Barbie is the latest to join the rebellion against heels. Cannes caused contoversy when its bosses banned female attendees from wearing flats at the the film fest, and a shoe revolt fast ensued.
Lara Stone was the first to put two fingers up to the rule at the AmFAR Gala, and a string of stars have followed suit at subsequent events, including 6"1 Karlie Kloss, who walked the CFDAs red carpet in a pair of gold strappy sandals. And you know a trend is really catching on when Barbie ditches her stilettos.
Barbie has been cast with elevated soles for a whopping 56 years, meaning she could only wear the teeny tiny equivalent of four-inch heels. Good job she's carried everywhere by her legions of young fans! But now, in an attempt to bring the doll up to date, Mattel has finally redesigned her with flexible ankles, meaning she can wear either flats or heels.
And that's not the only change afoot - Mattel's new Fashionista line of Barbies will include dolls with eight different skin tones, 14 different face shapes, 18 eye colors, 22 hairstyles, and 23 hair colours. About time.
This is one small step for Barbie, but one big leap for in addressing unobtainable ideals of female beauty.