FEMININE ANKLES ARE GROWING, SLOWLY, SURELY LARGER
Warren, Ohio (JFK+50) On June 13, 1922, the Evening Star reports "feminine ankles are growing, slowly, surely larger."
The "thickening" of the underpinnings of "the once weaker sex," the Star states includes "the flapper type" as well as "their grandmothers."
To back up this claim, the Star cites retail boot dealers who "say there is no doubt" of this phenomenon.
Why, you may ask, are women's ankles growing larger?
It all has to do with the fashion of the day. Women have been wearing "low shoes" for a year and a half which have resulted in straighter legs and thicker ankles.
JFK+50 NOTE
Vintage Dancer says "The pump with one (or more) straps and a modest 2 inch heel was the most popular shoe of the Roaring 20s." Other styles included slip on pumps, walking Oxfords, and boots.
Young flappers wore galoshes in winter. In fact, it was the sound the unbuckled galoshes made when the girls walked down the street (flap, flap, flap) that resulted in the name "flapper."
SOURCES
"Shoe Men Gasp At Growing Thickness of Women's Ankles," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., June 13, 1922, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
"Women's 1920s Shoe Styles and History," Vintage Dancer, www.vintagedancer.com/
