What's with the High Heels?

[otherscape]

I am currently doing some studies with my new Loomis book "Figure Drawing for All It's Worth" and I can't help but notice that quite a few of the women are all wearing high heels while nude.

What's up with that? Was that just a thing back then, or was it a personal reason with Loomis?

[Jon_Dog]

I think I remember seeing a thread about this before, I'll see if I can find it.

[dpaint]

Are you saying you don't like naked women in high heels?

[OldJake666]

I think it was a sign of the times. It was rare for illustrators in the 40's to be drawing barefoot warrior women. If they were illustrating women, they were doing so for comic books or for advertisements and as such they would most likely be wearing high heels.

But I thought it was funny and striking when I first looked through Loomis as well.

[JFierce]

Loomis had a shoe fetish

Edit:
(Realized I can't make that joke without someone not getting a joke and taking it literal
being the internet. So no. I have no idea if he actually had one)

[arenhaus]

Yup, Jacob is right. Loomis was aiming at commercial illustrators, after all, and was a successful commercial illustrator himself. For all I know it might have struck him as funny if someone suggested to draw women NOT wearing high heels and lipstick...

[otherscape]

I think it was a sign of the times. It was rare for illustrators in the 40's to be drawing barefoot warrior women. If they were illustrating women, they were doing so for comic books or for advertisements and as such they would most likely be wearing high heels.

Huh, interesting. Strange that a woman barefoot would automatically equal warrior woman, but I guess different era and all that.

Are you saying you don't like naked women in high heels?

Sorry, don't roll that way. Naked men in heels however...

[OldJake666]

Huh, interesting. Strange that a woman barefoot would automatically equal warrior woman, but I guess different era and all that.



Sorry, don't roll that way. Naked men in heels however...

I didn't mean that. I was just saying barbarian warrior women were not what Loomis was aiming for (I'm not so well versed in the customs of barbarian women, perhaps they wear boots?) Hopefully you can see what I'm saying.

You just can't post anything on the internet without looking like a racist, sexist, homophobe, etc, etc, etc. Fuck, man!

[blogmatix]

Fuck, man!

Now look at that. Not only a racist, sexist homophobe, but bloody foul-mouthed as well. Shame on you!

[[email protected]]

Those were the days that every girl felt nude without her heels...

[Farvus]

Yeah. I noticed that in Loomis books too. This is funnier though

[QueenGwenevere]

Didn't you know? Back in the day, women were born with permanently arched feet, just like Barbie! They couldn't walk without heels!

[[email protected]]

Didn't you know? Back in the day, women were born with permanently arched feet, just like Barbie! They couldn't walk without heels!

They also didn't need a bra, just like Barbie?

[Riley Stark]

@Queen: I know you're kidding, but the funny thing is that my feet are actually shaped exactly like that. (My toes angle upward and I've got a wicked high arch so my feet always look like they're bent funny when they're just relaxed, like I've got invisible high heels on when I'm just sitting around barefoot. XD) It definitely makes heels more comfortable because my feet naturally want to sit in that sort of position, but it was kind of a pain in the ass when I was waitressing -- My feet used to kill at the end of the day from the flat shoes. It sucked. >.<

Back to topic: I noticed the women wearing pumps when I started studying from Loomis and thought it was funny, too. I suppose it's practical though -- When a woman puts on heels, her body sort of reshapes itself slightly in certain areas to compensate, so I found it helpful/interesting to see how he handled the figures in heels.

[Voodoo_Mama]

@Queen: I know you're kidding, but the funny thing is that my feet are actually shaped exactly like that. (My toes angle upward and I've got a wicked high arch so my feet always look like they're bent funny when they're just relaxed, like I've got invisible high heels on when I'm just sitting around barefoot. XD) It definitely makes heels more comfortable because my feet naturally want to sit in that sort of position, but it was kind of a pain in the ass when I was waitressing -- My feet used to kill at the end of the day from the flat shoes. It sucked. >.<

.

In general women have more arched feet than men, but then again I read this in a Loomis book, hmmmmm......
Actually I do think it's true, my feet are pretty arched as well :/
Walking around too much on flat shoes also kills my feet, if they have a little bit of heel they're more confortable as well.

[QueenGwenevere]

In general women have more arched feet than men, but then again I read this in a Loomis book, hmmmmm......

Not the women in my family, some of 'em even have fallen arches... So I don't buy that...

I mostly fall over in heels taller than an inch. Lack of practice.

[[email protected]]

Not the women in my family, some of 'em even have fallen arches... So I don't buy that...

Heels make legs longer and curve the spine in a way that emphasizes the peripherals at the front of the thorax and the back of the pelvis, which serves an evolutionary purpose...

[QueenGwenevere]

Heels make legs longer and curve the spine in a way that emphasizes the peripherals at the front of the thorax and the back of the pelvis, which serves an evolutionary purpose...

High heels haven't been around long enough to make a dent in evolution...

[Voodoo_Mama]

Not the women in my family, some of 'em even have fallen arches... So I don't buy that...

I mostly fall over in heels taller than an inch. Lack of practice.

Loomis! How could you LIE to me?!?!?! *shakes fist*

[vineris]

In general women have more arched feet than men, but then again I read this in a Loomis book, hmmmmm......
Actually I do think it's true, my feet are pretty arched as well :/

I'd ask someone in a store that specializes in fitting running shoes. They're paid to put people in shoes that will get them through a marathon, so they're likely to know.

[JFierce]

Pick the barbie doll..... Oh wait..... they're all a real person... *Shivers down spine*

[Elwell]

What do you want, it was the '40s.

[Wakakin]

High heels make the figure "taller", slimmer, gracefuller in the case of money. The extra heels might have been for part of the gestures too.

Although my first thought is simply, "the floor is dirty" >_>""

[Frostblade]

I've been told that it makes their calves look better... more defined.
Some women that always wear high heels lose the ability to be able to walk on their barefeet (heels and toes on the ground at the same time) without pain because the calf muscle has shortened over time and walking heel -toe would be painful.

[Wakakin]

I've been told that it makes their calves look better... more defined.
Some women that always wear high heels lose the ability to be able to walk on their barefeet (heels and toes on the ground at the same time) without pain because the calf muscle has shortened over time and walking heel -toe would be painful.

That's really....interesting. Seems legit for 1940's

[manlybrian]

I'm surprised he didn't draw more of them sitting naked with cigarettes and brandy.

[[email protected]]

I'm surprised he didn't draw more of them sitting naked with cigarettes and brandy.

In one of his books, he mentions this as an exercise: add a glass of brandy in her hand and a cigarette between her
fingers. It is the same book where he suggests you color the picture, nice and neat, with your color crayons. The kid who returns the nicest colored pictures wins a bottle of brandy.