High Heels as symbol

from feminine difficulties to feminist subversion

Authors

  • Martina Viegas Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing
  • Luara Fukumoto Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23925/1982-4807.2025i38e74127

Keywords:

Feminine image, Communication and consumption, Female shoes symbolic power

Abstract

This article investigates women’s trajectories through female shoes understanding them as social tools of belonging and symbolic power. To this end we analyze episodes 9 (season 6) of Sex and the City and 5 (season 3) of And Just Like That… focusing on the relationships of Carrie Bradshaw and her use of high heeled shoes - understood here as symbols of her identity and emotional construction and reaffirmation throughout the narrative. We examine shoes as mediators of sensitive experiences in the movements of coming and going in places women occupy or wish to do so, as well as the impact of the choices they make or the situations to which they are subjected to. Our analysis is articulated from Bourdieu (2021); Orlandi (2023); Saffioti (2015); Wittig (2022); Flusser (2007); Godart (2011); Sodré (2016), among other authors.

Author Biographies

Martina Viegas, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing

Professor in undergraduate and postgraduate programs at FEBASP – Belas Artes, São Paulo, SP. Teaches courses focused on fashion and trend research; graphic production and editing; digital animation and illustration (manual and digital techniques); ethnic and gender studies; and communication. PhD candidate in Communication and Consumption Practices at ESPM-SP, supported by a PROSUP Fees scholarship, conducting research on female fat bodies in luxury fashion within contexts of communication and consumption, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Eliza Bachega Casadei. Member of the Research Group History, Communication and Consumption, led by her doctoral research supervisor. Holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Processes and Manifestations from Universidade Feevale. PROSUP/CAPES scholarship holder in the Master’s program in Cultural Processes and Manifestations, research line in Languages and Communication Processes, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Lurdi Blauth, during the period 2014/2015. Specialist in Surface Design from Universidade Feevale (2014). Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Design, with specialization in Graphic Design, from Universidade Feevale (2011/02).

Luara Fukumoto, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing

Holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Consumption Practices from ESPM and is a member of the Conex Lab Research Group, where conducts research on the logics of oppression affecting women in senior management positions. Serves as a Pedagogical Mediator for undergraduate courses in Branding, E-Branding, Creative Writing, Management and Marketing of Beauty Services, Services Marketing, Digital Marketing, Marketing and Communication Planning, and Digital Market Trends at FMU – FIAM/FAAM. Is a researcher affiliated with Working Group 20 (Communication, Gender and Diversity) at ALAIC, acting as coordinator of the panel Narratives and Cultural Consumption. Is an associate member of ALAIC – the Latin American Association of Communication Researchers. Completed an extension course in Online Educational Project Management in 2016. Holds a postgraduate degree in Customer Relationship Management from Senac (2017), and a postgraduate degree in Gastronomy and Authorial Cuisine from PUC-RS (2020), as well as the International Bronze Certification in Traditional Japanese Cuisine. Was a full scholarship recipient in the postgraduate program Striving in the Managerial World at HSM in 2021. Has professional experience in Marketing since 2001, having begun her career at Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, where she was part of the team that led the brand to achieve Top of Mind status in its segment after only one year of work. Is the co-founder of Simbios Negócios, a Strategic Marketing and Corporate Finance consultancy, where she leads the areas of Strategic Branding, Diversity, and Inclusion.

References

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BOURDIEU, Pierre. Sociologia geral – v. 2: habitus e campo: curso no Collège de France (1982–1983). Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes, 2021a.

COURTINE, Jean-Jacques. Decifrar o corpo: pensar com Foucault. Petrópolis, RJ: Vozes, 2013.

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FLUSSER, Vilém. O mundo codificado: por uma filosofia do design e da comunicação. São Paulo: Cosac Naify, 2007.

GODART, Frédéric. Sociologia da moda. São Paulo: Editora Senac, 2010.

JACKSON-EDWARDS, P. Waitress shares a photo of her bleeding feet on Facebook after working a full shift in heels (and says her manager still made her wear them the next day). Daily Mail, 2016. Disponível em: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3584336/Waitress-shares-photo-bleeding-feet-Facebook-working-shift-heels.html. Acesso em: 25 set. 2025.

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MCROBBIE, Angela. Notes on the perfect. Australian Feminist Studies, [S. l.], v. 30, n. 83, p. 3–20, 2015. Disponível em: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08164649.2015.1011485. Acesso em: 2 jan. 2015.

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ORLANDI, Eni Puccinelli. As formas do silêncio: no movimento dos sentidos. 6. ed. Campinas, SP: Editora da Unicamp, 2007.

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SONTAG, Susan. Sobre as mulheres. Lisboa: Quetzal Editores, 2024.

SOUZA, Jô. Gramática de consultoria de imagem. São Paulo: Estação das Letras e Cores, 2023.

VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM. Shoes: pleasure and pain: catálogo da exposição de verão. London: V&A Publishing, 2015.

WITTIG, Monique. O pensamento hétero e outros ensaios. Belo Horizonte: Autêntica, 2022.

Imagem criada por Jo Souza, Maikol Nascimento, sob o conceito de bricolagem de Lévi-Strauss, a imagem de capa do dossiê contém diversos fragmentos que se unem para delinear um caleidosópio de imagens, cores e formas. O conjunto desses elementos, constituem o todo, o qual revela camadas profundas de significados. Organizadores: Jo Souza Maikol Nascimento Cíntia Tolosa Publicado 2025-12-22

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Published

2025-12-22

How to Cite

Viegas, M., & Fukumoto, L. (2025). High Heels as symbol: from feminine difficulties to feminist subversion. Ponto-e-Vírgula, 2(38), e74127. https://doi.org/10.23925/1982-4807.2025i38e74127

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 38 (2025): Dossiê: Estéticas do Poder e suas interseções entre Política, Cinema, Arte e Moda

Section

Artigos

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