Shoes

04/29/22 • 44 min

3 Listeners

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

I’m something that you wear, I always come in twos, I get put on your feet. I’m not socks, I am ... SHOES.

Humans have been protecting their feet for a very long time.

But over the years the types of footwear we choose have developed and multiplied. Each new shoe has a new use, and often a new social meaning.

So what is the history of shoes? To find out about the masculine beginnings of heels, the reclamation of crocs, and the political ideals of docs, Kate chats to Elizabeth Semmelhack, creative director and senior curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.

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Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and archive clips from The Wizard of Oz, 1939.

I’m something that you wear, I always come in twos, I get put on your feet. I’m not socks, I am ... SHOES.

Humans have been protecting their feet for a very long time.

But over the years the types of footwear we choose have developed and multiplied. Each new shoe has a new use, and often a new social meaning.

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Thomas Ntinas.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and archive clips from The Wizard of Oz, 1939.

Previous Episode

Boob Jobs

Who had the very first boob job? Why were women injecting liquid paraffin into their chests? And, how has the procedure developed over time?

Kate is joined Betwixt the Sheets by Professor Ruth Holliday and cosmetic surgeon Professor Vikram Devaraj to find out the bumpy history of breast augmentation, involving lawsuits, pin-ups... and mattress foam.

Find out how a sixties American housewife was persuaded to have the very first silicone implants, and more about medical scandal involving boob jobs.

You can find out more about Ruth's book here, and more about Vikram's work here.

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Annie Coloe.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

This podcast includes music by Epidemic Sounds and an archive clip from the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Next Episode

Psychiatric Drugs

*WARNING this episode includes adult themes and conversations about mental health and drug use.*

In 2020, the UK government revealed that 17% of the adult population of Britain were prescribed medication for their mental health. But when were these drugs invented? How were they tested? And how have they become, in some cases, ‘mother’s little helper’?

From antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications to stimulants and mood stabilisers - Dr David Healy takes us on a journey through the development and use of psychiatric - or psychotropic - medication, and how this development has in turn affected our diagnoses.

David is a psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist, and is a professor of Psychiatry at McMaster University in Canada.

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Aidan Lonergan.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

This episode includes music by Epidemic Sound and archive clips from Zoloft commercial 2001.