish Dangle is the last position to be described. Here the lady sits cross-legged with one shoe allowed to slip off revealing the tender underside of the foot. Slight movement of the legs allows the shoe to dangle from the toes in a tantalisingly manner. The author does suggest you practice this at home until perfected otherwise if the shoe plops loudly to the floor then the magic, seductive spell is broken. All of these moves require tremendous muscle action and am sure could be gainfully used in the prevention of economy class syndrome not to mention making flying experience even more exciting...

Reference
Brill D 1999 Boobs, boys and high heels 1993 London: Vermillion

Russian Shoes

If you have the good fortune to have Russian friends or neighbours, next time you are visiting have a look for a lucky talisman many Russian families keep to fend off evil spirits. The old custom was to keep a keep a pair of bast shoes fastened to the door to fend off the evil eye. The bast shoes are basket weave, which is often miniature and filled with dried flowers. The custom dates back to the Dark Ages and of course no one is sure of its origins. One Australian often photographed wearing basket weave shoes was the former Prime Minister, Paul Keating. No idea whether he was fending off the evil eye or just wearing very comfortable shoes. How the bast came about was really through sandal making. The early Russian sandal makers would weave the sole using bast (the inner bark of the lime, larch, birch, willow and even juniper trees) and these were called Lapti. The bark was prepared by soaking a long time, and then straightened under a press. It took 3 or 4 saplings to make one pair with a double sole, these were fragile and might only last one week. Lapti were worn by the rural peasants. Bast was also used to weave shoes and these were less expensive than leather but basket not so rebust. Eventually shoemakers combined bast and leather straps to make longer lasting Lapti. From the 12-14th centuries, city dwellers wore shoes made from "cuts" of fabric, little pieces of smooth wool cloth and even of silk ribbon and these were called pleteshki (wicker/weaving). Depending on the traditions and ethnic region various weaving patterns were used (oblique, straight). The form of laptej (plural of lapti) also varied depending on locality: southern and Polesski lapti were open, while northern - "bakhili" - had the form of a narrow boot. The bast shoe was used all over European Russia, but not in Siberia. They were worn over leg wraps with the whole thing secured by straps. In the winter, furs and felt were used extensively. Felt boots were worn on the coldest, driest days. Melting snow or mud will ruin felt boots and make the wearer miserable with soaked, cold feet. But when the weather was cold and dry, felt boots remained impermeable, and provided warm footwear. Leather boots were also common. Archaeological finds support leather boots became fashionable in Russia about 14th century and were worn by young and old alike. Boots were worn by the Tatar and Mongol tribes, in the Middle Ages and shoemaking was a popular trade in Russian towns. Improved skills meant more robust boots became available by 16th century. They normally attached the wooden heel under the sole, the heel was covered by leather and the boots were worn knee-high and cut at an angle. Red boots were very popular and boots for men and women were cut alike with no allowance made for left and right. There is some evidence of specially made shoes to accommodate flat feet. (circa 16th century). By this time a multiplayer heel became fashionable in Moscow. Then, shoemakers used the heel (6-7cms) as an arch support which made walking labored. Later heel plates (crescent shaped heel protector) was nailed onto the heel. Later the calks were replaced by nail holes.

Read more at:

http://www.strangelove.net/~kieser/Russia/KWCfeet.html

Australian Icons

Beer gut, Bonds singlets, stubbies (shorts) and thongs (made in China) are unmistakable marks of the true-blue male Ocker. POHMS may have superior underwear via Marks and Spencer but I doubt whether they have a singlet to beat a Bondy. Whether we like it or not the humble thong, single or double plugger, is very much part of the Australian way of life for many and of course has recently enjoyed a fashion fling in the northern hemisphere. Still despite this not many citizens can boast of a thong throwing contest, but Australians can. No words yet as to whether this will aspire to an Olympic event but stranger things have happened.
Not that everyone would want to admit it, but a common parental punishment meted out to children in less enlightened days was a good backside tanning with your parent’s favourite thong. Now politically incorrect of course, many of us still bare the scars with pride. The love of thongs has even inspired poetry, as exemplified by Colin Thiele’s immortal words.

Thong are left over footsoles.
They are a part of their owners,
More human and personal
Than shirts or underpants.

Thongs know the feel of the ground:
They are like people’s footprints left lying around.


Appears all things Australian have taken American by storm and there has been a feeding frenzy last winter to own a pair of Australian made Ugg boots. A complete sell out in shops, including Bloomimgdale’s, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, they exchanged hands via web auctions and reached a pretty penny, too. Hollywood lovelies like Sandra Bulloch, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz cannot get enough of them. Ugg sales took a real rise when they appeared on The Oprah Wimfrey Show earlier last year. Back in the 70s Australian surfer Brian Smith came to California on the look out for something to bring back to Australia, instead he soon realised the US surfers had no ugg boots and set to filling the market by importing the boots from Australia and New Zealand. The existing US and Mexican sheepskin footwear industry was cottage based and he systematically bought them out establishing the Ugg Australia Brand in 1978. He sold the business in 1995 and now they are sold as luxury sheepskin footwear advertised in Vogue and Elle.


Reference
Cock A 3004 You little booty:Ugg and American shoo-in The Sunday
Times January 4 2004

Foot fetishism & shoe restifism

Women's feet were a symbol of chastity in Roman times and were worshiped by fetishists. Senator Lucius Vitellus kept his mistress’s shoe of under his tunic and would remove and kiss it frequently. This type of fetishism, according to Ovid in Ars Amandi, led Roman women to confine their feet into tiny shoes. Freud thought the foot had phallic implications and shoes were vaginas, so even the simple slipping on a shoe was a psycho-sexual event. This symbolism intensified from the 1800s although it is difficult to say why this phenomenon has become so. I believe Victorian values with the inevitable acceptance to cover up may have influenced but industrialization and urbanization played their part too. As the song goes "a glimpse of stocking was something shocking", fashions have leaned heavily on subtle nuances to convey hidden and often heavy social agenda. Fashion historian James Laver (1969) described the erotic priniciple applied when body coverings which partially concealed body parts could in themselves become objects of affection. Foot coverings and shoe lend themselves nicely to this type of masquerade. Traditionally footwear was designed for men’s' pleasure which only reinforces male dominance and vested interests in continuation of the status quo. An example of this can be seen in the romantic fashions of the nineteenth century. Like Bo Peep the fashion was for hooped crinoline dresses. With each step, hems rose and fell which could expose in an unguarded moment a tantalising glimpse of the foot and ankle. Thought too distracting for mere males, moral code determined the adoption of the boot which laced to the mid calf. Boots were made from silk, fabric or kid leather. Of course this had the opposite effect and rather than detract from impure thoughts it became the focus of men’s' sexual fantasy. The idea of long legs has an appeal to both sexes. An enhanced body contour, stiffly bound in leather has considerable allure and attractiveness. The thought of putting them on and more importantly taking them off, is for some people quite overpowering. Shoes started to take on sexual interest in the 20 Century, part of a post modern movement, first by emphasizing the contours of the leg through the increased use of high heels and secondly the shoes becoming increasingly feminine and therefore tempting. Many restifists (shoe fetishisnts) are made aware of their attraction to women's shoes when, as young children, they innocently witness their sisters and other female members of the family, dressing. When you think it is after all perfectly natural to have countless fittings before special occasions such school balls and weddings. The female preparation in these circumstances is far more complex and intimate than their male counterparts. These sessions would hold strong erotic attraction for any sensitive male. Shoes are, of course, the piece de resistance and can only be appreciated at the end of the fitting sessions. Usually viewed with accessory clothing held provocatively, under these circumstances some men, such as cross dressers are just compelled to wear women’s shoes. Terms like feeling sexy, appearing attractive to others, and exuding power in stature are popular reasons for the habit. Some men love the sound high heeled shoes make and others revel in the different materials they are made from. Most wearers insist it is the comfort of the style which draws them to women's shoes and not the idea of the shoe as a sex toy. Always reassuring to know that. People can also have sock or stocking fetishism. Most are males but there are some female sock/stocking fetishists. The habit is often associated with an auto-erotic asphyxia fixation which is obviously sexually driven. Socks/stockings need to have some specific attraction to the person such as a special colours, shape or smell. People with sock fixation invariably view shoes as just shoes.

Paraphilias describe arousal in response to sexual objects or situations that are not part of the normal arousal-activity patterns and in varying degrees may interfere with the capacity for reciprocal, affectionate sexual activity. Fetishism has been defined as a condition which exists "when non living objects of specific parts of the body are the preferred source of sexual excitement" (Kelly & Byrne, 1992). The French psychologist Alfred Binet (1857–1911) was the first to describe fetishism in 1887. Binet's other claim to fame was with fellow psychologist Théodore Simon devised a series of tests of human intelligence that, with revisions, came into wide use in schools, industry, and the army.

According to Binet, fetishism is caused by certain experiences in early childhood, where the later fetish has an unusual emotional impact. Most authorities believe the pathological imprinting caused by the early childhood experience must also be accompanied by a predisposition for the event to result in fetishism. Research seems to indicate the precursor is a neurological anomaly. Some people believe people who develop abnormal sexual patterns tend to have experienced a more restrictive upbringing. Usually this is in conjunction with being brought up to think of genital feeling as forbidden, or naughty, and certainly unmentionable. The foot is the most common and persistent phallic symbol of the human anatomy.

Transvestism appears to be a different kind of fetishism. It seems to involve three components; autogynephilia (gynephilia is an erotic preference for physically mature women and the transvestite is erotically interested in himself with fantasised female genitalia and breasts; the fetishism connected to female objects; and women as a kind of erotic target. Transvestism and heterosexual transsexualism appear to be closely related. Fetishism is said to work by replacing the human partner to various degrees so that the fetish object stands for or signifies a particular partner of class of partners. Of all the forms of erotic symbolism the most frequent is that which idolises the foot and the shoe (Ellis, 1920). Many foot fetishists, hetro, homo and bisexuals integrate their preference for feet and shoes into their stable and less intimate relations. Indeed relationships often involve fetishistic and non fetishistic behaviours.


Read more on foot and shoe fetishinsm
http://www.podiatry.curtin.edu.au/fetish.html

Molley Dookers

With as many as 25% of the world's population left siders no-one is really sure why right sidedness dominates. We know from their origins the words left and right are not opposites. Left, i.e. lyft, lif, licht or leicht means weak, worthless or fragile. Aztec and Incas the Japanese Shinto, Egyptians and Romans all worshiped the sun and considered the right to be good and the left the dark side. In Greek times the left side was the best side and the Romans thought of left as the lucky. This did not stop the ancients from having their suspicions and superstitions. Pythagoras (569 BC - 475 BC) taught his students to put the shoe on the right foot first. "When stretching forth your feet to have your sandals put on, first extend your right foot". He was a committed vegan and would not have a student wear leather sandals. Caesar Augustus (63 B.C. - 14 C.E.) was very superstitious on this point and considered it was very bad luck to cross the threshold of the door with the left foot. Gaius Petronius (27-66 A.D.), author of the Satyricon, and the Emperor Nero's advisor in matters of luxury and extravagance agreed. He advocated entering and leaving a dwelling house with the right foot foremost. To do otherwise was unlucky. In Rome there was a servant whose sole job was to make sure all those entering the house did so with their right foot. The person was called a footman and the position is with us to this day. It is very bad luck to place the right foot in a left shoe. This superstition has been around for yonks and was written about since Roman Times. In Hudibras translated by Samuel Butler, Augustus Caeser’s untimely demise was forecast in rhythm.

"Augustus having by oversight
Put on his left shoe for his right
Had like to have been slain that day
By soldiers mutinying for pay."

The Syrian philosopher Iamblichus (c. 250-c. 330), considered the choice of foot symbolised man's first duty was reverence to the gods. This is still seen today when swearing an oath “Raise your right hand and repeat after me....”. In Egypt it was customary to enter a haunted house with the left foot first. The White Knight in Through the Looking Glass referred to one who "might madly squeeze a right foot into the left hand shoe. An old Jewish custom was to put on the right shoe on first without tying it, then the left sock. The put their left shoe on and went to the right sock and finished with the right shoe. To them the right side for the fortunate side. Itchy palms usually mean left for bad luck and right for good. The word sinister for left has a later origin and originally referred to pocket in a toga which always lay on the left hand side. This was adapted to heraldry. Being left handed often refers to being in clumsy and may have its origins in the Roman assassin, when he failed in his duty subsequently burnt his right arm off. For centuries and in many countries, left handedness was considered the weaker side, the second best, and morally the evil side. In the past people who prefer the left side (or sinister side) were considered criminal, delinquent or mentally subnormal. Fortunately there is no substance to this but until recently children were forced to adopt a right handed persuasion. In southern India there are two opposing castes the Right Hand Sect (Dakshina) and the Left Hand Sect (Vami or Vamachari). Many battles took place between them. The left hand has been used throughout history for personal hygiene and although in modern society this distinction scarcely matters it is in many ways responsible for the taboo and physical prejudice against the left hand or unclean hand. Cack as in 'cack handed' or 'corrie fisted' means excrement and refers directly to the unclean hand. Note even today most toilets flush from a handle mounted on the left hand side of the system. Another potential source of suspicion can be found in the Vision of Judgement, St Matthew Ch XXV. where sheep (right side) were separated from the goats (left side). This scripture reference has probably accounted for the association of sinister people with wickedness and evil doing. The Left foot forward traditional used by marching armies was a deliberate attempt to put fear in the hearts of the enemy, because the left foot meant a commitment to kill and mame. A common belief was witches caused injury by touch of the left hand. Many of the rituals which celebrated sorcery included instructions to use the left hand for evil and the right for good. The mark of the devil was considered to be found on the left eyelid, shoulder or inner thigh. The word Satan has no connection with the left but is a Hebrew word meaning 'adversary'. Samael, was the Prince of Demons and in Hebrew 'se'mol' means left side. Moving in clockwise direction is common enough in folk dancing i.e. moving from left to right, to do the opposite is connected to satanic rituals. This may in part be explained by the worship of the sun and the earth's rotation. In the northern hemisphere turning into the sun would mean turning right, right handedness would prevail whereas people living in the southern hemisphere may prefer their left side. Certainly there are many customs which uphold this theory. Ben Yamin literally means Son of the Right hand yet ironically the only positive reference to the left hand in the Bible relates to the commando style left handers or Benjamites. The Book of Judges is full of the stories of Ehud a left handed Benjamite. Christian ritual certainly favours the right hand with three clear examples being the Benediction, making the sign of the cross, and giving communion. In countless painting the right hand of Jesus is raised. To give a blessing with the left hand was considered blasphemy and part of Black Mass. Caesare Lombroso was a nineteenth century criminologist best remembered for his theories on the criminal foot noted most people who were left eyed or left footed were also left handed. Recent studies have shown this to be less well founded. Anthropologists believe ambidextrousness was more common in previous times but with the development of tools this made significant difference and tool users hand to adapt to the sidedness of the tool makers. Heredity may also play a role in left handedness and is thought to be the result of a recessive trait. However the scientific community remain divided between heredity and environment. A southpaw or left handed person refers to a left handed pitcher in baseball and always faces south (in the Northern hemispheres). A southpaw boxer leads with his left fist. The term southpaw meaning left handed came from an incident described by Lord Baden Powel when greeting a defeated chieftain he held out his right hand only to be told men in the tribe welcome the bravest of men with their left hand. From this story came the famous southpaw handshake of the boy scouts. The origin of Molly-dooker was derived from Molly, an effeminate man, and dukes the slang for hands. A left footer is slang from Northern Ireland meaning a follower of the Catholic faith. Left as in radical faction was introduced by Thomas Carlyle in 1837. It comes from cote gauche (left side), in the French Assembly of 1789 the conservative nobles sat to the presiding officer's right side, the radicals of the Third Estate to his left, and the moderates directly before him. Children generally use both hands until they are about 3 or 4. Then they begin to favour one hand over the other. One theory is left handers use the right side of their brain, the artistic side whereas right handers rely on the left side of the brain which is more word orientated. There is no scientific proof one way or the other. The left leg is considered weaker and there is good anatomical reason for this. In the womb, often the left leg gets caught against the mother's spin and is weaker as a result. The left foot forward of the military may be due to several reasons. Because the left leg is considered weaker it is common sense not to venture the right foot first. A more probable explanation is since the right arm holds the sword or spear; a left foot forward action will give the necessary momentum for the weapon to be in action after two paces. The right foot is marginally more ticklish then the left foot according to research conducted at Stirling University, Scotland. Regardless of handedness and footedness people seemed to be more ticklish on their right foot. Some experts consider the left side of the brain deals with emotions like laughter, and the right side deals with pain. The research indicated males were more ticklish than females.

Famous left handers include: Joan of Arc, King George VI, Harpo Marx, Charlie Chaplin, Rex Harrison, Kim Novak, Jesse Matthews, Judy Garland, Betty Grable, Olivia de Havailland, Mandy Rice Davis, Sir Paul McCartney, Danny Kaye, Terrance Stamp, Bill Clinton, Bob Charles (NZ), Phil Mickelson, Rus Cochran, & Richard Green (golfers) Rod Laver, Martina Navratilova, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, Ringo Starr, Ludwig van Beethoven, Pablo Picasso and Jimi Hendrix. Ambidextrous people include Plato, King David, Leonardo di Vinci, Michelangelo, Lord Baden Powell

References
Barsley M 1966 The left-handed book London: Pan Books Ltd

Soccer Boots

Craig Johnston has been nominated in a short list of 3 for this year's Design Museum's Designer of the Year Award. Last year’s winner was the chap who invented the iMac. Craig Johnston, formally of Liverpool Football Club claim to fame was he was the inventor of the world’s best selling soccer boots. Johnston admits had he been a naturally gifted player he would have no reason to develop a radical boot design. Traditional football boots give minimal exposure or ‘sweet spot’ with which to hit the ball straight. Even with hours and hours of practice the technique never really improved satisfactorarily. Craig experimented but roughening the upper of the boot and using alternatives to leather. He admits much of his inspiration came whilst windsurfing, wearing rubber shoes. He tracked down the manufacturers and together they designed a football boot mould. Then Craig designed a series of protruding jets and fins which greatly improved the boot's precision. Meanwhile he kept searching for the perfect type of rubber. His breakthrough came whilst playing with a child's ball. Craig spent a considerable amount of his own money in developing the prototypes and met with considerable resistance form existing boot manufacturers eventually he and Adidas joined forces, and the Predator was released in 1994. This is now the best selling football boot of all time. Not content to rest on his laurels Craig has been working on a new generation boot that he calls 'The Pig'. It has rubber spikes in strategic places which gives greater precision with the ball.

Watch this space.

History of Ugg Boots

I suppose, like many others you might believe that a ploughman's lunch was the traditional fare of the land labourer. Well the truth of the matter is the plate of bread, cheese and pickle was the invention of marketing executive in the sixties, commissioned to sell, relish. Somewhat in a similar manner the Ugg Boot seems to be traditional Australian and New Zealand footwear which has been with us since the beginning of time. Of course this is not the case and the footwear was first introduced during the nineteen sixties. History has it a group of inventive surfies working on a West Australian sheep ranch were responsible. A chap from Victoria takes the credit but it certainly happened in WA. The feel of pure merino wool next to their skin felt good after a dip in the chilly surf. The lads began to sow sheepskin fleece together and stuck linoleum soles on the bottom to make the shoes last longer. At first they were called "ugly boots " then this was shortened to "ughs'. The fad caught on and soon spread to the Gold Coast surfies. Later the crude linoleum was later replaced with rubber soles. In 1975 an Australian surfer (Brian Smith) went to the US and discovered the Ugg boot had not migrated to the West Coast. He started to import boots and distributed them through surf shops. The demand grew steadily year after year. By the mid eighties the style was established and is now worn by all walks of life. How is it the saying goes "a profit is without honour in his own country." and we can apply this to the Australian ugg boot. Here although the fashion is very popular it is stigmatised whereas in North America, they have become rather cult and trendy boots to be seen in. It forms part of the subplot in no less an evergreen than "Seinfeld", where it is referred to as the Himalayan Boot. But the real personality to endorse the ugg's is Pamela Anderson Lee of Baywatch. She is reported to have swanned through the sets wearing only her scarlet bikini and ugg boots. A certain North American Company has been systematically buying out all small entities that have been making ugg boots. Quite large numbers are said to be involved. The term Ugg is now a registered trademark in the US and worth conservatively $35 million dollars per year. So what is the secret of the ugg boot? The natural insulating properties of the animal wool keep the feet comfortable and dry. No matter what temperature it is outside, wool fibres trap air next to the skin, which heats to body temperature providing a natural insulation. The wool fleece moulds to fit the shape of the foot preventing peak pressures from forming. The lanoline moisturises skin and absorbs excess water. Versatile, the sheepskin can be made into short and long surf boots, gusset boots and slippers. Improved manufacturing techniques make the footwear waterproof and more durable. The ugg book can be worn anywhere and is comfortable both on the beach and in the snow.

History of Socks

By about 1840 the word sock had become the accepted term describing hose for men and boys. It took until 1880 before it was accepted as clothing for young girls. At first fashion conscious men wore silk socks with suspenders attached to below the knee. Working men wore woollen socks tied up with elastic garters. The phrase 'pull up your socks' is likely to have its origins about this time. Improved kitting techniques and the incorporation of elasticised fibres later in the twentieth century meant socks could stay up on their own with no need for suspender or garter. After World War II and clothing rationing, cotton and wool mixtures provided standard fare for most male fashions. By the end of the twentieth century, clever manipulation of polymer structures not only offered more robust coverings for the feet but also included anti-microbial action, which was used to combat unwanted smells and fungus. Some were manufactured in two layers, which were worn to reduce heat caused by dynamic friction and the cause of skin blistering. New biotechnology provides hydroscopic fibres, which according to manufacturers; help draw moisture away from the skin thereby preventing build up of perspiration on the skin surface. Long been a secret known only to children and back packers is to hide your cash and valuables in your socks. Well again thanks to the clever sock technology some socks include a safety compartment for storing valuables, like credit cards. Popular range of socks is those, which now incorporate your favourite cartoon character, your name or some clever and witty slogan like "Got balls". This fashion dates back to earlier times when leggings were decorated with clock designs. Podiatric researchers, from the University of Teeside, Department of Sport Science, have come up with the idea the humble sock can play an important role in preventing peak shock. Although the mechanical manufacture of socks has remained unchanged, the number of material combinations has increased with modern technology. Scientific studies have already shown wearing padded socks can reduce peak pressures by as much as 30% in people suffering diabetes and relieve pain in people with arthritic feet. The English researchers have tried to classify socks into those, which give the most and least protection. They concluded, padded socks incorporating either acrylic cushioning or wool cushioning on the sole of the foot were by far the most efficient shock absorbers. These types of socks are commonly used for hiking or climbing. Cotton and double layer cotton hosiery gave no protection against shock, and somewhat surprisingly neither did towelling sport socks. Thickness of the gauge of the sock was considered significant and I am sure many knitters, will know the gauge is defined by as the number of needles per inch in manufacture. It is well known especially for those suffering cold or sweaty feet wool and cotton mix is the most convenient combination. The fabrics wash well and are less likely to shrink. In the case of people suffering cold feet, wool provides beneficial insulation. However according to this recent research incorporated cushioning in the sole of the sock can, for the adult, be very beneficial. So if there are any grandmother's, out their, busily knitting socks for their baby grandchildren, stop what you are doing right now. Baby's doesn't need them, but you and grandfather do.

Soulfinger

Did you know the ring finger or soul finger could tell a lot about you?
According to experts each of our four fingers represents a different aspect of our personality. The ring finger or soul finger, some believe is where the soul leaves the body, after death. But in life, it provides clues about our creativity and sense of well being. Well it would do being the soul finger. Apparently all is revealed when the length of fingers are compared. Scientists have become verty interested of late is what exactly determined the length of fingers and have come up with a facinating explanation. In males the length of fingers is determined by the levels of androgens (that’s male sex hormones) contained within the embryonic fluid, during early pregnancy. When the ring finger is longer than the index finger then, according to scientists, men have high levels of testosterone and prone to male-pattern baldness, among other things. When the ring finger is the same length as the indexc finger, this indicates normal levels of testosterone. This is usually opposite in women. Now researchers believe men with longer ring fingers for their height are prone to suffer depression and if that was not bad enough but US researchers have found the ratio between the fingers on the right hand may be an indication of a person's sexual orientation. And here was me thinking it was just only two fingers but before you pull out the ruler or size up your hands the differences in finger length are just fractions of an inch. In addition, the finding is merely a statistical relationship, meaning that there are likely to be many men and women who do not fit the pattern. A recent study published by the British Journal of Cardiology, implies a correlation between the ring and index fingers which indicated heart conditions a ring finger equal to or shorter than the index finger in males make them more prone to heart attacks in later life. This association is well founded since level of male sex hormones has been connected with cardiac behaviour. Long ring finger youths excel at sport, although they might struggle to communicate. Men whose ring finger is roughly the same length as their index finger tend to be poor at sport but are better able to express themselves. Among women, risk-taking and assertiveness are linked to a relatively long ring finger. A tendency to throw caution to the wind, coupled with relatively poor communication skills, may also be found among women with this shape hand. Women with roughly equal ring and index fingers can tend towards being neurotic with an aversion to risk and low assertiveness, but are linked to good communication skills. Links between finger length and breast cancer, autism, dyslexia and fertility have also been found.

The index, or first, finger tells a lot about your leadership abilities, ambition, and self-esteem. Your middle finger shows how responsible you are and whether your attitude toward life is serious or carefree. People with average length index fingers are not especially dominating but neither are they easily led either. A long index finger indicates assertiveness and driving ambition are accompanied with self-confidence. A very long index finger is found in bossy people always pointing the finger. Natural leaders and athletes have long index fingers as a rule. People with shorter than average index fingers are somewhat timid. In the average hand, the index and ring fingers are about the same length but a noticeably shorter index finger may belong to a cold individual who probably dislikes having restrictions placed upon them. These people dislike criticism but are happy to give it out. Scientists have associated the size of the index finger to the levels of estrogen bathing the fetus. The middle finger is used to judge others and difficult to determine whether it's long, short, or average in length by itself. The middle finger is associated with responsibility. A long middle finger indicates a very responsible person and sometimes a lonely individual. More relaxed people have short middle fingers and share a fun-loving approach to life. Medium-length middle fingers are seen in the well balanced.

The first documented 'finger' insult occurred in ancient Greece, when the playwright Aristophanes made a crude visual insult using the middle finger. By jabbing a threatening phallus you belittle the recipient and making them your sexual inferior. The Romans took this gesture along with other cultured things. Caligula, that’s the sandal man, was a fearless warrior and pioneer of all things perverse. He shocked his citizens frequently by forcing them to kiss his middle finger instead of his hand. The Caesar taunted his body guards as being too effeminate and jabbed his finger at him. Eventually Cassius had enough and put him to the sword. Just goes to show how important these gestures are taken. During the Middle Ages, the finger went underground. It was still known, but the Catholic Church frowned upon its use, as the middle finger was supposed to be holy in the Mass. The unholy insult lurked deep within the hearts of rabble everywhere. It started to make a public appearance in the 19th century with the invention of photography. When in 1886, baseball pitcher Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn posed impishly for him team picture with the Boston Beaneaters the split-second gesture was captured forever on camera. Immigrants to North Americans quickly got into the act and the fickle finger of insult was back and became the universal insult.

Socks'n Sandals -Whose bad!

Revelations Michael Jackson wore white socks with his thongs caused a real buzz with the paparazzi. For a moment the unseemly details of the case unfolding before the court were forgotten as debate started on the advisability or otherwise of socks and sandals. Maybe it was to match his British War Medals, the archetypical English bad taste socks and sandals ensemble was worn, but no-one will ever know, well at least Michael is not talking. He might be quite relieved to know excavations of a Romano-Celtic temple complex at Tabard Square in Southwark, London recently unearthed a bronzed foot, which is by itself a rare find. However worse to come and the pedal extremity had the fashion audacity of wearing socks and sandals. Oh how uncouth. It has long been thought the humble sock was around 2000 years ago and no reason why it would not be worn but this is the first actual physical evidence to confirm it. The weather in Britain at that time was terrible. (What’s new?) and Tacitus recorded this at the time. Archeologists are still undecided but believe the foot may have belonged to a statue of the god, Mars Camulos who was worshipped in northern France and Britain. Inscriptions of the god's name have been found elsewhere on the temple site. Alternatively the foot may be from a statue of an emperor. Since statues were never made of the plebs it may just have been an isolated case of bad taste. Leg coverings have been discovered in bog bodies and bodies trapped in glaciers, which predate the current, find. So people in colder climates would most certainly cover their feet for protection. It would take until knitting was discovered before actual socks, as we would understand them to appear costume accessories. A recent discovery has set the archeological world on its feet because they have just unearthed an Iron Age shoe in Wales which is thought to predate previous finds of Roman sandals. The shoe is a rectangular bag of leather but has vertical stitching at the heel and six pairs of lace holes in the vamp so it is definitely a shoe. Usually animal and vegetable materials perish in the ground but due to unusual conditions the artifact was preserved in pristine condition thanks to the clay which surrounded it. The shoe has been dated to between 700BC and 43AD. Whereas the first Roman Invasion of Britain was in 55 BC. Footwear from this period is extremely rare although a handful of relics have been found in other European countries. The shoe had no partner and experts believe it may have been left as a lucky charm, a common practice in the middle ages. When a cache of Roman Sandals was found in York, England, many had been worn. Surprisingly from scientific analysis of the examples, which spanned children to adult sizes, experts found the same wear marks as would be seen in modern shoes. The long and short of it would be in two millennium the anatomy of human feet has not changed despite the influence of footwear. Socks and sandals - Whose Bad!

Rock musicians and their shoes

The term fetish is too easily misused today and is frequently associated with celebrities who collect lots of shoes, and there are a few of them. One of the trappings of affluence is accumulation of material items which become meaningless. Just ask Elton John or Oprey Winfrey, both have auctioned off their old gear, including hundreds of pair’s of shoes. Restifism (shoe fetish) means you would need to have sex with the shoe and there are not too many musicians willing to admit to that. Like all performers, musicians are a superstitious bunch and have favorite shoes they wear for special occasions like at recording studios or live performances. Brain May of Queen, for instance always wears clogs on stage. Many musos put their right shoe on first for good luck. Just in the same way we all have a right and wrong side of the bed. This relates to human beings trying to control the fortunes of destiny. Shoes are a special type of costume which is often chosen to complete an outfit. That means there is a lot more conscious effort goes into what kind of shoes we wear. Men dress to comply with an image whereas women dress to complement their personality. Rock stars are no different. If there was ever an item of clothing which epitomised the style and fashion of an era it would have to be shoes (or their absence). Take yourself into any cd store and you can pick up a dozen covers of compilation hits and three quarters of them will depict fashionable shoes of the time. What is more these are instantly recognizable and to all generations.

Billy Joel captures this sentiment in the lyrics of his pop song, "It's still rock and roll to me."

“How about a pair of pink sidewinders (sandals)
And a bright orange pair of pants?
You could really be a Beau Brummel baby
If you just give it half a chance.
Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers,
You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers."
Next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me.

It's still rock and roll to me
Billy Joel

Musos can get typecast with a particular shoe style, so EmInem would look a lot less cool to his crew, dressed in disco platforms, and the thought of Cliff Richard on stage wearing thrasher Vans, is almost unthinkable. Many pop stars have personalized their shoes. The Bay City Rollers for example had their initials on their boots for all to see. The UK duo Bros, in the eighties, wore beer bottle tops on their trainers, Chubby Checker wore basket weave shoes and Joe Cocker sported a cracking pair of cowboy boots with stars, on stage, at Woodstock. Shoe designers and rock costumiers love ambiguity and outfit musos accordingly. In the androgogenous rock in the 70s, Bowie (aka Ziggy Stardust) wore platform boots to heighten the small performer on stage, the elfin, Electric Warrior, Marc Bolan meantime sported heelless pumps. Height challenged Elton John found the fashionable platforms useful to extend his reach over the piano. Front men and solo performers tend to be better dressed with drummers (precisionists) scruffier than most. Lead guitarists are creative and in touch with their female side so veer towards stylish sneakers or casual fashion. Bass men, are pretty conservative and prefer better quality shoes. Rap, & hip-hoppers are designer trainers, new era grunge wear thrasher shoes, and Neo punk and Oi, the old Doc Martens. West Coast music outfits into niche Country and Western rock wear boots in keeping with their cowboy machismo.

High heels are no longer evil

Research from Oxford University researchers under the direction of Oxford University public-health studies professor Ray Fitzpatrick was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health in the latter part of 2003. The findings supported there was no evidence of risk that glamour-gal footwear harmed feminine knees. The reverse may be true, but conditions apply.

"A consistent finding in the analysis was a reduced risk of osteoarthritis in association with regular high-heel usage," says the report, published this week
The researchers noted, "It is very unlikely that prolonged wearing of high-heeled shoes represents a risk factor."

This conclusion treads heavily on conventional medical wisdom of the last 250 years or so, which has blamed high heels for sore backs, corns, sprained ankles, abnormal gait, ingrown toenails, shortened calf muscles and hammertoe. Historically this is a misogynistic viewpoint which has enjoyed its greatest vogue at times when women enter the workforce.

The Yale University School of Medicine Foot and Ankle Service recommend half-inch heels, while the podiatric association calls high heels "biomechanically and orthopedically unsound."

Studies have shown 2/3rds of women wear shoes smaller in volume than their anatomical foot. Women with tighter fits tend to suffer from friction , which accounts for the callous and bunions, but not in every case.

The Foot police continue to promulgate the doom and despondency myth with relatively little evidence to support it, but well meant none the less. Orthopods and podiatrists tend to see a small skewed population and obviously conditions apply. Over the last five years or so there have been several similar but small studies, all of which have come to different conclusions.

The Harvard Medical School studies measured “knee torque" of high-heel wearers. Surprisingly enough the torque was about 22% and they linked it to the cause of knee arthritis. Researchers later extended the study to include sensible heels and found the torque on the knee measured 25%. Shocked and stunned they dismissed the evil high heel theory and clung instead to cause and effect. This was immediately refuted by the British Arthritic Society who was keen to reassure heels heights were only contributory in those people prone to osteoarthritis.

Another study from Medical College of Georgia found that older women lost their balance 12 percent of the time when they wore high heels. Similar works have been conducted in Australia by Stephen Lord and Hylton Menz over in Sydney and there maybe more credibility here than an association with arthritis.

A new trend reported relates to toe amputation as a fashion accessory. Whilst this is not new the frequency would appear to support a new phenomenon and orthopedists and surgical podiatrists have been asked to undertake elective cosmetic surgery in such numbers as to cause bioethical dilemmas.

"High heels have an allure that men may appreciate, but cannot fully understand."

As Marilyn Monro said “I don’t know what man invented them but all women should be grateful.”

There was an even more pronounced link between regular dancing in three-inch heels and a reduced risk of knee problems. The researchers described this finding as "surprising", but said that they would not expect a larger-scale study to overturn their findings.

"Our data suggest that future research in relation to risk and prevention might usefully focus on the age at which people first undergo excessive weight gain and whether or not this gain is sustained." Certainly, becoming overweight before the age of 40 was strongly linked - with a 36-fold increase in risk - with arthritis of the knee. Researchers noted: "Most of the women had been exposed to high-heeled shoes over the years. Nevertheless, a consistent finding was a reduced risk of osteoarthritis of the knee."

Don't fret about shoes — worry about weight, they counseled. Obesity at any age is "the single most preventable risk factor," said Oxford's Mr. Fitzpatrick, who said those who were overweight by 40 pounds had 36 times the risk of developing arthritis in the knee.

The Devil’s Footprints

The English winter of 1854-55 was severe and one of the coldest in living memory. The county of Devon was under 5cm of snow, which fell overnight on 9th February 1855. The River Exe froze over trapping birds where they stood on the ice. As the dawn came, the countryside was carpeted in thick snow interrupted only by a trail of mysterious footprints, which ran for 150 km. The appeared as donkey hooves which zigzagged through five parishes across gardens, over rooftops, haystacks, walls and in and out of barns. Someone or something walking upright on two legs made the hoof prints. Reports of the unusual event brought many theories but the most prevailing was these were the footprints of the devil. When dogs were brought in to follow the prints they were reported to have retreated howling dismally. Many theories were put forward to explain the prints including an escaped kangaroo. One of the more plausible explanations was `the prints belonged to a badger. Badgers place their hind feet into the marks made by their forefeet. Although it hibernates sometime it will come out in midwinter in search of food. Closer examination revealed the prints had not all been made overnight and there was evidence practical jokers may have been responsible for some. Despite the plausible explanations however many local people held the belief the Devil walked that night and take care to this day to avoid going out art night after sunset. There is an old legend about Cley Hill, Warminster in Wiltshire, England. Displeased with the people of Devices the Devil was making his way to Somerset carrying a huge bag of earth on his back. His intention was to cover the town with mud but when he met a fellow traveler on the road, cobbler to trade, he `asked the fellow how far it was to Devices, the wise old cobbler recognized the devil and to confuse him, said , “I have been search the way to Devises for so long, my hair has turned grey.” The devil lost heart and throw the earth away forming the hill now known as Cley Hill.

Australian Quackery

The term quack appears in the Quack act of the 16th century and related to anyone using fair mean or foul to clear up skin ulceration. The combination of plagues and syphilis had left the orthodox physicians unable to cope and absence of antibiotics meant things were dire. Many old remedies were used to some effect and in the absence of nothing else quacks prospered. All manner of claims were made for the products they sold some of which still are to the fore including the most perennial, the corn cure. By the middle of the nineteenth century quack medicine had been banned in France and Germany causing many would be purveyors of life’s elixir to spread throughout Europe and the colonies. In Australia at this time it was unclear who could practice medicine and many quacks roamed the country making the best of the opportunity. Not all were scoundrels but many were. Lying and extravagant advertisements were all accepted norms in these days and reflected the time when free enterprise was the name of the game. As we now have got used to micro- chip technology, the Victorians were agog with electricity and had all manner of therapeutic appliances that plugged into the electricity grid. A physiotherapists delight. From corsets to belts all were electrified and claims of curing weak backs, functional irregularities, hysteria, kidney disorders and rheumatism would put today’s infomercials to shame. Most of course did not work and many of the so-called inventors spent long years doing vertical suntan for their frauds and scams. Some however survived and became legitimised. Pall Mall Electric Association was an Australian company which advertised extremely practical products such electrical hairbrushes, toothbrushes and electric insoles. All had one thing in common; they were all mercifully harmless which is perhaps not what might be said about the advertising copy which appeared throughout Australian newspapers in the 1880s. Nothing to do with the old plates of meat but a fellow by the name of Doctor Richard Foot came in Sydney in about 1860, his motto was “Vitality force” and in his time he was the Viagra of the time. At seventeen shillings and sixpence Doctor Foot would supply you with his voltaic appliance for coping with seminal weakness. In Melbourne he introduced his Brown Sequard or monkey gland injections. Dr Foot was a professional showman and held regular seminars to the demonstrate his products, despite his popularity in Australia, he moved to New Zealand, returned briefly to Sydney before setting himself up in South Africa as Profession Foot. His fortunes were less well starred there and eventually he was exposed for contravening the Medical and Pharmacy Act. Another fascination the Victorians had been for magnetism. Dr Sheldon’s Magnetic Liniment was popular and cured rheumatism, backache, toothache, neuralgia, sore throat, corns and cuts and bruises, well according to newspaper adverts. Water (hydropathic) became a treatment in itself, whether recommended to drink in copious quantities or just bathe in it, great efficacious benefits would accrue. Antiseptic footbaths were recommended for ailments causing flatulence, bowels dysfunction, lungs and headaches. Perhaps the greatest hydro therapist of the day was Father Sebastian Kneipp. From Worishofen in Bavaria, the parish priest had no medical training but was interested in water cures. He was used herbal remedies and great believer in walking barefoot for good health. So popular was his hydrotherapy Australian doctors began using it.

Phillips P 1984 Kill or cure: Lotions, potions, characters and quacks of early Australia Richmond: Greenhouse Publishing

Sexy Milestones

Until modern times the roads in Japan were little more than footpaths. Travellers were in fear of what might befall them and from the 10th century lucky talisman were used as milestones. They came in all sorts, mostly god like figures but by far the most popular were the phallic shaped milestones. The power of the stone was to remind the fearful traveller of the pleasures behind or ahead. Proper behaviour was required in the presence of deities, of course, but the jolly wanderer was left to take consolation and peace, leaving them less exposed to the dangers of the road. The earliest stone milestones were of an erect penis but these were later replacing with copulating couples. These images provoked the powerful complementary forces of yin and yang. The milestones through the ages took on powerful properties among the peasant folks and were soon afforded magical status with powers to make baron women fertile. In gratitude, grateful families left offerings of an appropriate shape. Oddly shaped carrots and mountain potatoes were especially popular. When Buddhism arrived there was a concerted effort to tidy up the countryside and so sadly few phallic milestones remain. The Japanese did keep the images but these were transferred into bald headed statues. Jizo was the most common. The remaining examples of the stones were removed by the 19th century Victorians concerned at the apparent affront, never realising Jiso was the god of lost children’s souls.


References
Bishop C & Osthelder X 2001 Sexualia: From prehistoric to cyberspace Cologne: Könemann

Pointe Shoes

Going on pointe for young girls (aged 11) is considered a right of passage. To the dedicated ballet devotee it takes a lot of hardwork work, pain and determination to achieve the epitome of dance. Injuries are a regular part of a dancer’s life who cope with many stress fractures and bouts of tendonitis throughout their career. A complication is dancers become so use to foot discomfort they become unable to discriminate chronic suffering from acute damage. In a normal course of event when we have chronic pain it prevents couch potatoes from exercise. Chun Che and Chan Hon Goh are two ballet teachers and choreographers who have lived with these problems and decided to design a new pointe shoe. The Diamond Pointe emerged through experience and consultation. The new point shoes have been designed for young dancers in their early teens, and practicing three or four times a week. Pointe shoes may appear pretty but looks are deceiving. Ballet slippers are papier-mâché pumps made of satin, calico, card, Hessian and thick glue. The soles are made form cardboard. Many are hand lasted and made inside out. There is no right and left slipper but the ballet dancer will customize their shoes with use. The tips and sides of traditional pointe shoes are hard with the former made from layers of canvas, burlap and glue. The block is built up by layering Hessian with a form of wet tissue paper and fine card, and each layer is spread with a sticky glue like paste made form flour and dextrene. The shoes are baked for ten hours before the seamstresses and cutters trim the satin and sew in the drawstrings. Fitting shoes is considered important by experts and good fitting shoes can keep foot damage to a minimum. Tradition determines pointe shoes are supplied without ribbons and the ballerina will sew these on themselves. Professional ballerinas can wear through three pairs of ballet slippers per performance. Ballet dancers are traditionalists and would not wear a safer shoe unless it looked like the real thing. The Diamond Pointe has a supportive arch which helps the foot when the heel is off the ground. The shank is designed to reduce stress injuries. Principle Shoes was set up in 1996 and sells to stores across the US. Other innovative footwear comes from Gaynor Minden who supply shock absorbing plastic footwear which are light weight and hardwearing. More supportive Pointe Shoes are not the complete answer to dance perfection and all experts agree good technique with warm up stretches is necessary too. Combined however the designers of the new shoes believe this will reduce the injuries pointe dancer face in their career. Although there are any ballet shoe factories around the world just under half of the pointe shoes are made by Freed Factory in the East End of London. Ballerinas tend to stay with the same shoemaker from their student days and the better quality shoes are hand lasted. It takes two and a half years to learn how to make ballet slippers and a lifetime to perfect them. Many are true works of art and craftsman shoe makers sign their slippers with their insignia on the sole. Some ballerinas spend hours customizing their pointe shoes. Done as a labour of love they may squash them a door frame, or scape them with a Stanley knife or cheese grater. A common superstition is if the ballerina cuts herself when sewing her ribbons she must smear the blood on the back of the shoe for good luck. Finally the shoes are coated inside with shellac, a sticky solution that seals the inside. Otherwise the heat of the dancer’s foot breaks down the papier-mâché block. Many put nail varnish around the edges to stop them fraying and stitch a seam in the she to accommodate bunions. Some will reinforce the block by darning the edge of the shoe. Most girls reuse the ribbons form discarded shoes. Unseen at the side of the stage are trays of powdered rosin. The ballerinas spray their legs and feet with water before scratch like chickens in the rosin tray to coat their feet and soles with the sticky amber residue, this stops them from slipping. Dame Margot Fonteyn’s pointe shoes sold in auction for more than $5000 a pair. When Swiss Italian Marie Taglioni gave her final performance in 1842, her fans clubbed together and paid 200 rubles for her shoes. They then boiled them and ate them.

References
McCurrah I 2003 These shoes were made for dancing The Times Magazine
July London 35-38.

Alan Jones

Born in Southampton, England in 1937, Alan Jones studied painting and lithography at Horsley College of Art before becoming a graduate from the Royal College of Art in 1959. He became part of the Pop Art movement and took his inspiration from the way people interacted. He was fascinated with the fusion of male and female qualities. Mail order catalogues and fetish magazines of the 40s and 50s provided him with ideas and he was one of the first artists to use commercial imagery in his paintings. Jones was truly transfixed by feet and legs which prominently feature in his works. The concept of real and false fascinated the artist as he experimented with sculpture and although he soon returned to painting many experts believe his paintings take on sculpture quality in two dimensions. Colour is also important to the artist and he mostly associates colour with gender; black and red are masculine, yellow feminine. He also uses hues to add emotional or aesthetic density to his images. Symbolism, a la Freud and Jung play key roles in many of his works with crumpled trilby or tensed tie definite male attributes. He paints modern myths of sexual identity with humour and allusion, focusing on the mystery of sex rather than attempting to explain it. His common themes of legs and high-heeled shoes represent the entire body and the artist frequently juxtaposes himself with his fantasies in a collage style, like a family album. Alan Jones could be controversial, no more so than his fibreglass female mannequins, forged as everyday furniture like tables and chairs. They were object d’art and not for functional use but did raise the rathe of feminists concerned at the implied implication. Ironically these sculptures promoted more debate as to the liberated role of women more than their stereotypical constraints of misogyny. He used cut a way to reveal the mechanics beneath the outer skin. Common in anatomical graphics Jones used to display the intimate apparel and beyond. Fascinating depth the see through perspective leaves the viewer to see all.

Reference
The pocket library of art: Alan Jones London: Brockhampton Press 1997

Eric Stanton

Eric Stanton was a pioneer in erotic art and founding father of fetish art.
He is rated alongside John Willie as one of the all-time greats of erotic
and comic book artists. Irving Klaw was the legendary publisher and
photographer of stars like Betty Page and gave Stanton his first start into
comic book publishing. The artist was born in New York in 1926 and
from an early age became a consummate drawer. Even his earliest comics
were full of sexy girls, which caused some consternation to his father.
Whilst serving in the US Navy he amused his fellow shipmates by
drawing scantily-clad girls on their handkerchiefs. Once back in Civy
Street in 1951 he went to the School of Visual Arts before working as a
commercial artist. Stanton did not specialize in Petticoat Punishment but
did illustrate several stories on the theme. From 1958 to 1966, he shared
a studio with his friend Steve Ditko (creator of Spiderman). They
collaborated and Stanton drew the outlines in India Ink whilst Ditko
hand-coloured them. The artist became well-known for his mail-order
picture stories as well as his legendary cover designs for erotic magazines
and novels. During the mid seventies the artist expressed strong feminist
persuasion with many of his erotic adventures depicting Amazonian
women keen to reverse the stereotypical image of oppression. Eric
Stanton passed away on March 17, 1999. It is still possible to buy prints
of Stanton’s original works with both original and previously unpublished
material. Many contemporary artists still continue to use the Stanton style
of artwork.

References
Eric Stanton: Reunion in ropes & other stories Kőln: Taschen 2001
Eric Stanton: For the man who knows his place Kőln: Taschen 1996

Shit happens

The introduction of cheap canvas topped shoes in Victorian Times was specifically for rest & recreation for the working classes, but this was soon put to gainful employ by a group of unscrupulous villains. House burglars wore the new sand shoes, to scale walls and roofs with the ease of a cat, hence they became known as car burglars and aided by their sneak - ers. The shoes took on a style of their own and appealed to the delinquents and the association has continued ever since. Now forensic scientists not only can easily identify the make of shoe left behind at crime scenes but also the physical characteristics of the wearer. So burglars beware. Taking off the shoes does not really help either because of the distinctive patterns feet and socks leave behind. Like the fingers, feet have skin prints, which are unique, and if barefoot prints or parts there off, left by holly socks, are clear then it is possible to identify their owner. Finding sharp objects in the dark with the big toe is not only painful but can also leave tell tale DNA at the scene of the crime. Recently an armed robber was caught in Queensland, Australia because he had a clump of dog poo on his shoe. Usually considered good luck to the owner, this time it was all the police needed to make a successful arrest. When officers examined a photo taken by the security camera there the tell tale footprints were. What was especially condemning was there was evidence of several clumps of dog excrement before the robbery. By good fortune an off-duty detective was in the vicinity of the robbery and happened to have smelt something unpleasant prior to the hold-up. Instinctively (stink) he noted the number plate of the vehicle nearby which coincidently was the getaway car. Routine enquires soon found the robber and a sniff test of his footwear (yes), led to a swift arrest. The felon received a long custodial sentence, which will give him time to think about picking his steps more carefully in future. Shit happens.

Would you believe it?

During the late Middle Ages (about 1500s) men wore long toed shoes (sometimes 24 “longer than their feet) and so it is reported enjoyed under table shenanigans with the fair ladies of the court. This became known as “footsie footsie.” Perhaps it was distance, which led to enchantment, or just stopped would-be lovers from being overpowering by body smells, which often prevailed. The custom then was for people to bathe only once a year and the annual wash and scub up took place in May. “May Day” traditionally was when people washed themselves in the morning dew. Some experts believe this accounts for why so many people got married in June. In any event to mask body odors, brides carried a bouquet of flowers. Bathing was a family affair and the senior man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water. Sons preceded the women of the house then children and finally the baby. By this time the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." Most homes in the Middle Ages had thatched roofs where the domesticated animals lived. When it rained the roof became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off. The term "It's raining cats and dogs." Derived from this time. With no wooden roofing nor ceilings to protect animal droppings and bugs frequently fell on the occupants beneath. Only a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection, hence the four-poster bed. There was no floor surface other than dirt in commoner’s houses and hence the saying “dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway and this was called the threshold. Carrying the bride over the threshold was quite literal and meant lifting the new woman into her house. Cooking was less sophisticated than today and took place in a big cauldron suspended over the fire. Each day the fire was lit and new ingredients were added to the pot. The staple diet of the peasant was vegetables with little meat. Stew was the main meal and leftovers were kept in the pot. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the old rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old." For most pork was a delicacy and kept for special occasion, the display of bacon was common sign of how well off you were and became encapsulated in the phrase “bringing home the bacon”. Visitors were treated to a nibble of the precious meat and all sat around the fire “chewing the fat." More affluent households had pewter plates, which meant food with high acid content, caused some of the lead to leach onto the food. Many died from lead poisoning causing lead. The tomatoes fruit was especially vulnerable to lead uptake and for centuries was considered poisonous. Breads were divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust." Trades people were not always as honest as they might and often punished for cheating. The favored corporal punishment was foot beating (falanga). British bakers were in fear of being accused of shonky practice and adopted a policy of giving an extra roll with every dozen sold, hence the Bakers’ Dozen. Alcohol was drunk from lead cups and the combination and quantities consumed made for a heavy dose which often knocks the imbibers out for a couple of days. Collapsed drunks were frequently taken as dead and prepared for burial. Laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days the grieving family gathered around, eating and drinking to see if their loved one would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake." The death toll of the Black Plague and high infant mortality was so immense as to create the problem of no spaces to bury people. The English custom was to dig up coffins and take the remains to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening the coffins, about 4% were found to have scratch marks on the inside, indicating 1 in every 25 people buried, were buried alive. Desperate matters required desperate measures and corpses henceforth had a string tied around their wrist lead through the coffin and up to the surface where it was tied to a bell. Night watchmen sat in the graveyard listening for the bell. This gave rise to the sayings “the graveyard shift" and "saved by the bell" as well as “dead ringer."

Big Shoes

When Danny Eskenazi was growing up in Seattle, USA, he often visited his grandfather's shoe store. For nearly 30 years, Isaac Eskenazi kept a pair of giant boots in the window. The shoes belonged to Robert Wadlow, an 8-foot-11-inch tall man who travelled on the lecture circuit in the 1930s and stopped in Seattle at the Pantages Theater. Wadlow suffered acromegaly and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as a giant. Acromegaly is a condition caused by increased secretion of growth hormone after normal growth has been completed and occurs in adults. When excessive secretion of growth hormone occurs in children before normal growth has been completed, it causes gigantism rather than acromegaly. The cause of the increased hormone secretion is usually a benign pituitary tumour. The pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain, controls the production and release of several different hormones. There are no known risk factors other than prior history of a pituitary tumour. Acromegaly occurs in 6 out of 100,000 people. You may recall Ian Thrope, the Australian swimmer was accused of taking hormonal supplements which were thought to increase the size of his feet. There was no substance to the accusation and “the Torpedo” just was a big laddie. His tight fitting swim suit made his bits look bigger. Anyway back to Robert Wadlow, his life was tragically short and he died very young aged 22. His demise was brought on by an infected foot blister, so there is a warning to us all. Maybe his shoes were too small for him, in any event when Isaac Eskenazi relocated his store in the 1960s; big Wadlow’s boots mysteriously disappeared. Young Danny has spent his life in search of the Holy Grail of Giant Shoes. To this day, he continues to look and there is even a $1,000 (US) reward for the return of Wadlow's boots. Meantime Danny has acquired a collection of giant shoes which in 1997, he generously donated to the new Giant Shoe Museum (Old Seattle Paperworks). A particular unique feature about this collection is it appears in a coin-op museum. For a dollar's worth of quarters you can see three of the peep shoe exhibits. The museum is sponsored by the Society for the Preservation of Oversize Footwear which is one of Seattle's most exclusive clubs. Makes you wonder what these people do for a life. Most of the exhibits are too large for anyone to have worn and likely were made as displays for shoe manufacturers. Now if you are in Cambridge Street, Perth, Western Australia you might like to visit the premises of Perth Surgical Shoemakers & Wembley Shoes. Not just because they are very nice people, that is taken for granted, but because there is on display the biggest shoe in Australia. According to the Guiness Book of Records the world’s largest shoe was made by Zahit Okurlar. It measured 3.12m. (10-ft. 2.8-in.) long, 1.05m. (3-ft. 5.5-in.) wide, and 1.23m. (4-ft. 0.8-in.) high. The shoe was exhibited at the Konya International Shoe Fair. Okurlar started making the shoe in August 1999, creating a mould made from foam, wood-dust, and gypsum glue, modelled from a size 41 shoe. The upper part of the shoe was stuck to the leather sole before being hand-sewn. A five-meter (16-ft. 6-in.) long shoelace was used. Okurlar used three complete cow hides to make the sole and had to knock down a wall of his third floor workshop to winch the shoe down.

Shoe Buckles

At the time of the American War of Independence men wore shoe buckles. Often these remain the only surviving artifact of the shoe when buried in the ground for years. Now shoe buckle collections have become highly prized by collectors but also are used by historians to date military campsites and battlefields. Distinctive workmanship, even in military style can pin point origin of source. The majority of buckles were made in England and exported to the colonies. Buckles became coveted trophies of manliness and were displayed with pride as they were handed down through families. Sometimes made in semi precious metals they were often displayed on belts, like horse brasses. Later these were worn
around the waste. The belt buckle developed from the large shoe buckle and incorporated military design. These were impractical for working drovers but eventually found a prominent place in modern cowboy outfit. The larger than life style was popularised by the celluloid heroes of early Hollywood. Manufacturers eagerly catered for the growing vogue by producing fancy sterling and gold buckles for both men and women. The fashion zenith for glamorous belt and shoe buckles was in the 1930s. Shoe buckles were originally worn by monks in the Dark Ages, but flamboyant cavaliers looked to wear ostentatious footwear they rediscovered the buckle. Sartorially this starkly contrasted with Puritans wore plain clothes including footwear without decoration. The plain look lasted for the duration of Oliver Cromwell reign but a resurgence of finery came during the Restoration brought the buckle back into fashion. Initially shoe roses replaced these, about 1675. Made of the finest materials, trimmed with gold lace, pearls and spangles, roses grew to enormous proportions. Finally the buckle returned and although sober by comparison these were made from the metal titania and soon became the symbol of wealth. The shoes of men of distinction of the 18th century were found on the end of tights, during this time shoe jewelry reached its zenith. The demand for shoe buckles was enormous and the industry was centred on Birmingham, England, where it employed thousands.
Dandies openly boasted of owning fifty or more different types of buckles. Silver or gold gilt buckles were popular everyday wear with bejeweled fasteners kept for special occasions. Jewelers and shoemakers were challenged to keep up with demands for novelty designs. Street robberies were common and many men took to wearing costume jeweled buckles. Marconis continued to sport precious metal trimmed buckles and had their heels fitted with metal tips to give an audible click as they fearlessly strolled along the cobbled streets. The demise of the buckle for men coincided with the French Revolution when conservative laces (shoe string) replaced ostentatious buckles, bows and roses. Ironically lacing shoes had been considered too effeminate for the macho, mincing Dandies and Macaronis but now the style became ubiquitous because to wear anything else might suggest privilege. Meantime women's shoes which had been simple heelless slippers made from sumptuous materials began to be decorated with semi precious stones and buckles.
References Ball JD Costume Jewelers: The golden age of design
Western Buckles (http://www.buckles.com/)
Calver & Bolton History Written with Pick and Shovel.
Grimms J L Archaeological Investigation of Fort Ligonier Fort Ligonier Association, Ligonier, PA 15658 (724) 238-9701.
Neuman and Kravic Collector's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution.
Western Buckles (http://www.buckles.com/)
Wright T 1922 The romance of the shoe being the history of shoemaking London : Farncombe & Sons.

Sexy smells

According to Socrates ‘free men should smell only of free labours and manly exercise.’ Much of the Greek philosophers' concerns reflected the growing trend at the time for men to wear perfume. The women of ancient Greece by contrast were not well known for smelling sweet. Diogenes should probably become the patron of foot deodorants because he refused to wear perfume anywhere other than on his feet. The clever man worked out the heat of his feet evaporated the solution which released the perfumed gas which then wafted upwards towards his nose. By his reckoning to apply perfume to the upper body was a waste because it only ever benefited the birds. Cleopatra scented her feet with aegyptium (a lotion containing almond oil, henna, honey, cinnamon, and orange blossoms). One to the properties of henna is it is an effective anti-perspirant, so maybe the Queen of the Nile had sweaty feet. Egyptian and Indian women from the classic period dyed the palms of their hands and soles of their feet with henna to keep them cool. One Indian princess, it is written, kept a maid servant whose job it was to follow her mistress from her bath and wipe the ‘tell tale’ red footprints from the wet floor. Clearly the lady had feet to rot her socks and perhaps the most alluring quality of a seductress. The term footman, as in a royal household originated from the fear of putting your foot in it. Well putting the wrong foot forward. It was considered extremely bad luck to enter a room with the left foot forward. The job of the footman was to ensure on right foot entry took place. The footman of Elizabeth I’s court would be very familiar with her shoes because she perfumed them with ambergris (excrete of the sperm whale). Somewhat surprising the late (great) Frank Zappa (Mothers of Invention) remains the only pop star to have written lyrics demonstrating the problems of foot odour. The condition is common enough, which might make you, think, others had treaded the ground before. Obviously not.

“As the spirits of certain people hover over music,
Mine, O my love, swims upon your perfume.”

Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867)

The French poet believed people souls were found in erotic sweat. Human sweat has long been a secret ingredient in love potions. The aphrodisiac effect of body pheromones is well documented. It is recorded French King, Henry III (1574-1589), was attending the betrothal feast of the King of Navarre and Margaret of Valois when he accidentally dried his face with a garment of Maria of Cleves. This was moist with her perspiration and the King took an immediate attraction to her. Although she was the bride of the Prince of Conde, that did not stop the King from having his way. Henry III was a cross dresser. In days of old men were thought to keep pieces of fruit in their codpiece and gave a nibble to their favoured friends. In Shakespeare’s England, women tucked a bit of peeled apple under their arm. Once drenched in sweat they would offer the love apple to her suitor as a smelly treat. A modern version is found in the Caribbean where sweat soaked patties are cooked and served to the women and men’s of their dreams. The carrying of handkerchiefs during the nineteenth century was commonplace at balls. In both Greece and the Balkans, men still trap their handkerchief under their armpits. By way of a traditional invitation to dance, ladies were presented with a handkerchief. However it is thought the handkerchief was to remove the beads of perspiration of their partner. Reports published in the psychological literature of the nineteenth century indicate a young Austrian jigglo tucked his handkerchief into his armpit before going to the dance. He kept it there whilst dancing and whenever his female companion became overheated he offer her his handkerchief. Although it was perceived as a thoughtful gesture it was more than likely to have a quick sniff, after the lady had gone home. By the end of the nineteenth century it had become the custom for men to hold their handkerchiefs in their palm to prevent touching their partner’s waist. Napoleon had a strong sense of smell and is recorded he sent messages to his wife Josephine not to wash because he was coming home. Women in Victorian England earned money by selling handkerchiefs perfumed with perspiration in the same way today Japanese school girls trade their knickers. Although Freud associated smells were powerful arousal and related them to early pleasures of breast feeding or close contact at the mother’s breast. It took until 1986 before scientists could prove body odours were linked with fertility matters. Odours are absorbed by the olfactory bulbs at the roof of the nasal cavities. These in turn linked to the limbic region of the brain, which controls our emotions, including lust. Our bodies send out chemical messages, excitement and stress cause more cholesterol excretions. These convert to hormones like progesterone, testosterone, and androsterone. Apparently we have a sex organ up our nose. The "vomeronasal organ" VNO lies inside the nose above the wall that separates the nostrils and is sensitised to the secretions of odourless sweat glands (Apocrine glands). Deep breaths increase the passage of air and chemicals enter the nose to excite the sensory cells. Toe sucking is associated with fellatio and both actions ensure the VNO is in close contact with the excretion the apocrine glands of the foot and groin respectively. Similarly licking and kissing in-between the toes represents cullingus assures close contact with the odourless sweat.

Reference
Kodis M Love scents NY: Dutton
Schultz C & the editors of the Old Farmer’s Almanac 1996 The book of love: The old farmers almanac looks at romance, sex and marriage New York: Gramercy Books.
Trueman J 1975 The romantic story of scent London: Aldus Books

Red Shoes

In the ancient world all dye stuffs were natural. Some were easily attainable whilst others were very rare or time consuming and difficult to produce. Dyestuffs were traded as commodities. The most difficult colour to achieve was purple (Tyrian Purple – Phoencians of Tyre) and was made from shellfish. In the ancient world the premium colours were purple, blue and bright shades of red. Wearing exotic and rare items became a proclamation of status and at times when greater wealth was abroad, sumptuary laws were passed to restrict colours to social rank. Throughout modern history a growing middle class would flaunt these laws by slashing their outer clothing to reveal banned materials and colours as underclothing. Eventually the importance of colour lost its status sufficiently now we hardly give it thought. The cardinals selecting the new pope behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel sported red leather shoes. No one appears to know the exact origins of red papal shoes although but they became very popular in the 17th & 18th Century. The red shoes are thought to be based upon imperial red/purple shoes. Excusive rights to wear imperial "purple" belonged to the emperors long before the origins of Christianity but as the Christian faith grew, emperors did bestow many privileges upon the Popes including the right to wear imperial insignia and colours about their dress. (Donation of Constantine 750-800). At first all popes wore black sandals then circa 1290, they took to wearing socks with their thongs. Some socks were violet (Hyacinth colour), the trendy liturgical colour of the time but as the years passed red socks became common. The red socks were not symbolic but instead a natural consequence of rich imported luxury of all kind. By the time of Nicolas V (15th century), shoes had replaced sandals and the only difference between the Pope and his bishops was the former had the right to have a cross on their shoes. This relates to kissing the Pope’s feet as a mark of respect and refers to foot washing. According to early renaissance paintings the elite feet of the Vatican were encased in beautiful red shoes. High ecclesiastics distanced themselves from the common masses by conspicuous refinement and extravagant ornamentation. Although priests occupied an important position in ancient societies, they almost invariably performed their offices, barefoot. This was thought to have been an outward and visible sign of their inward, humility and purity. Clerical sandals were simple and devoid of any fashion and symbolised the cleric's separation from worldly vanities. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the barbarian invasions, craftsmanship declined in Europe. Common people went barefoot or wore rough clogs. During the Dark Ages shoes were crude protection with little emphasis given to fashion. "Sovereign's law" promulgated by Charlemagne (742-814 AD) required clerics to wear sandals when celebrating mass. Many medieval priests and Franciscan monks wore wooden sandals as a sign of disregard for material luxury. On pilgrimages many went barefoot out of choice to do penance for their sins, whilst others wore sandals as a token gesture. The origins of sexy red shoes probably mirror the ecclesiastical rise and would be cheekily worn by the ladies of the day. This had as much to do with emerging fashion and availability of sumptuous clothing as it did with irreverence. However as condemnation of women and marginalisation of courtesans progressed, Jezebel shoes would become stereotypical and eventually glorified in 20th century Hollywood. When a Pope dies, the Pontiff’s body lies in state dressed in his funeral garments, which consist of a white cassock, scarlet chasuble (long sleeveless liturgical vestment) and red silk shoes. Seems to be some confusion however as to whether Pope John Paul II wore red shoes or brown shoes. Many believe he broke with the tradition and wore brown shoes given to him by a friend as a Christmas present. By this action it is thought he was expressing his identity with common people, so typical of the man.

Shoe Banging

It is difficult to not have seen the pictures of the siege of Baghdad. One particular image, which would appeal to me, was the ceremonial shoe banging of images of Saddam Hussein. This is an insult in Iraq similar to two fingers in the West. The origins of both are quite intriguing. The 2-finger salute, where the first and second fingers are spread apart and then, with the back of the hand facing the viewer, the hand is raised, in anger or tauntingly, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, towards the sky. is thought to have originated with Welsh archers. It was the Battle of Agincourt on October 25, 1415, that showed how effective was this bow-and-arrow technology, and it also created a new insult - the ‘UP YOURS’ salute. The bowmen used their first two fingers to draw the bowstring because they were strong enough. The French were intimidated by the power of the Welsh long bow that they threatened to amputate string-pulling fingers on any archer caught. In defiance bowmen responded by waving the two fingers in the insulting V salute at the French as if to say “Here’s my two fingers - come and get them, if you can.” Shoe banging in the Middle East have two meanings depending on whether you are in Jewish or Islamic company. Traditionally, in Jewish custom, shoe banging was used to seal a deal like a gable today is used at auction. In Arab tradition, sandals were used to protect feet from the environments and are considered unclean. Hence shoes are removed before entering a place of worship. Shoe banging represents violation and demonstratively shows deep insult. A famous shoe banger in the 60s was Nikita Khrushchev from Russia. Khrushchev came from peasant stock; and possessed a peasant's shrewdness and wit. He had a garrulous, storytelling gift, which gained him a reputation for being earthy. He frequently referred to excrement. He was poorly educated and always intimidated by intellectual superiority. This frequently showed in his uncouth animation during debate. The classic example was shoe banging, when in at the UN General Assembly meeting in October of 1960, Nikita Khrushchev banged his shoe against his desk, with indignation. The circumstance, as you will no doubt recall related to photographs implicating Russian “duplicity” in Cuba. A U2 "spy plane" picked up pictures of soccer pitches and at that time soccer was not a game popular with Cubans, which implied the presence of personnel of a soccer loving nation i.e. USSR. Instantly reported across the globe as good copy, Khrushchev shoe-banging episode probably did more to avoid global conflict, than the furious diplomatic arrangements, which were going on as Kennedy and Khrushchev faced off each other. In the West the man became a character. The shoe banging episode did deeply embarrass his Soviet colleagues, which inevitably led to his downfall in 1964. The popularity he had in the west however more than likely saved his life and he spent his remaining years in retirement tending his garden like the Godfather. According to his son, Sergei Khrushchev, his father had small feet (size seven or eight), and when he came from Moscow he was wearing ordinary shoes. New York was hot however so he switched to sandals. He was wearing sandals on the famous shoe banging day but happened to have a spare shoe available to express him. The shoes in John Hay Library are probably not The Shoes, but a pair Nikita brought with him to New York but never wear.

Legs

Seems inconceivable to the x generation but during the Second World War when there was a shortage of materials, nylons were in very short supply and many young girls would paint their legs with skin paint and using a special pencil had a straight line drawn down the back to give the appearance of a seam. A century before long and elegant legs were a mark of style, wait for it, not for women but for males! The well proportioned male leg had it all and was an accepted sign of breeding and aristocracy. The long shapely leg became associated with moral probity, decency, worthiness and reliability. The cut of clothes and wearing tall hats also added to the streamline athletic appearance which remained the hallmark of aristocracy. The short fat hairy leg didn’t quite make it and was a clear sign of a lack of breeding. Perhaps that is why Napoleon wore lifts in his shoes. The less well endowed and sneaky would surreptitiously slip on false leg pads, similar to shin pads just to make their legs look full bodied. Legs to the nineteenth century man became their source of erotic fantasy. Not their own, I am relieved to report, but the legs of Nineteenth Century women were considered very sexy. Those of course were safely hidden under long skirts and a glimpse of stocking was, as we know something shocking. However that did not stop men from having a look. At the time garden swings, adult size became a craze. Why? Well use your imagination, as the ladies swung graciously, the hem of their skirts lifted to and fro, revealing a lovely expanse of leg. In anticipation men may have nervously taken a sip from their silver, hip flask. Yes, you have got it, the container was leg shaped. Perhaps to calm the nerves shag was required, well men could take their pleasure from boot shaped snuff boxes. All of which enjoyed a great deal of popularity at this time. Just when you thought it was safe to take your hands from the children’s ears, all this concentration on the lower leg was happening at a time when Freud and his colleagues were telling the Western World about sexual symbolism. To avoid any embarrassment, legs became known as lower limbs, and wings were the preferred term to describe the leg of the fowl. But this does not in any way explain why there was an absolute craze at the time for foot shaped ice creams and sausages in the US, Australia and Europe.

References
McDowell C 1997 The man of fashion: Peacock males and prefect gentlemen London: Thames and Hudson

Combat Boots

Soldiers on the move in the front line have little time to care for their feet.
However George C Patton did recognise when soldiers wore good quality boots they fought like Trojans. Today’s makers of combat boots totally agree. Since the Gulf War of 1991, combat boots have changed drastically. Traditionally, combat boots were "stiff and heavy,” designed for durability more than performance. Technology now is helping make them "lightweight, and biomechanically correct. Bearing in mind the average soldier carries 120 –150 pounds of equipment and needs to be stable on rough and unfamiliar terrain. It is important their footwear promote good posture, has shock absorbing soles, and is made with breathable fabrics for climatic conditions. A long way from the barefoot wars of Alexander the Great. The new order of boots, are designed to cope with special operations and quick-strike missions, where speed and maneuverability are critical. However like the best laid schemes of mice and men – it doesn’t always work. Modern theatre of war takes place on diverse turf and boots need to cope with the rigors of desert, jungle, urban and country settings. Waterproofing is important but so too is aeration with many military disasters in the past to support the importance of the right boot for the right battlefield. Apparently US troops reported slipping in their chemical-protection boots and the rubber soles were no match for the dust. A sad sign of the times but necessity none the less the military boot of the future will protect the wearer against biochemical warfare. Unfortunately the prototypes used in Iraq presented more technical problems and the protective suit's black rubber boots which are worn like galoshes over the troops' normal combat boots, trap heat and block airflow. Trench foot or immersion foot again plagued the fighting forces. Some medical corpsmen ordered their troops to air their feet out for at least two hours each day. Despite a semi-permeable material designed to release heat and moisture, much like the Gore-Tex fabric used by campers and hikers, the MOPP suits failed to "breathe" as temperatures near Baghdad top 100 degrees in the afternoons. Back to the drawing board. Feeding and clothing an army is critical and a major task itself. Prior to hostilities some British troops trained for action in running shoes because of a shortage of combat boots. Problems with the supply due to “production difficulties” were the official line but even when they did arrive, the hot sun caused the boots to disintegrate. British soldiers scavenged for Iraqi army boots. A similar incident was reported during the Falkland’s War when the wet conditions cause the boots to disintegrate. No surprise the Iraqi boots were more suited to the conditions and hence a prized possession. Lessons learned from Afghanistan was the combat boots proved too inflexible for maneuvering in mountain terrain, and had soles that too easily wore out or were torn up by walking and climbing on rocks. Soldiers also said their feet were perpetually cold and wet because the insulated lining of the cold-weather boots made their feet sweat too much, and the boots could take days to dry out.

Pythagoras Pod

Imagine yourself in a New York City pub in 1896. Two men are eagerly engaged in conversation about the forthcoming presidential elections. The younger, Robertson Pitcher Woodward, was a reporter for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and his companion Benjamin Lillard, a well-known publisher. Both men disagreed on who was likely to win the election and took out wager. Unfortunately for Woodward he choose William Jennings Bryan whom, as history will confirm, lost to William McKinely. The forfeit Woodward required to make was to cross North America from New York to San Francisco without a dollar in his pocket. He was to complete his journey within a year earning his keep by honest means. To start the journey he was required to parade himself through Manhattan wearing top hat and tails, with glasses and riding on donkey. He left New York on November 27th travelled 4,096 miles in 340 days and 2 hours arriving in San Francisco with only 22 hours to spare. During the trip Woodward kept a diary and regularly submitted humorous stories of his adventures. The column was called “The Picturesque Pilgrimage of Pythagoras Pod”. Eventually it was syndicated and a summary of his journey was later published in the Strand Magazine. Later the journals of Pythagorus Pod were complied into a book entitled “ On a donkey’s hurricane deck.” On his journey he met governors and mayors, ex -presidents and their wives. His amusing journals became compulsive reading at the time and he became quite a celebrity along the way. The journey was not without its challenges and Pythagorus Pod was shot at, threatened and had to deal with all sort or weather extremes. Yet despite this he made the journal in one piece and saved himself $5,000, which was his forfeit if he did not complete the journey. He had eleven donkeys on the journey. Five, when he crossed the Salt Desert. Despite the rigours of the long marathon, thanks to the generosity of many people he met on the way he arrived at his destination with more than 99c in his pocket and had put on weight.

Old remedies

The thought of tennis at Wimbledon, it certainly gets the loins girding to play again. Too old you say, never say never. One of the most common problems people experience when the tennis season starts and that is troublesome blisters. To give them their Sunday best description blisters are a dilation of an existing space within the Epidermis, that's the outside of the skin, which fills, with exudation ie excess tissue fluid or blood. There are two types of blisters, vesicles are a superficial and measures <>0.5cm in diameter and arise in the region of the Epidermal Dermal Junction (EDJ). A favourite old time treatment for blisters was a cabbage poultice. It would certainly act as a physical barrier preventing further friction between the foot and the shoe. This is the first principle of treating a blister But I cannot see Leyton Hewitt wearing a cabbage poultice, can you? A temptation for all is to burst the blister. Not a good idea and where it is unbroken best the skin surface is left intact. A good idea is to cover the area of blister and immediate surround with stretch strapping. This encourages tissue fluid to be reabsorbed and provides a second skin. When the blister is very painful but unbroken then surgical lacing may be required. In which case best to see a doctor. Another common ailment exacerbated by friction from shoes is bunions. Many people think bunions describe a bony malalignment but it is really a bursitis. This is a sort of big cousin of the blister. An old cure for bunions was nightly rubs of patchouli and lavender oil, or chamomile or geranium ointment. This is very pleasant compared to other cures which involved cow dung. Something I never thought I would see in Western Australia is a condition known as chilblains. More associated with colder inclement climates the chilblain is a local abnormal response to cold and damp. Extremely irritating when itchy and potentially dangerous when they ulcerate and become infected. Anyway matter in the olden days a ginger footbath was used to cure chilblains. After bathing, the skin was rubbed vigorously to increase the local circulation. Iodine was used as a paint to set up a counter irritation and increase the circulation. Beeswax and olive oil mixtures were also used as a paint and were also mixed with calamine in ointment form. Pastes of glycerine, honey and flour with the white of an egg were also used as a poultice on painful chilblains. Sounds almost nice enough to eat. Victorians would bathe their feet in Cologne water and used talcum powder to cool their socks and stockings. Saline footbaths were used to soothe aching feet with Epsom salts footbath considered very efficacious. The idea of a ten-minute submersion comes from this time. Mixtures of shaved ivory soap and Epsom salts were used as an additive to foot baths. Rubs of marigold leaves were recommended morning an evening for corns. Soaking feet in hop soapsuds with bicarbonate of soda were also recommended. Rough towelling the skin or rubbing the area gently with pumice stone were also recommended. Lying down face front was recommended for tired aching feet. Pillows placed under the insteps cause the foot to sit higher than the heart and encourage better blood flow. Exercises involving the feet and toes were again normal activities to be encouraged. Foot message was also a preoccupation of the Victorians. Prior top massage the feet were held in a footbath containing infusion of lime or marigold flowers or lavender leaves combined with a little salt. Walking became a popular pastime in the late 19th century; many prepared their feet in soaks of alum to toughen up their skin. Methylated spirits was also used to the same purpose. Some old bushcraft books advised urinating on the feet at the first sign of tenderness to harden the skin. Toe nails needed to be cut short to avoid them cutting into the flesh. Well fitting boots and sock were essential Skin was prepared with petroleum jelly or moisten soap to create a friction free surface.


Reference
Healey J (Ed) 1999 Good old days good old ways "wisdom of the past for the needs of today Readers Digest Sydney: Readers Digest (Australia)

Origins of the Congress Boot

The congress boot was very popular in the 19th and early 20th century . Some authorities reckon them to be the most comfortable shoes ever designed. The boots had elasticated sides, which provided easy access to the foot yet kept a neat fit because of the elastic fabric. These were to prove popular with politicians in the US and hence the name Congress boots. Indeed the boots were coveted throughout the western world and often used as bribes to customs men by unscrupulous sea crims eager to have a blind eye turned whilst they unloaded their illegal cargoes. Something else about the elasticated boot was it was to become an Australian icon. RM Williams, was in his early teens when left home in South Australia to work as a lime burner in the Mallee scrub of north-western Victoria. So keen was his sense of adventure aged 16 he signed on as a camel boy to an expedition charged with the immense task of surveying a huge tract of arid land from the Western Australian border to the north-south railway at Oodnadatta in South Australia. Later he worked at a number of the huge pastoral stations of central Australia and the Northern Territory. During this time the young Williams learnt bush lore from the aborigines of the region. He was also influenced by the many bushmen and stockman he met. One particular fellow who left an impression was Dollar Mick. He was a gifted saddler and passed on many of his craft skills to the young Reg Williams. Between them they were able to produce a wearable pair of riding boots for the price of a dollar. During the Great Depression, whilst working as a well sinker, Reg began to make and sell his boots by mail order. Handcrafted, comfortable and made to last a lifetime, they were ideal for the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. From these humble beginnings has grown the world-wide company we know today. The secret of the boot was its simplicity, the upper and quarters of the riding boot were shaped from one piece of leather. This meant only one seam at the back, which improved the boots, waterproof properties. The footwear was further strengthened by the absence of side seems. With no protruding seems to catch in the stirrups the boot ideal for horsemen. At first heels were hand made. Today a pair of RM Williams boots is made by teams of skilled craftsmen who take over a week to make each pair of boots using sixty eight hand-held processes, before they are finished, inspected and ready to leave the factory floor. An quality product from Australia.

Woman in sport

Whilst we might take women in sport for granted today, this was not always the case. Indeed during the early nineteenth century it would be unthinkable for young ladies to be seen indulging in recreational physical activities. All this changed thanks to an eccentric man called McFadden. Born in 1868, he became a prolific author and publisher of popular books and magazines. The self styled professor of kinesitherapy, wrote in his journals on the health benefits of physical activities for men and women. Titles like Woman's Beauty and Health, Physical Culture, National Brain Power and Muscle Builder became instant successes. The other arm to the McFadden publishing empire was sensational to say the least, these included journal titles such as True Story, True Romances, True Lovers, and True Confessions. Probably more men read the former, rather than the latter, but they certainly all sold well and would be the equivalent of today's soft porn magazines. The ethos for Physical Culture, founded in 1899, was longevity and related to right living and appropriate exercise. McFadden often used himself as model for his publications and soon earned the title 'Bare Toso King'. Needless to say the popularity of his publications brought nothing but condemnation from the medical fraternity. Whether he was exploiting women or preparing society to, accept the importance of physical health for women, remains unresolved. He did recognise the ignorance of the human body as a main cause of female degeneracy as well as the need of increased physical health and strength for women. MacFadden advised young ladies to take up some of the gentle outdoor pursuits such as walking, dancing, skating, croquet and cycling. He also advocated riding horses astride and women's baseball and basketball. This had major implications on the shoe making industries as physical culture societies sprang up throughout the English speaking countries. The first American Olympiad in 1904 included physical culture activities for women but females were not allowed to participate in the track and field events. The world was not ready for women and physical jerks and it was only by 1928 that the Olympic committee agreed to include ladies events. McFadden was a Darwinist and eugenicist, who believed in the survival of the fittest. Eugenics later became incorporated into Nazi philospohies of the 1930s. During this time in history the Western World became sensitised to physical activities and mass exercise for all was very much the order of the day. Again this created a ready market for leisure shoe styles, including the introduction of the sensible shoe, or walking shoe. Only in the 1970s with the aerobic phenomena fronted by Jane Fonda was there an interest in designing sport shoes for the female market. McFadden's eccentric beliefs extented to preventing physical weaklings from marrying until they reached an acceptable level of fitness. Another eugenist and Seventh, Day Adventist, was philanthropist Dr. John Harvey Kellogg inventor of the corn flake. The bland breakfast cereal was developed to stop men from masturbating. Well obviously the crunching puts you off.

Origins of footwashing

In Biblical times shoes were made from animal skins, and these were difficult to clean. This may explain why shoes in the Old Testament, an agricultural society came to represent all that was unclean. The emblems of filth were left outside homes and considered quite unsuitable for holy places. Feet encased in footwear required to be purified and this responsibility usually fell to the lowest house servant. Foot bathing signified the status of an honored guest and put them at ease and comfort. It also kept the floors, clean. Foot washing was viewed as an honor or service and became a common Jewish custom at formal banquets. Foot washing, when undertaken by anyone other than the lowest servant in the household, took on significant, symbolic importance. Most authorities recognize this humble action was deliberate act of humility, a mark of respect or deliberate self-humiliation. Ceremonial feet washing often involved marking the toe with blood or oil to symbolize either consecration or the cleansing of the entire person. This type of ritual was considered important before entering God's house. Bathing feet in oil was also taken as a prospect of wealth. When Mary Magdalene washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair, she also anointed them with expensive ointment. For this token of devotion, Christ forgave her sins then proceeded to remind his host that he had not been extended the same courtesy as would be appropriate to a welcome guest. Jesus later subverted the symbolism by washing the feet of his disciple’s feet at the Last Supper. Despite protestation he reminded his devotees the significance of foot washing, which is celebrated to this day.
'I have done this to give you an example of something that you should do.'
Christ's action demonstrated that service rather than status represented greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven. This action prepared his disciples (and their converts) to walk in the path of righteousness.

Christians adopted the Hebrew foot washing ceremony and in some religious faiths this is still considered as one of the three ordinances (sacrament) i.e. baptism, the Lord's Supper, and foot washing. Foot washing acts as a renewal of baptism and commitment to living God's way of life. Foot washing is still practised in one form or other throughout the world on the Thursday before Good Friday. Popes, religious leaders, and monarchs have all honoured the commitment to faith and humanity. In the UK the ceremony was often accompanied with the distribution of alms in the form of food and drink, clothes and money. Until 1689, in the reign of William & Mary, the monarchs personally washed the feet of the selected poor. Foot cleaning was replaced by specially minted coins, called Monday Money. To this day the custom is still celebrated on the day before Good Friday, when Her Majesty the Queen distributes specially minted money to the poor. A man and woman are chosen to represent each year of the monarch's life and given the special coins in a church. The specially minted coinage is worth much more than its face value.

Proskunew describes a Persian custom, which involved kneeling and putting the face to the ground. This sometimes involved kissing the ground. Taken as the act of submission, respect, gratitude, supplication, neediness, and humility. This was used on all sorts of occasions. Thought to have originated as a non-verbal greeting where men of equal rank would kiss each other on the lips. An inferior kissed his superior on the cheeks, and where one was much less noble rank than the other, he fell to the ground in homage. Considered to have become ritualized at the oriental courts, depending on rank, visitors would prostrate themselves, kneel in front of, bow for, or blow a kiss to the king. There may have been practical reasons for blowing a kiss as halitosis was thought to be common. Magicians would use the same technique in order to prevent contamination of the sacred fire. Alexander the Great (327) spread his empire to incorporate others and naturally took Iranians to serve at his court. To win his or her respect and support he had to act like a Persian king, and ordered everybody to behave according to the oriental court ritual. The court custom, caused consternation amongst the Greeks as prostration, bowing or kneeling, to anyone other than the Gods was unacceptable. Despite violent opposition it is not clear whether Alexander the Great’s attempt at cultural infliction, succeeded. However, proskynesis was commonly practiced at the courts of his successors and remnants remain today occidentals, still bow for kings and queens. By the time of the Old Testament the custom had passed in judicial behaviour and when an accused was brought before the judge, he lay prostate. If found guilty, the judge would place his foot on their neck. If innocent the judge would stoop over and lift their face with his hand. Lifting the face was a Hebrew concept, which equalled a declaration of innocence in a judicial, proceeding. When Muslims bow towards Mecca this is another reference to proskynesis and by contrast the posture of early Christian worship. was standing. According to Brasch (1989), kissing the feet was a gesture of homage and deference, far removed from its erotic roots. Millions of pilgrims with loving pressure have worn down the feet of the statue of Saint Paul in Rome with their lips. At the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire it was the custom for the faithful to kiss the right hand of the Papal Father. In the eighth century, a rather passionate woman took liberties and according to legend, the Pope cut off his hand in disgust. The custom of kissing the Pope’s right foot was adapted as more appropriate. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) had kings and churchmen kiss his feet. Today the act of homage involves kissing the Pontiff’s right shoe. Lips are aimed at the cross-depicted on the shoe. This is either taken as a tribute to his authority or the simulation of servitude. Probably no direct association but designer soccer slippers for the England Squad now incorporate St George’s cross on the upper surface. I cannot see myself (Australian with a Scottish heritage) having any desire to kiss the boot of David Beckham but am sure there are a few million who would out of respect.

What may surprise you dear reader is Christians protected their feet by the patronage of the holy. Two Saints championed the legs and feet, St Peter (The Apostle). The Feast of Peter and Paul is June 29th; and Servatus (Servaas, Servatius or Servais), his memorial day is 13 May. Servatus is frequently depicted as a bishop with three wooden shoes.

Foot fetishism and the new Wembley

Always been difficult to be sure, but expert’s guessitimate there are about one third of one percent of the male population between the ages of 17 and 55 who would be classified as a foot fetishist. In the UK that would be about the equivalent of filling the new Wembley Stadium, 8 times over (estimated capacity 79,000). Being turned on by feet is not something men might have cause to complain about; after all you would not find many men complaining of getting an erection. So no one knows the real number of foot lovers around. Expert opinion prefers the majority of foot fetishists are male but there are also some female footies too. Being partial to feet, legs and boomsa-daisy is not at all odd, but very common indeed among the general population, both male and female. Finding feet attractive is not unnatural and most people who accept their partialism (pre or post coital attraction to), can relate this to an early childhood experience. This might be quite innocent such an infant crawling on the group and recognising adults by their shoes or stocking feet. When an early sexual experience involving feet shoes or legs takes place surprisingly, many individuals retain an attachment throughout their adult life as part of their love map. It is only when the foot or shoe (restifism), become more interesting than their owners and the preoccupation represents the sustained and complete object of desire, would fetishistic behaviour be categorised as paraphilia (abnormal sexual behaviour).
To non fetishists, the idea of attraction to an inanimate object is quite ludicrous. An opinion not shared by the fetishist who endows their favourite properties on to the object as well as projecting their sexual longings, needs and feelings, and all for a variety of different reasons. Fetishism is not intrinsically logical and psychologists believe foot fetishists have blocked their natural means of sexual expression and seek a comfortable substitute on which to project their often exaggerated desire. The attraction of the foot cannot, except in very bizarre circumstances, be regarded as an object of sexual attraction but for those who admire it, the answer lies in its shape and intrinsic odour. General smallness and delicacy of the female foot is thought to be a major sexual attraction of the foot. Neet feet symbolise the basic concept of femininity, a certain vulnerability which appeals to men. Elmer Batters was not a foot fetish but instead a talented photographer in the 1940s who became artistically preoccupied with feet and legs. His vision of a lady began at the tips of her toes and ran to the tops of her hose. His studies of legs feet and toes have become modern art collector’s pieces. In the 70s (tease era) he ran a small magazine called Leg Art.

References
Kroll E 1996 Elmer Batters Koln: Taschen

Take care what you stand on

When I was a kid it was hip and trendy to have animal tacks on the soul of your shoes, nowadays unless fitted with Global Positioning System technology your common or garden, sneaker is passe. For those kids tired of Pokémon and Game Boys these are the shoes to get. No fear of being lost in another Blair Witch episode when you can locate your coordinates via satellite and plan your route home, sure footed in the knowledge your footwear is definitely space age. Just the thing when out and about in the shopping malls of WA. Rings on her fingers and bells on her toe, she shall have music wherever she goes, is how the old rhythm goes but in the 21st century it appears we can go one better than that with new shows which sport attachments for MP3 players. What is an MP3 player? Well to all us computer nerds it’s a digital audio compression algorithm that achieves a compression factor of about twelve while preserving sound quality. It does this of course by optimising the compression according to the range of sound people can actually hear. Confused no worries, you will be wearing the generators in your shoes in no time so you can take music with you where ever. Reebock have also introduced a new electronic toy called the Pod. These are mini-computer which is attached to the tongue of Traxtar, a new range in quality tennis shoes. The Pod can rate the kids' performance in three track and field events: the sprint (a minimum of 75 feet), the high jump (a standing vertical leap, not a full Fosbury flop), and the long jump. Kids press the appropriate button on the shoe to start. The pod counts down with three short beep followed by one long one, after which the child begins running or jumping. Once he stops completely, the shoe rates whether the performance was worthy of a gold, silver, or bronze medal, with six different levels in each medal category. Just in case you weren't trucking right. A "Challenge Card" that comes with the shoes lets little Olympians translate the pod's medal and level ratings into inches for high jump, miles per hour for sprints, and feet for the long jump. The pod on the shoes plays Pomp and Circumstance when the mini athlete has improved his performance from bronze to silver or silver to gold. Once the child has earned the highest performance rating three times in the gold medal category, the shoe will serenade him with the Mexican Hat Dance song. The lights on the shoe's computer are a bit dim, which can make it tricky to tell what medal the child has earned. And of course, you can't expect it to measure performances with photo-finish accuracy. But the pod is also smart enough to spot a cheater. If it's set for the high jump and the shoe is tossed in the air, the pod plays a raspberry-like buzzer sound. The Traxtar is a well-made tennis shoe that encourages athletic performance. Kids love computers, so maybe they'll jump and run more as a result. Who's to argue with that?
And there's more….

In every pod, there are codes that will unlock the secrets to your Traxtar shoes, allowing you to do things like play songs and jump to higher levels. To find these codes, you need to look for the HIDDEN PLANET that will flash in different areas of the site. When you see a HIDDEN PLANET, click on it quickly and you will go to the page that gives you the code. If you find it, don't blab to all of your friends about it! You alone found this secret and it's yours to guard. Instead, tell your friends to visit Traxtar.com or send them online postcards with hints on where they can find the latest secret codes. Codes will be released at different times, so keep checking back to Traxtar.com to find the rest of them.

If the shoe fits....

Everyone knows choosing the right shoes can be a hard decision. Common sense would indicate choosing shoes with wide heels would appear more beneficial than those with a narrow base. However resent research would indicate women are making the wrong choice and wide heeled shoes are more likely to do harm than good. It appears walking in wide-heeled shoes increases the pressure on the inside of the knee by 26%, while stilettos increase the pressure by 22%. Either way, according to experts, heels probably contribute to inconvenient knee pain. Not prolonged problems such as osteoarthrosis (arthritis) but more likely to be niggling soreness. The foot police have for centuries tried to connect shoes with sore feet. Shoes may have contributed by not fitting the foot well enough or being inadequate to support the foot during activity but in truth shoes have never been the primary cause of serious foot problems. Despite the rhetoric to the contrary. Common sense would lead us to realise shoes need to be able to fit and protect the foot. Fashion on the other hand has a propensity to exaggerate and often styles reflect a san faire an attitude to convention. In other words some styles are deliberate in their attempt to display the impossible. Why is this so? Well according to fashion experts it has much to do with one upmanship. No matter how ludicrous it appears to the uninitiated, the cool costume exudes elitism. Take for example kids who wear very expensive trainers designed to protect the foot during periods of intense activity. Many will sport these with the laces deliberately left undone. Yes, it annoys the hell out of parents and teachers but also clearly sends a message shard by youth. "It will never happen to me.!" We all did it, or if not outwardly then we consciously suppressed the desire to do it. But through length of days comes understanding. I well recall when my own children, who followed the fashion dictates of the eighties and Bros. The blonde duo from London who spent a fortune on their credit cards before disappearing into rock star oblivion. The boys sported Beck's beer tops in their trainer laces. Needless to say I have to change my favourite tipple to accommodate the need for suitable beer tops to adorn my children (and their friends) shoes. Not new of course and fifties kids would be only too familiar with the penny loafer, where a lucky penny was included in the shoe design. My own favourite was Joe Cocker at Woodstock who had a silverstar on his boots.

The Museum of Menstration and Women's Health

The museum of menstruation and woman’s health is in Washington DC and was founded in 1994. The curator and owner, Harry Finley is a graphic designer who decided to open his home basement in Maryland as a museum to the female period and related paraphernalia. Mannequins displayed historical menstrual pads, whilst mounted on the wall were frames displaying magazine adverts from the last century for woman’s hygiene products from around the world. Graphic displays included the physical aspects of menstruation as well as other woman’s health issues. For members there was a regular museum newsletter (Catamenia), which contained the latest menstruation news. Due to illness Finley had to close the museum in 1998 and is now looking to resite it. Meantime you can have a cyber tour of the old museum by visiting: http://www.mum.org/insideMUM.htm and the museum of menstruation and woman’s health website is at: http://www.mum.org which is literally a cornucopia of informed opinion on the subject. The impressive directory of topics with comprehensive glossary and links to further information is a valuable resource for all sexuality educators, parents, teachers and children. The informed source of menstrual culture has attracted much scholarly interest with specially mounted exhibitions exploring the cultural and aesthetic aspects of the female period. Despite this many companies catering for female hygiene have refused to support the museum. One recurring criticism is the curator is a man. A US civil servant in Germany, Finley was commissioned to plan a government magazine and for research, he started to collect newspaper and magazine adverts for female sanitary products. Struck with the apparent difference between US and European presentation where the former had models fully dressed, demure and always depicted pictorially from the side. This compared starkly to the continental adverts which had nearly naked women cheerfully explaining the proper use of menstrual products. He decided to research the subject further and was astounded at the lack of informed opinion available on a subject which was so normal. Finley’s museum and now web page has become the informed source of valuable information of the socio-history of sanitary towels. Interactive options from the web page include bulletin boards on latest research regarding pharmaceutical control of menstruation; visitors are invited to post their thoughts on the “Curse’, which provides an extremely interesting socio-semantic description of a much under researched aspect of life. He encourages all to share in the humour of woman’s health. Many domestic and foreign media have featured MoM with a most impressive line up of commendations and endorsements from many respected sources including: Britannica.com, American Family Planning Council, New Scientist magazine (UK); and Elizabeth G. Stewart, (Harvard medical school and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston). After spending a most enjoyable couple of hours reading about the exhibits and history of menstruation paraphernalia I feel better informed and would have no hesitation in recommending this to my children (and grandchildren).

References
Finley H (2004) The museum of menstruation and woman’s health
http:// http://www.mum.org
Rubin S (1997) The museum of menstruation & women’s health In Offbeat Museums NY: Black Dog & Leventhal Publications

Oriental and Occidental Brohtels

In China there were brothels for the underclass, a mid ranked brothel for soldiers only, and high class brothels for merchants, artists and high officials. Not only was sex for sale, but in the high class bordellos gentlemen were entertained with fine music, dancing, conversation and erotic titillation. The sex workers were well educated, trained in dance and poetry, competent musicians and well conversant with erotica. Foot sex was considered the highest form of sexual pleasure. Children were involved and bound feet were highly prized with opium often on sale.

By the 18th century in Europe owning and leasing a brothel was a lucrative business. High-class brothels flourished and were furnished with the best furniture and owned by persons of high birth and prosperity. During La Belle Époque, prostitution was raised to an art form and prominent harlots such as, la Paiva, Caroline Otero, the Cockney Cora Pearl set themselves up in Paris, the Mecca of Europe. Cora Pearl was the Queen of the Paris courtesans during France's hectic, ill-fated Second Empire. She was an Englishwoman who captured the imagination of Paris Society. The term Le Demi Monde (morality and manners) was used to describe a woman whose marital infidelity or careless behaviour cast her outside the boundaries of respectable society. In their heyday, Paris brothels like the "One-Two-Two, the brothel in the rue de Provence " and "Le Sphinx" featured cabaret entertainment and extravagant theme rooms, hosting illustrious guests like the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec or Prince of Wales. The future King Edward VII, had his own room at the opulent "Le Chabanais", where he was said to frolic in a giant copper bathtub filled with champagne. The brothel was where everybody went to eat good food and there was always a merry party atmosphere. Gaming houses and pleasure palaces prevailed and many punters came for the entertainment but could hire a girl if they wished. The best known and most lavish bordello in Paris, was the Chateau de Madame Gourdan on Rue des Deux Portes. It catered to the richest and most powerful men in Paris. At one time, the beautiful Madame du Barry was a working girl before she became mistress to the King. The place boasted of a seraglio (Turkish purdah rooms), a bath house and a spanking room. New workers were taken to the Cabinet de Toilette, where they were taught the arts of lovemaking before graduating as professionals. Madame Gourdan owned a large house in the country, known by local peasants as the "convent", where sick and pregnant employees were sent to recuperate or to confinement. Another famous Parisian brothel owner was Madame Paris, who owned a bordello on Rue de Bagneaux. In 1750 Madame Paris opened another brothel, the Hotel du Roule in Faubourg St Honore, where workers in underwear and lingerie playing musical instruments, singing and dancing received their customers. A frequent visitor to the Palais Royale was the famous Casanova. Londoners in the 18th century were so libidinous that even a promiscuous Parisian might blush. One German traveler claimed London had 50,000 prostitutes, twice the number of Paris. This may, of course, reflect the Industrial Revolution, which brought country girls into the city who were then forced into prostitution to stave off poverty. In late 19th century, Paris, it was even possible to visit Wagnerian theme brothels where one might enjoy a Rhine maiden or a Valkyrie.

High class London bordellos were modeled on the most famous late 17th century brothel of Mother Cresswell, who served her customers a repast of the best meats served with silver service and cutlery and the finest wines in crystal glasses before introducing them to her employees. So many brothels existed in London in the 18th century that reformers began to demand regulation. The Disorderly Houses Act (1757) in England forced closure of bordellos, gaming houses and other premises of pleasure and many enterprising sex workers turned to private prostitution to avoid the law. In 1770 a list of sporting ladies was published and contained a whose who of street workers for the more discerning kerb crawler.

Louisiana US was established under the French Monarchy in the early seventeen hundreds and became a dumping ground for many of Paris’ degenerate members of society. A large number of criminals, prostitutes, and thieves found their new homes in the lands of the Delta (Modern-day New Orleans). Many former prostitutes were deported to become aids to the governing elite. The sophistication of Paris was replaced with an incredible jumble of cheap dance halls, brothels, saloons, gambling rooms, cockfighting pits, and rooming houses. This was home from home for many girls and by 1856 cries against prostitution were brought to the attention of the New Orleans council. In 1857, sex workers required licensing and the profession became taxable. The ordinance was soon declared unconstitutional and the attempts to regulate prostitution failed. People began moving their places of business closer to the downtown sections of New Orleans, to Gellatin Street behind the French Market, Smokey Row, and Basin Street... Their movement created a decline in the popularity of the earlier region, which was called the “swamp.” Gellatin Street became the centre of lascivious activities, including drugs, murder, and thieves. By the late eighteen hundreds residents of New Orleans had enough of a city rife with prostitution and in particular the developing middle classes who feared a drop in real estate values due to harlotry. In the early 1890’s, child prostitutes were removed from brothels. By 1894 brothels were cleared from many of the streets from the red light district Storyville was populated with a diverse group of colourful characters and the locals shared their streets with prostitutes, musicians, pimps and politicians. Tom Anderson, the “Mayor of Storyville,” ran most of its dealings through his brothel, called Anderson Annex. In 1905, he renamed the brothel, Arlington Annex, after his lover Josie Arlington. Eventually Storyville district was closed in 1917 but the military soon established a new brothel just outside of the city, on the Gulf. Like other cities many of the Madams of Storyville become famous figures in the history of New Orleans. In 1870 Hattie Hamilton was a famous Madam who shot one of her clients. He was Mr. David Jackson, a Louisiana senator but she was released, by the police, without being questioned or charged. In 1880 Lulu White was well known to the police force for numerous offences. Although she had a client list made up of some of the most prominent and wealthiest men in Louisiana she gave up her business in 1906 and moved to California. In 1883, Kate Townsend was another famous madam who met an untimely death at the hands of her lover, Troisville Sykes. After a plea of self-defense he was released and went on to inherit her ninety thousand dollar fortune. Like Paris and London, Storyville district had its own unique Blue Book, a forty page publication of personal promotional pages from each of the madams. The annual was underwritten and published by Tom Anderson. Young American men were especially attracted to the French girls because they wore high heeled boots. Some of the madams realised the allure of the special footwear and imported them to an eager custom from young American women. The heel caught on as a fashion icon amongst respectable women and soon the first heel factory was established. Many historians believe this was the beginning of the fashion shoe industry in North America.

The Criminal Foot

During the nineteenth century there were several serious attempts to scientifically link foot types to criminal classes. Sex workers especially came in for more than their (un)fare share of interest. At an International Congress on Criminal Anthropology in 1886 it was reported prostitutes had distinctive foot types with their big toe widely separated from the other toes. The divergent ray theory or throwback to arboreal life would be more acceptable then and contemporary with the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin. This fascination with the feet of sex workers obviously lasted a full decade as the topic was still under discussion at another conference in 1896. Caesar Lombroso (1836-1909), an Italian criminologist, held the confirmed belief the criminal population exhibited a higher percentage of physical and mental disorders than non-criminals. He was adamant "crims" were naturally stigmatised and convinced of all the criminal classes, prostitutes feet were considered to be most characteristic. Does make you wonder how he came to this revelation but the history books are not clear on this particular matter. In time most of Lombroso's work was eventually discredited but somewhat ironically his procastinations did have a positive outcome. His tireless devotion to the incarcerated resulted in a more humane and conservative treatment of convicts. In the grey world of sexual politics it has been well established women are easy targets for medicalisation and at the slightest whim males are eager to compartmentalise their behaviour. Lombroso's fascination for the Victorian sex worker and insights did not extend to males, for example. Perhaps the thought was too unpalatable to bare but instead he concentrated on those working girls who wore high heeled shoes as part of their occupational attire. An easy target. Cheaply made and often ill fitting, restrictive footwear would result in many disfiguring symptoms which would condemn the "Jezebels" as well as provide a high moral code for the middle classes. During the nineteenth century strange things were happening to unseat the balance of the male domain. Industrialisation with its emphasis on consumerism meant women were joining the workforce. The introduction of stores called for shop assistants to model the wears as well as sell the goods. Hence many women were required to sport fashionable high heeled shoes throughout the working day. Physicians, surgeons and chiropodists reported the phenomenon with foreboding warnings as to the evils of wearing high heeled shoes. Interesting to note many of their claims were ludicrous and had no foundation whatsoever. Later these were quietly recanted or conveniently forgotten but not before the point was made, womens' shoes should carry a health warning. Note, men did not need the same benchmarks, since they wore sensible shoes anyway. In truth professional classes usually had their footwear made specifically for them, working classes took what was on offer and others, just went barefoot. Most of today’s shoe advice comes from this time of history and contemporary books read like modern literature on the subject. In truth little scientific evidence exists to support many of the claims our profession seem to hold as true. Recent research has even shown, in diabetic populations for example, there are more foot problems reported in people with good fitting shoes then those without. Who would ever have thought we continue to appropriate chauvinistic and Victorian social values in our foot health education. Maybe that's a crime?

History of Men's Underwear

Egyptians
Remnants of leather loincloths were found with the remains of pre-historic man living 7,000 years ago. The loincloth was the simplest and probably the first undergarment worn by human beings. In warmer climates it was worn uncovered and in colder climates, loincloths were probably covered by outer clothing. The Egyptians (2nd millennium B.C.) used fabric to form an undergarment over which they wore a skirt. In pharaoh’s tombs loincloths were often buried along with them.

Antiquity
The Ancient Greeks dressed very simply with a 'chiton', an oblong of woolen cloth large enough to wrap around the body from the neck down to just above the knees. The side left open was fastened by a 'fibulae' ­ a pin or brooch. A girdle was worn round it and the 'chiton' could by pulled through it and worn high by those who were physically active and left long by the older gentlemen. Over this was worn the 'himation', an outer cloak. Slaves wore loincloths. However, the ancient Greeks did not wear underwear. The closest article of clothing worn by men in ancient Rome was called a subligaculum, which in modern terms means a pair of shorts or a loincloth and was worn under a toga or tunic.

Middle Ages
Around the 13th century, pull-on underpants were invented and underwear became an important garment. The loincloth was replaced by large, baggy drawers called 'braies', which were often made from linen and seemed to be worn by men from all classes of society under their normal clothing. Knights wore 'braies' under several layers of clothing topped by their armor. The wearer stepped into them and then laced or tied them around the waist and legs at about mid-calf. Wealthier men wore chausses but these only covered the legs. In Europe underwear played an important role in shaping outerwear. Men’s sartorial developed during this time and this included corsets, cod pieces, stockings, undershirts and drawers.

Cod pieces were the sticky out bit at men’s nethers, as worn by Knights of Old and still to be seen in men’s ballet attire. The practical problem which beset our forefathers was the ability to match upper body clothing with leg attire. Catering for the calls of nature compounded so the upper crust simply flaunted their naughty bits as a fashion statement. In combat the cod piece protected the wobbly bits and was originally a cloth sheath rather like a baby’s nappy. Crossover to mainstream fashion meant the codpiece became highly decorated serving both as a boast and provocation. When amour was invented the cod piece remained. Even later male clothing included a ‘sex purse’ and men vied with each other in their genital display. The popular sex pocket came to be known by various other names. Latin scholars called them ‘barca’ or ‘breeches’, the French insisted they were brayette or graguette; and the English used the Old English word cod meaning “bag”. Popularity for the cod piece peeked between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries when newer versions were developed.
Padding and embroidery became more ornate. A real pocket was added where the wearer had a pocket to keep his purse, handkerchief or pieces of fruit, with little concealed suggestiveness. The latter was offered graciously to good looking ladies.

Renaissance
By the Renaissance, the 'chausses' became form fitting like modern hose, and the braies were worn shorter to accommodate longer styles of chausses. Braies were fitted with a flap in the front that buttoned or tied closed. The early fly front allowed men to urinate without removing their braies. Men's hose were worn snug on the legs and left open at the crotch, leaving the genitalia to hang free under the doublet. As the fashion for shorter doublets prevailed overexposed genitalia, were covered with the codpiece. The fly front of the braies corresponded to the codpiece. Less modest codpieces were shaped to emphasize the male genitalia. Henry VIII padded his codpiece and may well have set the trend for larger and larger codpieces. Cod pieces became passé by the end of the 16th Century. In days before pockets the codpiece was used to carrying valuables other than the crown jewels.

Victorian Times
By Victorian times men's undergarments made from cotton, linen and even silk were in two pieces and made by hand. In America woolen flannel drawers were worn from the waist down. Most were knee length with a simple button overlap in front and a drawstring at the waist in the back. The preferred upper garment was a wool flannel shirt worn next to the skin. Mass production followed the invention of water-powered spinning machine and cotton fabrics became widely. For the first time, people no longer made their underwear at home but bought them in stores. The all in one union suit was worn by men and women and covered from the wrists to the ankles. The knitted union suits included a drop flap in the back. Hanes opened several mills producing 'union suits'. Originally made with ankle length legs and long sleeves, later versions were available in knee length versions with or without sleeves. Prior to elasticated waists gentlemen pinned their underpants to the inside of their trousers.

During the reign of Queen Victoria it was quite common for young boys to be dressed in frilly lace and short trousers. Boys wore bows on their shoes, shaved their legs and sported girlie underwear. Our great grandmothers were not lamenting not having female offspring by dressing their ‘laddies’ in ‘lassies’ clothes,’ instead the Victorian mothers wanted to discourage unhealthy flirting with teenage girls. The London Times published in its letters column the following endorsement from a concerned mother. “I have found an effective cure for my 20 year old son’s flirting with young ladies. When in mixed company, I dress him in corsets and a short kilt. Dressed as a nancy boy, he is unable to look at a girl full in the eyes, let alone ogle her. I heartily recommend this form of correction. For this to appear in the letter column would confirm adolescence had its challenges then too. Victorians were most inventive and during this Dark Age, some boys were fitted with a penal cage. The leather apparatus, sometimes covered with spikes, was worn to stop young men, day and night from doing what comes naturally. Later the cage appeared in 1885 and was a metal penis container which humanely allowed erection but prevented boys from touching them.. A Scot’s physician Dr. John Moodie, developed an Apparatus for Boys which was truss-and-shield like device in 1848. It included a penis tube with a slot on the side for the boy to push his penis out in order to pass water. Before the Russian Revolution young conscripts had wire pushed through their foreskin and sealed with a picture of the Tsar. No much wonder there was a Revolution. The habit caught on however and was soon imitated by parents unable to afford a penis cage. They just used a needle and thread. Now we know why children rebel.

1900-1920
Men’s underwear was revolutionized when US company, Coopers Inc of Kenosha, Wisconsin, introduced the X-front in 1910. These were sold as the Kenosha Klosed Krotch undergarment but because the overlying flaps were considered too fiddly the X-front flopped. In the 1920s, modeling underwear was thought to be morally wrong and early advertising shots showed models in black face-masks to hide their identities.

1930s
In the 1930s, union suits went out of favor and boxers and briefs became the 'vogue'. The first boxer shorts were button less drawers fitted with an elastic waistband. The name came from the shorts worn by professional fighters. The word "underpants" also entered the dictionary at this time. 'Jockey' began making briefs in 1930 but it was not until 1934 with the advent of 'Jockey' Y-vent briefs the design of men’s underwear took a leap forward. Traditional high and lox cut jockey shorts had vertical flaps or diagonal flaps. Inspiration for the Y-front was the Jock Strap. The tackle support was an instant success and is still going strong, sold in over 120 countries. JOCKEY Y-fronts were the first underwear ever to be displayed in a store. Before 1935 all pants were bought discreetly from a salesman who retrieved the required size from a hidden store-room. In 1936, Munsingwear developed the 'kangaroo pouch' underwear which used a horizontal vent. When managers at the Marshall Field store in Chicago banned Y Fronts from a window display on the pretext it was ridiculous to flaunt such a skimpy design in the middle of winter. Before the display could be removed, 600 pairs had been sold. They same frenzy crossed the Atlantic in 1938 and soon there were 3,000 pairs of pants being sold per year in the UK.

1940’s
Serving men in the US were issued with 'Long Johns', i.e. long skin-tight underpants. The name was derived from the old boxing gear worn by John L. Sullivan, who was a boxer in the late 1880s, the height of his career being 1882-92. Colour became a practical option by troops eager to avoid target practice when they were hung out their ‘smalls’ to dry. In Civvy Street, Second World War rationing meant underwear was in short supply. Y-front factories stopped pant production and started to make parachutes for troops. Shortages forced the Jockey company to appeal to underpants wearers everywhere to send back the elastic from old pairs to help with the war effort. Button fastening returned because rubber and metal were no longer available. Knitted briefs, broadcloth shorts with buttons, and the union suit were popular during the war years. Ingenious French backs were used to adjust fit. These were small tabs at the rear of the waistband, usually secured by buttons. Post war innovations included preshrunk materials prior to this, people bought underwear a size larger to allow for shrinkage in the wash. By the late 40s the introduction of synthetics with good elastic memory meant tighter fitting underwear. In 1948 every male athlete in the British Olympic team was given a free pair of Y-fronts.

1950s
New fabrics and a multitude of colours gave greater range to products for the post war generation. Underpants were more comfortable to wear and the long john lost out to the shorter Y front pants. A successful marketing ploy in the early 50s was to sell Y-fronts in sets of seven. Each set of briefs was labeled Monday to Sunday. Unlike T shirts however, men’s’ underpants was still unmentionable and not for public display. The first public demonstration of men’s underwear in this decade was the risqué Top 10 US hit "Short Shorts", by The Royal Teens (1958). The novelty record, so typical of the teen music of the time, made good use of shocking burlesque (a dying art form) with public reference to men’s underwear, and shorts at that. In 1958 when they began to be advertised y Fronts on television, The Tonight Show host Jack Paar became so amused by the undergarments for men that his laughter strung a Y-front endorsement out for two minutes instead of the allowed 30 seconds. The next day Y Fronts sold out across the country. All this at a time when Elvis’s pelvic area could not be show on public television for the sake of decency.

1960s
Despite the availability of printed fabric and a rainbow of colours, white cotton remained popular with the conservative. Young people started to wear boxer shorts around the time of the Cassius Clay vs Sonny Liston World Heavyweight Boxing Championship (1964). When the ever popular Freddy and the Dreamers reprised the Royal Teens hits ‘Shorts shorts’ they probably sold more boxer shorts than they did copies of their record. The sixties saw a boom in package holidays and bikini style briefs (The 'bikini' was invented in 1946 by two Frenchmen, Jacques Heim and Louis Reard, who named it after the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the site of atomic bomb testing) became a strong challenge to boxers. New fabric technology continued to offer better comfort in men's underwear, particularly with the introduction of Lycra and Spandex. Low slung hipster style trousers meant less obvious undergarments were preferred. Underwear became smaller with far more variety designed for specific age groups and purposes. Adverts for Y Fronts urged men to change their underpants every day, boasting of nine different styles at "rock bottom" prices. Contemporary research showed men wearing tight fitting briefs were more likely to suffer infertility due to the increased temperatures surrounding the genitals. Y-fronts countered their product provided much need aeration. Research published by the company showed the average man's private parts had increased in size over the past 20 years.

1970s and 1980s
Commercial interest in sport meant men’s underpants became body enhancing and like women's designs, the newest and hottest styles were almost totally seamless. The thong was very popular in Brazil and worn by the beach Adonis crowd. Fashion crossover into underwear meant the thong became popular as underwear not only for its erotic appeal, but because it gave a smooth and rounded finish to bottoms encased under tight trousers. In ‘Saturday Night’s Fever’, John Travolta’s physique was enhanced with no visible panty line and this resulted in briefs and thongs being worn by the disco generation. Meantime men’s briefs got briefer and became the preserve of designers such as Calvin Klein. Underwear was a fashion statement available in unusual fabrics and wonderful colours and combinations. Sex appeal was the main selling point for major advertising campaigns. When in the 80s Nick Kamen unbuttoned his Levi 501s revealing a pair of white boxers to the tune of ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’, it was thought by many to be the end for the Y-front. Not a lot of people know the Kamen’s Levi commercial would have featured the model in a pair of Y-fronts but the advertising censors decreed them indecent.

1990’s
Again medical scares of impotency due to tight underpants may well have influenced some, but certainly boxer shorts made a come back into fashion in the 90’s. No longer baggy the new boxers maintained the tightness of briefs. Pouch boxer briefs had a pocket for the genitals rather than an access flap and athletic and bike-style boxers were generally skin-tight, usually with no access pouch or flap. These were like short tights.

2000
Now anything goes from boxers to G-strings. The anti fashion crowd have started to go commando or going without underwear, a practice also known as freeballing. Ironically the trend emphasizes how far underwear has come from its beginnings as a hygienic aide. When modern people bathe every day, underwear is not nearly as necessary, and with underwear as the final barrier to sex, not wearing it at all is a powerful turn-on for many people. Traditionally there is nothing worn under the kilt - everything is in perfect working condition.

References
Danielou A 1995 The phallus: Sacred symbol of male creative power Rochester: Inner Traditions (translated by Graham J.)
Norman P 1997 Sexxxx London: MQ Publications

Interesting links:
http://www.afraidtoask.com/masturbate/History.htm
http://manstouch.com/mensunderwear/historyofmensunderwear.html
http://www.renaissancedancewear.com/codpieces.html
http://www.thehendricks.net/codpiece_history.htm

La Belle Epoque

Fans of Moulin Rouge may appreciate this because it relates to the time in history when all things artistic came together in one place and that was Paris in the Nineteenth century. Great philosophers and artists were in abundance as a new order of civilization was born. In typical human fashion, all manner of excesses were in evidence and whilst polite society accepted revelers drinking Champaign from a lady’s slipper, the mere sight of bare footed woman caused riots whenever they featured in plays. The Paris of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) had embraced sex with a vengeance and prostitution was raised to a commercial art form. Themed bordellos prevailed with every sort of variation openly catered for. There was even ‘A guide to’ booklet for the more discerning gentleman. In these days this cost many Francs, which would indicate the demographic was favored by the affluent. Purely for academic interests, your intrepid reporter can report the Foot Lover was catered for. (Oh, the things I do in the name of research). Promiscuity was found at all levels of society and the term Le Demi Monde (morality and manners) was coined by Alexander Dumas (1855) to describe a woman whose marital infidelity or careless behavior had cast her outside the boundaries of respectable society. Many of the girls were actresses by day and some pretty prominent, too. The Madams such as La Paiva, Caroline Otero, and the cockney Cora Pearl became well known figures in Paris Society. Not all philosophers approved and Nietzsche and Proust were outspoken against this side of woman. By the middle of the nineteenth century the polka piqué became extremely popular in Paris dance halls. Girls kicked their legs as high as possible and although condemned by the moralists this was loved by those interested in catching site of frothy knickers on show. The quadrille naturaliste was a fairly simple dance which required a series of high kicks: the woman kicked over the heads of their partners then grasped an ankle high above their heads, dancing on one foot. The pleasure of the dance was the display of shapely legs in black stockings, lace petticoats, and perhaps a glimpse of bare thigh below the black silk knickers. A risqué version was to polka piqué with no underwear on, which was more often than not the case. A version of the popular polka was converted a stage chorography by a soloist or more often, a group or chorus. The polka piqué combined with the quadrille naturaliste to become the Robert Macaire then the Chabut before emerging as the Can Can. Decidedly ‘naughty’ this was a good excuse for high kicks and flashing the underwear. Can Can sans culottes was the ultimate fantasy for the lads of the time. It was a dance perhaps more notorious than evident though there is no doubt it was performed. However rest easy the Can Can could not have taken place historically before the invention of vulcanized rubber and the introduction of elastic, which to this day keeps the famous dance, respectable.

References
Anonymous 1996 The pretty women of Paris Hertfordshire :Wordsworth Editions p34
Batterberry M &A 1977 Mirror mirror: a social history New York: Holt Rinehart & Winston
Parker D & J 1975 The natural history of the chorus girl Melbourne: Landsdowne Press.