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Just for kicks: The 20 most iconic shoes in cinema
Sidney Baldwin/2002 Twentieth Century Fox

Just for kicks: The 20 most iconic shoes in cinema

It’s easy to remember Belle’s golden gown in Beauty and the Beast or the leather jackets the T-Birds rocked in Grease. However, what about the shoes? It seems like only the pairs that are integral to the plot ever get a shout-out in movies, but there are so many iconic shoes in cinema that should not be left ignored anymore, so let’s kick it with these impressive and memorable pairs of kicks.

 
1 of 20

Barbie’s pink pumps in ‘Barbie’

Barbie’s pink pumps  in ‘Barbie’
IMDB/Warner Bros. Pictures

One of the greatest scenes on the big screen in the 21st century has to be Barbie stepping out of her signature pink pump and the arch remaining like Margot Robbie really was living her best life in plastic.

 
2 of 20

Cinderella’s glass slipper in ‘Cinderella’

Cinderella’s glass slipper in ‘Cinderella’
Walt Disney Pictures/RKO Radio Pictures

Where would Prince Charming be without that glass slipper Cinderella left behind? He could have paid attention to her face, but, well…Just a little character flaw on his part.

 
3 of 20

Pee-wee’s platforms in ‘Pee-wee's Big Adventure’

Pee-wee’s platforms in ‘Pee-wee's Big Adventure’
IMDB/Warner Bros.

Everyone all at once: TEQUILA!

 
4 of 20

Sandy’s rebellious red heels in ‘Grease’

Sandy’s rebellious red heels in ‘Grease’
Paramount Pictures

Has anything ever been as hot and awkward as when Sandy put that cigarette out with those red heels? Also, who wears red heels like that to a carnival?

 
5 of 20

Calvin’s magical kicks in ‘Like Mike’

Calvin’s magical kicks in ‘Like Mike’
IMDB/20th Century Fox

There needs to be a remake of Like Mike where a kid finds Sha'Carri Richardson’s track shoes and gets the ability to be a running superstar.

 
6 of 20

Ripley’s Reeboks in ‘Aliens’

Ripley’s Reeboks in ‘Aliens’
Twentieth Century Fox

Whenever one encounters beings from outer space, the one thing to count on is a sweet pair of Reeboks to get through the chaos.

 
7 of 20

Carrie’s fashionable finds in ‘Sex and the City’

Carrie’s fashionable finds in ‘Sex and the City’
New Line Cinema/HBO

Carrie Bradshaw became a fashion icon on the small screen in 1998, but a decade later, she took her Manolo Blahniks to movie theaters everywhere when Sex and the City became a film franchise.

 
8 of 20

Sonic’s speedsters in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog'

Sonic’s speedsters in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog'
Paramount Pictures

Being a hedgehog, it’s likely Sonic could have run on bare feet, but what’s the fun in that?

 
9 of 20

Romy and Michele’s rad shoewear in ‘Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion’

Romy and Michele’s rad shoewear in ‘Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion’
Touchstone Pictures

Romy and Michele felt like they hadn’t accomplished much in the 10 years post-graduation, but what they couldn’t initially see was that their fashion went above and beyond their former peers, including their sky-high heels.

 
10 of 20

The shoe that changed basketball in ‘Air’

The shoe that changed basketball in ‘Air’
Amazon Prime Video

One day, a biopic will be made about Michael Jordan — The Last Dance notwithstanding — but until then, the movie about the shoe named after him is just as satisfying.

 
11 of 20

Benny’s PF Flyers in ‘The Sandlot’

Benny’s PF Flyers in ‘The Sandlot’
IMDB/Twentieth Century Fox

Something internally changed in every millennial who watched Benny change into those PF Flyers to try and get that baseball in The Sandlot.

 
12 of 20

Rosie’s red reminders in ‘Jojo Rabbit’

Rosie’s red reminders in ‘Jojo Rabbit’
IMDB/Fox Searchlight Pictures

Shoes aren’t usually a bad thing, but those who’ve seen Jojo Rabbit know all too well that sometimes there is a gut-wrenching reason for focusing on footwear.

 
13 of 20

Catwoman’s thigh-high pleasers in ‘Batman Returns’

Catwoman’s thigh-high pleasers in ‘Batman Returns’
Warner Bros.

Other women have stepped into the role of Catwoman, but none quite did it or wore the catsuit and those boots like Michelle Pfeiffer.

 
14 of 20

Marty’s futuristic sneakers in ‘Back to the Future Part II’

Marty’s futuristic sneakers in ‘Back to the Future Part II’
Universal Studios

The ‘80s can be looked back on as when modern pop culture really got started, and Michael J. Fox is part of the reason. There wasn’t a kid alive then who didn’t want two things: the hoverboard and Marty’s futuristic sneakers.

 
15 of 20

Dorothy’s ruby red slippers in ‘Wizard of Oz’

Dorothy’s ruby red slippers in ‘Wizard of Oz’
Warner Bros./Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.

 
16 of 20

Puss’ booties in ‘Puss in Boots’

Puss’ booties in ‘Puss in Boots’
Dreamworks Pictures/Paramount Pictures

To paraphrase T-Pain: The boots with the fur(ball)!

 
17 of 20

The Bride’s bright slayers in ‘Kill Bill: Volume 1’

The Bride’s bright slayers in ‘Kill Bill: Volume 1’
Miramax Films

When one needs to battle with a giant sword, comfort is everything.

 
18 of 20

Spice Girls’ sky-high shoes in ‘Spice World’

Spice Girls’ sky-high shoes in ‘Spice World’
Columbia Pictures

There wasn’t a girl alive in 1997 who didn’t aspire to wear those giant platform shoes.

 
19 of 20

Forrest’s signatures in ‘Forrest Gump’

Forrest’s signatures in ‘Forrest Gump’
Paramount Pictures

They are what kept him running all that time!

 
20 of 20

The kinkiest of boots in ‘Kinky Boots’

The kinkiest of boots in ‘Kinky Boots’
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

It’d be criminal not to include the boots that inspired a whole movie and Broadway play.

Kendra Beltran

Kendra Beltran is a pop culture obsessed writer who spent her youth tirelessly jotting down ‘Total Request Live’ data after school. She took that obsession and a useless college degree, and spun it into enough to pay her rent by writing for MTV Geek, Collider, Popverse, and more. Over the years her interest in pop culture has only grown, and today she finds herself baking while streaming ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ running (slowly) while listening to podcasts about the ‘90s, and hanging out with her dog while taking in emo playlists

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