Papal Shoes - Rules About The Pope’s Shoes

The current Pope, Benedictus XVI is famous for his elegant red shoes. Cardinals are banned from using red shoes.

Shoes Meant to Control Women

The ancient Chinese custom of binding women's feet to keep them small arose from a male desire to insure faithfulness. The argument was that with such deformed feet the wife could not travel very far on foot.

Probably the same reason was for the High-heeled platform shoes becoming the rage in Venice in the sixteenth century. Women could walk and climb gondolas in these only if servants helped them.

Some shoes are meant to protect women from hurtfully behaving men. The Aphrodite shoes for sex-workers protect them from violent customers (men).