History Main / HighHeelPower

* ''Theatre/{{Diana}}'': When discussing Diana's "revenge outfit", the planners consider that looking like "a bitch on wheels with six inch heels" would certainly scandalize the royal family.

The trend for high heels [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2fWKe_Mfp0 can also depend on zeitgeist and the state of the economy]]. It is said that in an economic downturn, such as TheGreatDepression, TheSeventies, and the dot-com bubble burst and the recession at both ends of the TurnOfTheMillennium, high heels are on a rise as a means of flamboyance and escapism. Heels go lower or even flat if the economy is stable and comfortable. If a woman wears high heels when the economy is stable or growing upward, it can be an expression of dominance and sex appeal.

* The MusicVideo for [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TcnySvBW_X8 Panic]] by Lucy stars a [[GiantWoman giantess]] in a pair of scarlet stilettos and a [[LadyInRed matching]] [[MinidressOfPower minidress]]. All throughout the video she asserts her dominance over the love-struck lead singer by toying with him as he tries to serenade her. By the end she seems to come around after he gives her a ring and seemingly getting engaged to her. Only for her to assert her final act of dominance over him by [[spoiler: licking her lips and eating him right then and there. Followed by [[SpitOutAShoe yanking his guitar out of her mouth]] and [[BurpOfFinality burping loudly.]]]]

While it's certainly not unknown for men to wear tall shoes in order to appear taller, that tends to have [[TheNapoleon quite different]] connotations. Since the kind of shoes in question here used to be part of male fashion, and are nowadays part of female fashion, trope examples tend to be AlwaysFemale. The obvious exception is the male {{Crossdresser}} of all persuasions, who likes high heels for the same reasons women do, and may kick just as much ass in them. For him, though, the heels can be a mixed blessing for increasing his height, with tallness [[HugeSchoolgirl usually considered unfeminine]] past a certain point--he probably doesn't want to be OneHeadTaller than his boyfriend (or even girlfriend, if he's straight) when in drag. [[StatuesqueStunner Tall women]] face the same dilemma, and so likewise often tend to prefer lower heels. This is often especially true for UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} persons, for whom conspicuous tallness may likewise be a cause of PassFail.

Often part of a FeetFirstIntroduction, along with ShesGotLegs. Sibling trope to CombatStilettos, though for this trope the woman doesn't have to be an ActionGirl to be displaying High Heel Power. She can simply be good at what she does or be in some position of authority. A must for a LadyInAPowerSuit, one of the many cases in which HighHeelHurt probably won't apply.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': [[ClassyCatBurglar Rouge the Bat]] wears a pair of white high heeled-boots adorned with hearts at the base to further [[MsFanservice emphasize]] her sex appeal. To a lesser extent, Blaze The Cat wears a pair of high heeled shoes. Not very practical for a character meant to run quick, but fitting considering she's a princess from the Sol Dimension.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': [[ClassyCutBurglar Rouge the Bat]] wears a pair of white high heeled-boots adorned with hearts at the base to further [[MsFanservice emphasize'' her sex appeal. To a lesser extent, Blaze The Cat wears a pair of high heeled shoes. Not very practical for a character meant to run quick, but fitting considering she's a princess from the Sol Dimension.

* Creator/CarmenMiranda disguised her short height with [[NiceShoes fancy]] platform shoes, and [[https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/aug/05/carmen-mirandas-fashion-turbans-platform-shoes-and-a-lot-of-controversy was possibily a popularizer of those]].

Compare NiceShoes.

* [[TheBaroness Esdeeth]] from ''Anime/AkameGaKill'' who combines this with CombatStilettos and MinidressOfPower, basically DressedLikeADominatrix. She's always wearing [[ThighHighBoots high-heeled boots]] and is a sadistic high-ranking general, as well.

* The MusicVideo for [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TcnySvBW_X8 Panic]] by Lucy stars a [[GiantWoman giantess]] in a pair of scarlet stilettos and a [[LadyInRed matching]] [[MinidressOfPower minidress]]. All throughout the video she asserts her dominance over the love-struck lead singer by toying with him as he tries to serenade her. By the end she seems to come around after he gives her a ring and seemingly getting engaged to her. Only for her to assert her final act of dominance over him by [[spoiler: licking her lips and eating him right then and there. Followed by [[SpitOutAShoe yanking his guitar out of her mouth]] and [[BurpOfFinality burping loudly.]] ]]

* Miserable: the GiantWoman is rocking a pair of 8-inch black platform stripper pumps. And despite spending much of the video as a NeutralFemale and the LustObject of the guys who are climbing all over her body it becomes clear that she was in control the whole time. In fact one instance is in fact demonstrated ''with'' her shoe. She has one of her pumps poised in the air while she lies on her stomach, and the guys are perched on top of it. Then without warning she casually shakes her foot, and the guys [[CasuallyPowerfulGiant start to lose their balance and nearly fall off.]] And once she decides she's had her fun with the band and starts eating them, she's able to keep up with the guys no matter how fast they run, despite chasing them in these heels. And she's able to catch and swallow the guys with ease no matter how much they try to stop her.

* Samus Aran of ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' fame's [[SpyCatsuit Zero Suit]] incorporates high heels in its design starting with ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' takes it even further, starting in the fourth instalment, by upgrading her to rocket heels.

* Creator/CarmenMiranda disgused her short height with [[NiceShoes fancy]] platform shoes, and [[https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/aug/05/carmen-mirandas-fashion-turbans-platform-shoes-and-a-lot-of-controversy was possibily a popularizer of those]].

* Samus Aran of ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' fame's [[SpyCatsuit Zero Suit]] incorporates high heels in its design starting with ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' takes it even further, starting in the fourth instalment, by upgrading her to rocket heels.

* ''Film/WonderWoman1984''. Barbara's admiration for Diana is emphasized by how she has difficulty walking and working in heels, while the confident warrior Diana can (Diana's shown stumbling while wearing heels during the CostumeTestMontage in the [[Film/WonderWoman2017 first movie]], but that was back in 1918). After her Dreamstone-induced personality change, she is seen buying a pair of tall, sparkly heels as part of a full makeover, and the first sign of her powers is when she nimbly jumps onto a stepladder to avoid a spilled wash bucket.

* ''Film/WonderWoman1984''. Barbara's admiration for Diana is emphasized by how she has difficulty walking and working in heels, while the confident warrior Diana can (ironically Diana's shown stumbling while wearing heels during the CostumeMontage in the first movie, but that was back in 1918). After her Dreamstone-induced personality change, she is seen buying a pair of tall, sparkly heels as part of a full makeover, and the first sign of her powers is when she nimbly jumps onto a stepladder to avoid a spilled wash bucket.

* ''Film/WonderWoman1984''. Barbara's admiration for Diana is emphasized by how she has difficulty walking and working in heels, while the confident warrior Diana can. After her Dreamstone-induced personality change, she is seen buying a pair of tall, sparkly heels as part of a full makeover, and the first sign of her powers is when she nimbly jumps onto a stepladder to avoid a spilled wash bucket.

** Cinder Fall is first introduced engaging in an extremely powerful magic-style battle with Glynda Goodwitch while her upper body and delicate dress remain in shadow and the camera focusses entirely on her legs and the glass-like tinkling of her high heels and ankle-bracelet. As TheHeavy, Cinder is one of the most powerfully feminine characters in the show, wielding exceptional power, despite her delicate, feminine appearance, and being the only subordinate of the BigBad who has subordinates of her own. Her heels emphasise her commanding presence and domineering personality, but also hint at a troubled past. Inspired by ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'', her shoes are made of obsidian glass and flashbacks reveal that she learned the power and presence of a well-heeled power walk from the abusive stepmother who raised her.

** Cinder is first introduced engaging in an extremely powerful magic-style battle with Glynda Goodwitch while her upper body and delicate dress remain in shadow and the camera focusses entirely on her legs and the glass-like tinkling of her high heels and ankle-bracelet. As TheHeavy, Cinder is one of the most powerfully feminine characters in the show, wielding exceptional power, despite her delicate, feminine appearance, and being the only subordinate of the BigBad who has subordinates of her own. Her heels emphasise her commanding presence and domineering personality, but also hint at a troubled past. Inspired by ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'', her shoes are made of obsidian glass and flashbacks reveal that she learned the power and presence of a well-heeled power walk from the abusive stepmother who raised her.
** Winter is one of Ironwood's best special operatives and his second-in-command, but her uniform is heavily feminised compared to other female Atlesian characters, including frilled jacket, delicate Schnee patterns and jewellery. The sound of her high-heeled boots is often used to emphasise her slow, deliberate power walks, especially where her dominance over Weiss or the Ace-Ops is displayed, or when she is leading Weiss to see the Winter Maiden. [[spoiler:At the end of Volume 8, she becomes the Winter Maiden and de facto leader of the Atlesian people, putting her into direct conflict with the well-heeled and feminine villainous Maiden, Cinder.]]

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Cinder was first introduced engaging in an extremely powerful magic-style battle with Glynda Goodwitch while her upper body remained in shadow and the camera focussed entirely on her legs and the glass-like tinkling of her high heels and ankle-bracelet. As TheHeavy, Cinder is one of the most powerful characters in the show, wielding exception power and being the only subordinate of the BigBad who has subordinates of her own. Her heels emphasise her commanding presence and domineering personality, but also hint at a troubled past. Inspired by ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'', her shoes are made of obsidian glass and flashbacks reveal that she learned the power and presence of a well-heeled power walk from the abusive stepmother who raised her.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Cinder was first ntroduced engaging in an extremely powerful magic-style battle with Glynda Goodwitch while her upper body remained in shadow and the camera focussed entirely on her legs and the glass-like tinkling of her high heels and ankle-bracelet. As TheHeavy, Cinder is one of the most powerful characters in the show, wielding exception power and being the only subordinate of the BigBad who has subordinates of her own. Her heels emphasise her commanding presence and domineering personality, but also hint at a troubled past. Inspired by ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'', her shoes are made of obsidian glass and flashbacks reveal that she learned the power and presence of a well-heeled power walk from the abusive stepmother who raised her.

* ''Film/JurassicWorld'' as Claire able to make it through the events of the film in heels. On top of being an ActionSurvivor, she is also the head of the entire park and therefore the highest ranking member of the company we see beneath [[HonestCorporateExecutive Simon Masrani]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' is essentially High Heel Power: The Video Game. The titular anti-heroine is a gun-slinging Witch in high heels, that accessorizes her favorite shoes with a pair of matching pistols. Always strutting through her adventures like they were a fashion runway, Bayonetta is a woman that enjoys crushing her foes beneath her heels -- sometimes literally, when she stomp-shoots them or summons a giant high-heeled foot to crush enemies. The game's very first images focused on a FeetFirstIntroduction, showing a stomping high heel with a smoking gun attached to it.

* Ada Wong of the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series is ever the FemmeFatale while casually fighting (or avoiding) genetically engineered monsters, jumping around rooftops with the aid of her GrapplingHookGun, infiltrating labs ([[ClassyCatBurglar in order to sell their research to the highest bidder]]) and always in high heels.

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[[quoteright:264:[[Franchise/ResidentEvil https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ada_wong_high_heels_7.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:264:"Roll out the red carpets."]]

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* ''Anime/KillLaKill'': There are several close-ups on Satsuki Kiryuin's heels clicking before she makes a speech or does something badass. Same goes for her mother, Ragyo.

* [[TheBaroness Esdeeth]] from ''Anime/AkameGaKill'' who combines this with CombatStilettos and MinidressOfPower, basically DressedLikeADominatrix. She's always wearing [[ThighHighBoots high-heeled boots]] and is a sadistic high-ranking general, as well.

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': Detective Kate Beckett typically wears 4-inch heels at work, which have [[LampshadeHanging more than once]] been described as "brutal" and "impractical". She admits to wearing them in order to appear more physically imposing to her (mostly male) co-workers; it's easier for her to be taken seriously when she's literally looking down at them.

* ''Series/BurnNotice'' features Fiona who's always carrying a gun (or a rifle) and is more than capable of kicking some ass in heels.

* GenderInverted by Jo kwon from 2AM in his music video for Animal. He performs the choreography in six-inch heels.

* Ada Wong of the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series is ever the FemmeFatale while casually fighting (or avoiding) genetically engineered monsters, jumping around rooftops with the aid of her GrapplingHookGun, infiltrating labs ([[ClassyCatBurglar in order to sell their research to the highest bidder]]) and always in high heels.

* Samus Aran of ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' fame's [[SpyCatsuit Zero Suit]] incorporates high heels in its design starting with ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' takes it even further, starting in the fourth instalment, by upgrading her to rocket heels.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' is essentially High Heel Power: The Video Game. The titular anti-heroine is a gun-slinging Witch in high heels, that accessorizes her favorite shoes with a pair of matching pistols. Always strutting through her adventures like they were a fashion runway, Bayonetta is a woman that enjoys crushing her foes beneath her heels -- sometimes literally, when she stomp-shoots them or summons a giant high-heeled foot to crush enemies. The game's very first images focused on a FeetFirstIntroduction, showing a stomping high heel with a smoking gun attached to it.

* ''VisualNovel/QueenOfThieves'': Vivienne the FemmeFatale wears high heels, complementing the "sexy and dangerous" vibe she cultivates.