Go-go boots
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Go-Go boots were originally created in the 1960s with the intention that they should be worn while dancing. The term is said to have been originated by André Courrèges, who made a white, low-heeled boot, rising a bit above the ankles. The term is often used to define all types of fashion boots for women, usually knee-high boots worn with a miniskirt or dress.
During the sixties and even today, Go-Go Boots are thought to be a form of female empowerment.
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[edit] Go-Go boots through the decades
[edit] Cinema
[edit] 1960s
- Marisa Mell prances around seductively in the 1960s film, Danger: Diabolik wearing a miniskirt and boots.
[edit] 1970s
- Carol Lynley, as a band singer, wears tan go-go boots with white hot pants, and an orange top throughout the film The Poseidon Adventure. Lynley owned the boots (along with a big brown pendant) she wore in the film. She complained during production that the boots were shrinking due to constant immersion in water, making them extremely uncomfortable.
[edit] 1980s
- Nichelle Nichols' Commander Uhura wears a miniskirt and go-go boots variation of the current uniform for a starbase scene; and also a second off-duty outfit set in Admiral James T. Kirk's apartment, consisting of a one-piece skirt and knee-length boots, in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
- Helen Slater as Supergirl wears boots as the title heroine. In the same film, Faye Dunaway is shown wearing white go-go boots when her character Selena is introduced.
[edit] 1990s
- Nichelle Nichols again wears her miniskirt/boots variant of the current uniform (along with a yeoman portrayed by Melanie Shatner, daughter of William Shatner a.k.a. James T. Kirk) in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
- Elizabeth Hurley wears grey metallic boots in the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery with a matching miniskirt. In the same film, 'fembots' (women with 1960s hairdos, go-go boots, and hotpants), are introduced over Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin'.
- Denise Richards wears a blouse, skirt, and black knee-length boots for the required school uniform in Starship Troopers.
- The short Canadian film Shoes Off! by director Mark Sawers, features a man who is attracted to a beautiful blonde played by Deanna Milligan and her shiny black go-go boots.
- Good Burger, the comedy starring the duo Keenan & Kel, features attractive women in futuristic-looking patent-leather boots and miniskirts(the standard uniform) for the 'Mondo Burger' rival.
- Melinda Clarke, as the sexy and deadly assassin Priest, wears black knee-high leather boots with a leather miniskirt in the film adaptation of the comic, Spawn.
[edit] 2000s
- Meg Ryan wears various miniskirt and boot combos throughout the film Against the Ropes.
- Famke Janssen wears a black leather mini suit with black leather knee-high boots in the film adaptation of the television, I, Spy, and is showcased in this outfit on the DVD cover.
- Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Amanda Seyfried do a seductive performance in Christmas miniskirts and black boots to the song Jingle Bell Rock in 2004's Mean Girls
- Joy Bryant wears go-go boots with miniskirts in Mario Van Peebles' Baadasssss! (aka How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass).
- Jane Krakowski has a sexy scene showcasing her boots in the remake of Alfie.
- Renée Zellweger wears boots in Bridget Jones' Diary 2. The German billboard of the film showcased the character in boots as well.
- Soul Plane features stewardesses wearing purple miniskirts and gold go-go boots as a standard uniform.
- Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse features Milla Jovovich and Sienna Guillory as tough heroines clad in miniskirts and leather knee-high boots.
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne wears purple go-go boots with a miniskirt in two films based on the classic Scooby Doo cartoons: Scooby Doo & Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
- Actress Drea de Matteo wears her 'holiday' black knee-high leather boots in the film remake of Assault on Precinct 13.
- Radha Mitchell wears leather knee-length boots in the film adaptation of Silent Hill; co-star Laurie Holden, as police officer Cybil Bennett, wears tight leather pants with black knee-high boots.
- Rebecca DeMornay wears taupe leather knee-high boots in the horror film Identity. There's a scene where she's being pulled out of a car. Another scene shows her boots up close in the pouring rain.
- Actress Jennifer Pae wears boots in the final scenes for the 2004 low-budget comedy, Gas.
- Actress Julia Roberts wears tight white over-the-knee go-go boots in her introductory bar scene in the 2002 movie Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
- The cheerleaders for Richmond team in the film Coach Carter wear white boots with their outfits.
[edit] Television
[edit] 1960s
- The original Star Trek series has the female officers wearing regulation Go-Go boots with miniskirts.
- Honor Blackman and Linda Thorson as Cathy Gale and Tara King of the British television spy show, The Avengers wear knee-length boots with outfits. Diana Rigg wears knee-length boots as a dominatrix called the "Queen of Sin" in the episode, A Touch of Brimstone.
- Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman also composed a song titled, Kinky Boots based on their characters.
- The Irwin Allen produced television show, Land of the Giants, has booted female leads in Deanna Lund and Heather Young, with contrasting miniskirts.
- Lost in Space, also produced by Irwin Allen has the characters Judy Robinson and Penny Robinson (portrayed by Marta Kristen and Angela Cartwright respectively) in knee-length boots and miniskirts as their normal attire.
- The title character in the cartoon The Perils of Penelope Pitstop wears white knee-length boots paired with red tights as part of her racing uniform.
[edit] 1970s
- Lynda Carter sports boots as the beautiful heroine Wonder Woman.
- The second season of Space: 1999 introduces the mysterious alien Maya, portrayed by Catherine Schell in a minidress and matching boots. This outfit is also the norm for series regular, Barbara Bain who portrayed Dr. Helena Russell, and other female officers.
- Joanna Lumley wears boots in the show The New Avengers, a spinoff of The Avengers.
- Suzanne Somers' character from Three's Company, Chrissy Snow, often wear boots over jeans.
- A short-lived science-fiction series, The Fantastic Journey features an Atlantean portrayed by actress Katie Saylor, dressed in a black miniskirt and black knee-length boots assisting a team lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
- Actress Pam Dawber often wore boots with long skirts on the TV series Mork & Mindy.
- Dawber is seen in the opening credits of the show wearing dark brown dress boots with a long skirt, stepping out of a jeep with Mork (Robin Williams) who is sitting on his head.
- One episode has Dawber wearing burgundy boots with a matching skirt, putting one boot up on the table showing the sole.
- Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, a short-lived superhero show produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, showcases an attractive female duo in the Batman/Robin mold, dressed in tight, sexy costumes with knee-high boots.
- In the Gerry Anderson show, UFO, moonbase operator, Lt.Gay Ellis (portrayed by Gabrielle Drake) changes to a silver miniskirt and silver boots uniform, before she takes a break from her duties in the first episode Identified. Earlier in the episode, Col. Alec Freeman (George Sewell) meets an attractive operative S.H.A.D.O. operator who wears brown go-go boots with her matching jumpsuit – the standard outfit for the Earth based female officers. And, even earlier in the teaser, S.H.A.D.O Lt. Ayshea Johnson (portrayed by actress Ayshea Brough) walks from the camera towards Straker studios, wearing a one piece miniskirt and brown go-go boots.
[edit] 1980s
The series Star Trek: The Next Generation had both male and female officers wear the miniskirt and Go-Go boot combination.
The uniform style was initially shown as a connection between the uniform fashion of the original Star Trek and The Next Generation, as well as used to make a statement about the lack of gender barriers in the 24th century.
However, the uniform was an instant flop with fans, who saw it as outdated and sexist on the female officers, and even more visually unappealing on the male officers. It's presence was quickly muted mid-way through the first season and completely discarded by the beginning of the second. However, it was seen in the following instances:
- In the pilot episode, Encounter at Farpoint, at least one male engineering officer can be seen in the background of the first scene in the engine room wearing the outfit.
- Marina Sirtis' Deanna Troi wears the outfit, and Denise Crosby's Tasha Yar wears the outfit in the final scene of the episode.
- Marina Sirtis dons the outfit one more time for the final episode of the series All Good Things.... It is never seen in the TNG/DS9/VOY time period again.
[edit] 1990s
- In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Terry Farrell's Jadzia Dax wears the classic miniskirt and Go-Go boot uniform in the episode Trials and Tribble-ations.
- Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy the Vampire Slayer wears boots with various miniskirts; an outfit that defines the character.
- Fran Drescher's The Nanny frequently wears Go-Go boots with various outfits, as does Melissa Joan Hart in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
- Katie Couric of NBC's morning show, 'Today,' is known for wearing knee-length, or thigh-high boots.
- The sci-fi show, Lexx features the very attractive character Zev (later Xev) Bellringer--a half-lizard/half-human--respectively portrayed by actresses, Eva Habermann and Xenia Seeberg, whose everyday wear consists of a one-piece minidress and go-go boots.
- Peta Wilson wears boots occasionally for the television adaptation of Luc Besson's Le Femme Nikita. In early promotional photos, Wilson wears a black leather miniskirt with black leather knee-high boots.
[edit] 2000s
- Paige Matthews on Charmed puts on Grams' Go Go boots which takes her back to the Summer of Love.
- Star Trek returns with the classic miniskirts and boots in the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise, with the two-part episode 'In a Mirror Darkly.' Actress Jolene Blalock, as T'Pol, is showcased in the legendary outfit.
- Haruhara Haruko from the Japanese anime FLCL is usually seen sporting white go-go boots with black pants and red overshirt.
- Deanna Milligan(Shoes Off!)wears brown knee-high boots in a couple of scenes in the TV movie Karoll's Christmas. She puts on her boots while wearing lingerie.
- Animated Ami Onuki from Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi cartoon wears go-go boots.
- In the manga and anime series Naruto, the character Sakura changes her outfit at the start of the second story arc (though this has not actually happened in the anime yet, it is expected to shortly) and now includes black knee-high boots which are quite popular on internet forums.
- The eponymous heroine of the anime series Madlax wears hotpants and black knee-high boots as part of her uniform.
- Nefertari Vivi of anime/manga One Piece wears go-go boots along with white hotpants.
- In the televison show Monk (TV series), Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram) is often seen wearing go-go boots with her mini-skirt.
[edit] Music
[edit] 1960s
- Go-Go boots are usually associated with Nancy Sinatra, who popularized Go-Go boots through her music (These Boots Are Made for Walkin') and lifestyle.
- Singer Jeannie C. Riley, whose 1968 "risqué" song Harper Valley P.T.A. was a No. 1 hit record, is marketed as a sex symbol dressed in an evocative tight mini-skirt and Go-Go boots.
[edit] 1990s
- Singer Sam Phillips does her own version of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots... for the film Ready to Wear (Pret-a-Porter).
- In Japan, J-Pop singers wear bright, colourful outfits, often including classic 1960s style Go-Go boots.
- In the UK, Vanessa Mae is controversially seen in a miniskirt and boots promoting her modern classical music career, which drew some criticism due to her young age.
[edit] 2000s
- Geri Halliwell does a version of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots... for Rugrats in Paris: The Movie.
- Jessica Simpson does her own rendition of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made for Walkin' for The Dukes of Hazzard film.
[edit] Literature
[edit] 1940s
- Lady Blackhawk, currently part of DC comics' Birds of Prey, is character from the Blackhawk comic. She wears knee-high black leather boots with a miniskirted aviator uniform.
[edit] 1970s
- Gwen Stacy of Spider-Man fame is known for her outfits that consisted of miniskirts and go-go boots.
[edit] 1990s
- The eponymous heroine of the Anita Blake novels often wears boots in the later volumes, as one of her boyfriends appears to have a fetish for them.
[edit] 2000s
- The reissue of the James Bond novel Octopussy and The Living Daylights by Penguin Books features a cover with a sexy agent in a black miniskirt and black boots holding an automatic rifle.
- The cover of the novel Over Her Dead Body, by author Kate White, features a black leather booted female in a red skirt, holding a bag with the book title, standing over the deceased body of another female.
- The cover of the vampire novel, The Forsaken, by author L.A. Banks, has a female, in the foreground, shown from the waist down in a red leather miniskirt with red leather knee-high boots; a male figure and vehicle in a cemetery setting, are in the background.
[edit] News
[edit] 2000s
- Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, is noted for her commanding clothes consisting of black knee-high leather boots complementing an outfit of a black skirt and flowing 'Matrix'-like coat, thought to be a combination of 'sex and power.'
[edit] Video games
[edit] 1990s
- The lead female character of Resident Evil 2, Claire Redfield wears Go-Go boots with shorts.
- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis features the leading character of Jill Valentine wearing the now infamous outfit consisting of a blue tube top, a black mini-skirt and a pair of leather Go-Go boots.
- Ridge Racer IV and V feature Japanese 'race queens' who wear boots with their outfits.
[edit] 2000s
- Ulala and Evila from the Space Channel 5 series of games wear 1960's style vinyl Go-Go boots while dancing.
- Devil May Cry's heroine, Trish, wears boots with a leather catsuit similar to Trinity from the Matrix movies.
- Silent Hill 2 features a character 'Maria' who wears knee-length boots with a miniskirt.
- Silent Hill 3's lead character 'Heather' wears boots with what looks like a jeans miniskirt.
- Amy Rose from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series switches to a new outfit consisting of a red dress and knee-high red go-go boots with a white stripe on them.
[edit] Miscellaneous
- Japanese Race Queens and Campaign Girls are known to wear boots with revealing outfits.
- Go-Go dancers often wear Go-Go boots.
- Chugworth Academy, a webcomic by Dave Chung, features many characters wearing Go-Go boots seemingly as part of their school uniform.
- From 1971 through 1982, the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team outfitted their female ushers in hot pants (albeit modestly conservative) and white go-go boots.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Go-Go boots.com - the official website of the go-go boot mailing list
- Go-Go Boots: A Foot-First Jump into the Wacky World of Mod Footwear, by Glynis Ward
- Article from My Nippon on boot wearers in Japan
- Go-Go boots from an article on The Bad Fads Museum website
[edit] Multimedia
- Shoes Off!-Short Film depicting a boot fetish by a man pursuing a woman
