Please join me in congratulating Francesca D'Angelo PhD., Professor in the Business School, on graduating from York University last week. 

Francesca successfully defended her doctoral thesis last August with the Humanities Department, under the supervision of Professor Susan Ingram. The title of her thesis was "Standing Tall, The Stiletto Heel as Material Memory: A Contemporary Cross-Cultural Look at Perceptions of the Stiletto Heel." 

Francesca is faculty in the Bachelor of Commerce, Fashion Management Degree. Her thesis is directly related to the history of fashion, and the cultural perspectives of the 'stiletto' as a fashion accessory. 

Employing a material culture analysis, this dissertation functions as a general compendium on the stiletto heel, as it recounts the history of the stiletto from its introduction as a technological marvel in the post-WWII period to its present-day manifestations as a glamourous accessory. It surveys women’s relations to stiletto heels and the reasons why women wear, and do not wear, them. Through a comparative cross-cultural analysis, the study examines a group of Canadian and Italian women’s uses and perceptions of stiletto heels, and reveals cultural distinctions manifested in their uses and interpretations of stilettos. The women’s personal relations to and cultural interpretations of the stiletto were measured through a phenomenological analysis of material collected through surveys, interviews and online forums. The study also considers the general sentiments stilettos engender in regard to the portrayal of women in society and the feminist discourses that the stiletto challenges and reinforces. 

Congratulations Francesca on your graduation and the exciting dissertation on the "Stiletto". 

Sincerely,

Dr. Alvina Cassiani
Dean, The Business School