Most people, even those who like wearing heels, say it's unacceptable to require women to wear heels as part of a dress code
A screening at the Cannes film festival attracted unexpected media attention last week after a woman was turned away from the screening because she was wearing flats instead of high heels. Film producer Valerie Richter was turned away for not wearing heels, even though she was wearing flats because part of her left foot had been amputated. The decision to turn her away came under fire from many in the industry, with British actress Emily Blunt being particularly outspoken when she stated that "everyone should wear flats".
YouGov's latest research shows that two-thirds of Americans (67%) say that it is 'unacceptable' for an event to require that all women attending wear heels. Only 18% think that it is acceptable. Among the 85% of women (and 7% of men) who have ever worn heels, even most (56%) who like wearing heels say that it is unacceptable to require them as part of a dress code. 26% say that it is acceptable. Among people who dislike heels 77% say that it is unacceptable to require them.
Younger women tend to have the most favorable views of heels. 55% of women under the age of 30 say that they like wearing heels, along with 51% of women aged 30 to 44 and 47% of women aged 45 to 64. The popularity of heels drops of quickly among over-65s, however, as only 29% of women aged 65 or older say that they like wearing heels. Overall, 46% of women like wearing heels while 47% dislike wearing heels.
