How Shoes Can Make Politicians Look More Powerful

People are more likely to care about what politicians do than what they wear, but fashion in power tells more than you think — especially the shoes.

But how?

Apparently, only shoes can make someone directly appear taller if we’re talking about the right heels. As Business Insider put it, “an inch or two of height is no small advantage” in any competitive environment such as politics. Studies have reportedly shown that taller men, for instance, are perceived more positively by others.

Greater height translates to more success too, according to a major research study published last year in British Medical Journal. According to The Independent, the findings were based on data collected from 120,000 Britons and revealed that short or fat people are less likely to have a good education, job and standard of living.

That being said, it’s easy to tell what’s going on: extra height serves politicians well, even if that means having to wear heavier shoes for some. They’re still humans, after all.

But President Donald Trump, who stands at 6’3″, probably doesn’t need heels. However, it has been speculated that he is an inch shorter, according to Politico. If that’s the case, then he would be the same height as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who’s known to be 6’2″ tall.

Yet Trudeau allegedly wore lifts in a recent meeting with Trump, and both men appeared to be of the same height.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s height is also widely speculated. According to BBC, Wikipedia says he’s 180 cm (about 5’11”), but the source cited was an April Fool’s joke from 2011.

At the end of the day, we’d still like to think politicians achieve their goals out of merit and not aesthetics, and if you’re short and wish to help yourself, know that heels don’t always have to be visible.

Would you use shoes allowing extra height?

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