There are various ways in which society deems it acceptable for women to enhance their looks but not men.

这个社会可以接受女人提升形象的各种方法，但是男人却不行。

Want to make your eyes look bigger? Mascara. Need to cover a spot? Concealer. Want to make your legs look longer? Pop on some heels.

你想让眼睛看起来更大吗？用睫毛膏。需要盖住斑点吗？用遮瑕膏。想要让双腿看起来更修长？踩上高跟鞋。

But times are a changing, and it appears heels for men are now actually in vogue¹. Literally², for fashion bible Vogue has decreed it.

但是时代在变化，如今男士高跟鞋似乎成了一种时尚。时尚圣经《Vogue》已经认可了。

“It takes a self-assured, kingly attitude to confidently clack against the grain,” they say. “You could even say these men are on the heels of something sexy.”

该杂志称：“要想自信地表现出与众不同，需要保持胸有成竹、高高在上的态度。你甚至可以说，这些男人穿高跟鞋的样子很性感。”

No longer the preserve of short men trying to sneakily improve their stature³, some of the most stylish⁴ and influential⁵ males in the world right now are proudly sporting heels.

偷偷摸摸地增高已经不再是矮个男人们的专利，一些最时尚、最有影响力的男士正在自豪地炫耀他们的高跟鞋。

We’re not talking stilettos, but rather chunky heeled boots.

我们说的不是细跟高跟鞋，而是粗方跟靴子。

Kanye West, Harry⁶ Styles and Justin Bieber have all been spotted⁷ sporting small heels.

侃爷、哈利•斯泰尔斯、比伯都曾被看到穿过小矮跟的鞋。

Of course, these famous men can pull off all sorts of trends better than the average guy, but their influence should not be underestimated.

当然，这些知名人士比一般人更容易跟上各种潮流，但是他们的影响力不应该被低估。

“There’s a sort of regal confidence that comes with a man who can wear a heel,” says Vogue.

Vogue》说：“穿高跟鞋的男人身上有一种王者般的自信。”

Men used to wear heels, but the trend died out around the 18th century.

过去男人也穿过高跟鞋，但是这种潮流在18世纪左右就消失了。

When Kim Kardashian posted a picture of her family on Instagram in April this year, the internet erupted with chatter⁸ about Kanye’s modest heeled boots.

今年4月金•卡戴珊在Instagram上分享了一张她的家庭照，侃爷那双有点跟的鞋子当时在网上引发了热议。

In his music video for Sign of the Times, we see Harry Styles soaring over Scotland in noticeable heels.

在《Sign of the Times》的音乐录影带中，我们可以看到哈利•斯泰尔斯穿着一双引人注目的高跟鞋在苏格兰的上空翱翔。

Russell Brand has worn heels for years.

拉塞尔•布兰德多年来一直穿着高跟鞋。

And even Marco Rubio, the former Republican presidential candidate, was spotted wearing heeled boots - it was duly termed “Bootgate” by The New York Times.

人们发现，就连前共和党总统候选人马尔科•卢比奥也穿过高跟鞋。《纽约时报》恰当地称之为“靴子门”。

Of course, not everyone is on board with this development in the world of male footwear - traditionalists argue that heels are for women and flat shoes are for men. But why should they be?

当然，不是每个人都认同男士鞋子的新潮流，保守派认为，高跟鞋是属于女人的，平底鞋是属于男人的。但是为什么要这样呢？

Gender⁹ lines are blurring¹⁰ and fashion is increasingly androgynous, and men wearing modest heels is just, well, a sign of the times.

性别界限正变得模糊，时尚越来越中性化，而男人穿高度适当的高跟鞋仅仅只是一种新的时尚。