Platform tennis shoes have thick soles that elevate the wearer, providing stability and relief from medical conditions. They can be worn as casual wear and were historically worn for fashion and status. The soles are typically made of rubber and the inner sole can be flat or raised at the heel. They were popular in disco circles and have been revitalized by some artists.
Platform tennis shoes, also called platform sneakers, are footwear with thick soles that elevate the wearer. Unlike other platform shoes, however, platform tennis shoes provide much more stability and can be worn as casual wear. Although some people wear these shoes to make a fashion statement, others choose them specifically because of the added height they provide or to provide relief from medical conditions.
The upper of platform tennis shoes looks identical to any other shoe. The part that distinguishes the shoes is the sole. In a modest version, the sole is only 1 to 1.5 inches (2.54 to 3.81 centimeters) in height. However, the soles can measure up to 5 or 6 inches (12.7 or 15.24 centimeters). The taller the sole, the more likely manufacturers are to round off the leading edge of the sole to make it easier to walk and roll the foot naturally while wearing the shoe. Manufacturers typically use rubber for the soles of platform tennis shoes, which differentiates them from the cork, wood, leather, or plastic soles found on other platform footwear.
The inner sole of a platform shoe comes in two varieties. The first variety is flat, although supports may be present in the arch. The second type is raised at the heel, providing additional lift that is not visible from the outside. The type of inner sole a person chooses depends on which version is the most comfortable, the latter being the best for people with high arches.
Medically speaking, in addition to addressing issues like high arches, platform tennis shoes can also remedy issues like physical abnormalities that cause one leg to be significantly shorter than the other. Used in this way, the platform shoe can allow a person to walk without a limp, bringing the pelvis and spine back into alignment and reducing physical stress and pain. This can have a major effect on how a person is able to interact with others, participate in activities, and enjoy life.
Platform sneakers were popular in disco circles between the 1960s and 1980s. Although they temporarily fell out of popularity after this, some artists played an important role in revitalizing the fashion for platform sneakers.
Historically, platform tennis shoes are shoe adaptations that were worn not only for fashion, but also to demonstrate status. In ancient Greece, actors wore platform shoes to appear more authoritative on stage. During the Renaissance, the wearing of platform shoes separated lower-class individuals from upper-class nobility, with shoe heights peaking in Venice and sometimes requiring canes or the assistance of a servant. Later, platform shoes were popular in Europe because they allowed people to rise above the dirt and grime of the streets, but throughout history, platform shoes weren’t very comfortable or fun to wear. Finally, shoemakers created platform sneakers to make platform footwear casual, funky, and painless.
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