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Bras and high heels, along with pantyhose, always made me glad I'm a man. Our most consequential fashion question is "boxers or briefs?".
Don't forget ties. Everytime my husband is struggling with tying a tie, I think to myself, "Thank goodness I don't have to mess with all that."
I don't remember the last time I wore pantyhose though - they've fallen out of fashion around here - been out for ages. I wear wedges more than high heels and I love them. But bras - yeah, they can get uncomfortable by the end of the day!
Believe it or not, though, some women (myself definitely included) really enjoy fashion - including high heels!
The problem is shoes don't come with narrow heels. It's hard enough to find a narrow shoe because they start at 7 1/2 which stinks for me as I'm a size 7 narrow. With some shoes I can get away with a 7 regular. My wedding shoes were a 7 double AA with a AAAA heel and fit me like a glove. I danced for hours without my feet hurting. Unfortunately I would think a woman would have to spend big bucks to find something like that these days.
As an alternative, you can buy heel inserts or "grippers" which would minimize the look of that heel gap.
My feet are not narrow. They are a smidge wife. But just about every shoe is too wide in the heel for me. And falls off. Especially heels. I do better with a sling back or a strap due to the disparity. I tend to wear a 7-7.5 in medium width. But some shoes are too narrow. Like Nikes. And some higher end shoes. But usually wide is too wide. 😭😭😭
I've seen far too many cram their feet into shoes too small. Or their toes or heels hang over because they can't bring themselves to the reality that is their actual show size.
Much of that has to do with the ideal that is a woman with small feet/shoe size.
Men do the same when they up their size and double sock it. To have small feet and hands for a man is nail in dating coffin, etc. Large feet on a woman is not necessarily nail, but still not the most desirable or flattering .
It all boils down to one silly, but persistently human trait: competitiveness.
The messed up feet ( hammer toes, bunions, etc.) you see on beaches, red carpets, in person-- are usually from women trying to cram their feet into ill fitting shoes.
They are now vanity sizing shoes for women. What was once a seven is now a six. What was once a ten, is now eight and half or nine. It's just like the vanity sizing in the clothing industry. This should keep millions away from the podiatrist but frustrate the truly small sized women.
I haven’t consistently found vanity sizes. In most brands I still wear my normal size. And I know my feet haven’t changed much as my old shoes still fit fine.
That's me... my feet swim in size 5 which is about the smallest size that brick and mortar stores stock. Buying online is hit and miss.... more often miss. I can buy my running shoes in the kids department.
I have a problem with shoes fitting though it's not because I deliberately try to buy them in a larger size.
It's a real PITA to find shoes off the shelf in a AA width, and if you do, it's going to be at some ungodly expensive price for some shoes that I am probably going to find ugly, lol.
Online shopping was a wonderful development for me since I can buy AA width shoes in all kinds of different styles at reasonable prices It's also easy to find size 5.5 online vs. bricks and mortar stores so about 99% of shoe shopping for me is done online now.
DD wears a 11 and DH a men's 13. Nobody in this family has normal sized feet
If you ask me, high heels are for masochists. They make your feet ugly shapes when you're old too.
I can't wear them even if I wanted to, because I'm a wide in the toe box, and a regular in the heel. If they're too tight in the heel they rub your skin off, if they're too loose, you get blisters!
I usually wear attractive sandals or nice flats. I'll do a heel up to 1.5" sometimes.
I remember the bad old days in my 20's when I walked around in 3.5" heels. Life's too short to be in that much pain! Plus my feet are still cute. I actually get compliments on them from strange people who are into feet.
Models, including shoe models, do this. Why? Surely they could afford to buy shoes that fit.
I would think it would be the opposite for a model. She had better fit the size the client brings or he will just move on to the next model who has the body measurements he needs, not look for more shoes.
First of all, the picture in the OP does not look "clearly several sizes too large." I'm not knowledgeable in women's shoe sizes but maybe a half or full size too large?
Star1010 noted gravity forces the foot down, as did elnina. Spazkat9696 noted what feet swell during the day so you may not be able to get a single size that fits all day. That all makes sense to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sombrueil
Many women's shoe designs simply don't fit most feet well no matter what size they are. The combination of the fetishization of women's feet and the cheapness of materials (as most women's clothing, as women are expected to 'turn over' their clothing much more rapidly than men) is what creates this. Many women have little idea that shoes are supposed to be comfortable and aid in walking, not inhibit it. Women endure a great deal of discomfort and foot disfiguration and distortion because of societal demands on what their shoes should look like.
Fit is way way down the list of things women's shoes are supposed to do.
I thought your comments quite interesting, particularly the part about women's clothing being less durable. Correct me if I'm wrong but when I go shopping with a woman and see the prices they look much more expensive than men's clothing. IMO this is just sexist!
BTW, I have found that hitting the mall for some shopping then dinner after makes a great date for a newly met couple! You get to know each other better before sitting down to dinner.
I don't understand the concept of buying a half-size or size smaller makes a woman's feet look better. I have news for you ladies, men's gazes never get that low! And one person mentioned men buying shoes too big and wearing two pairs of socks... Oh really? I never heard of that, I buy footwear that fits properly. I can think of other uses for an extra sock...
Sparrow noted working in a shoe store and women requesting up to 2 sizes too small... and then went into all the orthopedic complications of wearing high heels. I can totally understand that and I can't quite fathom why women wear them. My mother developed bunions on both feet and had to have that medically corrected.
All this for what? Fashion? I can't speak for my fellow men but high heels look just ridiculous to me, and I don't even like the style. I've been dating quite a lot this year and I have yet to see any of my dates wear heels. Admittedly we are casual dressers in Southern California and I go to few if any formal occasions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
Don't forget ties. Everytime my husband is struggling with tying a tie, I think to myself, "Thank goodness I don't have to mess with all that." ...
Believe it or not, though, some women (myself definitely included) really enjoy fashion - including high heels!
Kathryn I think your husband probably didn't wear a tie very often. My being management level placed me in a situation where even though the rest of the staff wore casual clothing, maybe athletic shoes, I had to wear dress shoes, slacks, dress shirt, and a tie, the management look (which was important to my career). It became second nature to tie it quite quickly, and only rarely had to tie it a second time.
Commenting on your second statement, and BTW some men like me enjoy fashion, but I think there is more to add. I think women's styles are dictated by the fashion industry and advertising makes women who want to be fashionable wear whatever the experts say is the style; they simply comply no matter how uncomfortable. And... I think women dress for other women, they don't consider men hardly at all! Because if you asked me I'd tell you that the single article of clothing that is most important for your comfort is your shoes! I hate to see women putting themselves through this; high heels.
So to sum it up, I think high heels are crazy, I think that women dress for other women, and I think many women are slaves to the industry fashionistas who dictate that women's high fashion requires high heels.
So to sum it up, I think high heels are crazy, I think that women dress for other women, and I think many women are slaves to the industry fashionistas who dictate that women's high fashion requires high heels.
I would say look at the sex industry where the main consumers are men. The heels and platforms worn, even in bed, are even more exaggerated than those fashions the general models and style setters wear in public. I don't know why men react to straps across the feet and the foot being lifted from ground level, I will leave that question for Dr. Ruth. But many if not most men do react to it.
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It's also easy to find size 5.5 online vs. bricks and mortar stores so about 99% of shoe shopping for me is done online now. 
And one person mentioned men buying shoes too big and wearing two pairs of socks... Oh really? I never heard of that, I buy footwear that fits properly. I can think of other uses for an extra sock... 
