Hate having big feet

PoppiCan · 2026-09-22T10:32:47+00:00

Anyone else? I have size 8 feet and I really hate it! They are huge and sometimes I have to get a 9 if the shoes are tight, I’ve always hated having such big feet as a woman, im not tall either so it’s not even in proportion, even my daughter has got my big feet as shes 9 with size 5 woman’s feet, I dread to think what size she will end up as, gone are all the pretty young girls shoes as most dont go up as big so shes 9 having to wear adult shoes, finding nice school shoes is hard. AIBU to hate having big feet!

likelysuspect · 25/09/2026 08:01

My feet are a 4 and incredibly wide, I mean so so wide

It means I cant wear heels, there isnt enough of my foot to compensate for the height of the heel. At least with a longer foot you're more in proportion with the heel.

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 25/09/2026 08:00

Next and M & S are good for big feet, but their shoes tend to have plastic lining and I’m a shoe snob.

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 25/09/2026 07:59

Jones, Russell & Bromley (RIP), independent shoe shops, my local department store. Sometimes I’m told they had a (singular) 41 but it went the first day.

CitrusBlossom · 25/09/2026 07:56

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 22/09/2026 11:44

I have big feet. I’m 5’5’’, and my feet are 41, which now seems to be considered an 8 (‘twas a 7 - 7.5 when I was younger). My feet were this size when I was 11, so your DD isn’t necessarily doomed to have huge feet.

It’s a bit irritating - made worse by the fact that my feet are very wide.

What I find confusing is that when I was a teenager, back in the late 80s, it was really hard to find women’s shoes in my size - shops often only stocked to 40, and 41s had to be ordered in. But by the time I was in my twenties there were loads of 41s and 42s - I could even pick up my shoes in the sales. Now it seems that most shops stop at 40 again.

However, today lots of people only wear trainers/casual shoes, meaning that men’s shoes are a realistic option. It’s only tricky for going out shoes, or smart shoes.

Which shops only go to 40? Honestly curious as I’m a 40/41 and never found a shop stopping at 40 (apart from Shein but not sure that counts). I would say the opposite, I’m seeing more places selling a size 9 now.

JHound · 24/09/2026 09:45

C8H10N4O2 · 23/09/2026 14:22

Thirding (Fourthing?) Otto and Ivy. They are small and ask people to avoid over ordering of multiple sizes but do give very good measuring guides and customer service.

Long, narrow feet and body here, as are my DC. Was constantly struck by how much easier it was to clothe and shoe my long, narrow boys compared to their long, narrow sisters. My particular beefs was school dresses and girls uniform trousers which came in one length whilst the boys, even when young, had multiple length options per width. That and paying bloody VAT on shoes for children at primary school because VAT is done by size, not age.

I also have infuriating memories of being told to "just try the mens" for walking boots and trainers. They don't fit women's feet!

Show quote history

I also have infuriating memories of being told to "just try the mens" for walking boots and trainers. They don't fit women's feet

Absolutely support this and it is INFURIATING!

They never fit. Also agree with how weird it is that boys and mens clothing lengths for a long time had multiple sizing whereas women solely had one size or, regular and petite which are both useless for me.

And they still have not addressed the issue with women’s tops which largely do not have additional sizing to accommodate taller women.

ImogenBrocklehurst · 23/09/2026 21:17

Five foot seven and size four. H cup. Very unstable. I fall over a lot.

LeaderBee · 23/09/2026 14:28

You know what they say about big feet? Better profits on feet sharing websites.

TallagallaPenguin · 23/09/2026 14:26

PoppiCan · 22/09/2026 22:58

I wouldn’t even mind them
so much if I was tall but im
not, at least if I was tall it would make sense having such big feet. When friends have found out they’ve all been shocked what size I am as they all have nice small sizes not big flippers

Hopefully this suggests that your friends didn’t notice your foot size at all. I am sorry you got teased for it when you were younger, but I really don’t think anyone notices the size of anyone else’s feet as we’re all wandering around as adults.

C8H10N4O2 · 23/09/2026 14:24

CloudyWithAChanceOfCustard · 23/09/2026 09:13

It’s not about looking dainty…it’s about being able to buy and wear shoes that are nice to wear and also fit. Go into any shoe shop and there are racks and racks of gorgeous shoes….and a single rack of ‘wide fit’ shoes which are just hideous. Why are these wide fit shoes not just normal shoes…but wider! Why are they shoes only your 96 year old great-granny Olga would wear?

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Yes this. Especially when teens/young you don't want to be wearing shoes designed for men or your grandmother and many shops rarely stock the larger sizes even if they are technically available.

All I ever wanted to do was buy some vaguely fashionable shoes at a high street price. It was a little easier for my DDs but really only improved with online shopping.

C8H10N4O2 · 23/09/2026 14:22

JHound · 22/09/2026 13:14

Ooooh thanks for the link.

I can also recommend: https://ottoandivy.com/?srsltid=AU7gw4VK3raYXsJhebTwgqCf6NzqjzEKe-bbiM-yJKurJOABUwVOTvNR

Show quote history

Thirding (Fourthing?) Otto and Ivy. They are small and ask people to avoid over ordering of multiple sizes but do give very good measuring guides and customer service.

Long, narrow feet and body here, as are my DC. Was constantly struck by how much easier it was to clothe and shoe my long, narrow boys compared to their long, narrow sisters. My particular beefs was school dresses and girls uniform trousers which came in one length whilst the boys, even when young, had multiple length options per width. That and paying bloody VAT on shoes for children at primary school because VAT is done by size, not age.

I also have infuriating memories of being told to "just try the mens" for walking boots and trainers. They don't fit women's feet!

JHound · 23/09/2026 14:21

backformoreofthesame · 23/09/2026 09:03

I guess we could think about why so many seem to dislike having large feet and how much of that is internalised mysogeny - that we should look dainty and childlike to be feminine - that we feel a bit less of ourselves with big feet

it’s purely appearance by the sound of it ( and perhaps fewer larger styles available but that’s less of a problem now )

I say this partly because whilst the harmful heel has been mostly binned, women’s shoes are usually designed too narrow for most women’s feet because wide shoes look like granny shoes ( to paraphrase years of reading these boards )

this means women get lots of feet problems
and the mysogeny tied up in “looking old “ is also huge / women should look like fertile untouched children

Funny you say that. I never find that shoes are too narrow - quite the opposite! They are never long enough is my issue. Volume is always fine or too big.

JHound · 23/09/2026 14:17

CloudyWithAChanceOfCustard · 23/09/2026 09:08

Yup! Huge fat feet…size 8 but also very wide so struggle to find anything remotely attractive to fit me. In summer I live in Birkenstocks, which is fine, but not pretty! Winter is harder, as boots are never wide enough to be comfortable…unless I buy hideous old lady styles 😢

Try Otto and Ivy. They start from size 8 and do most of their shoes in a wide feet. I love their stuff!

https://ottoandivy.com

Size 8 Women's Shoes | Size 9 Women's Shoes | Size 10 | Size 11 | 12

Otto + Ivy creates stylish, feminine shoes for women who wear UK sizes 8–12 or Europeans sizes 42-46. Discover beautifully made flats, heels, boots & sandals designed to fit and flatter. Free UK delivery & easy returns.

https://ottoandivy.com

JHound · 23/09/2026 14:13

PoppiCan · 23/09/2026 11:52

Not really, when you are short it looks completely out of proportion as I said if I was tall it wouldn’t be so much of an issue.

Show quote history

People still notice you have big feet when you are tall. I have had it pointed out. I just worked on my self esteem to the point that i genuinely don’t care. But also I don’t see large feet as masculine. Just large.

Original poster

PoppiCan · 23/09/2026 11:52

CloudyWithAChanceOfCustard · 23/09/2026 09:08

Yup! Huge fat feet…size 8 but also very wide so struggle to find anything remotely attractive to fit me. In summer I live in Birkenstocks, which is fine, but not pretty! Winter is harder, as boots are never wide enough to be comfortable…unless I buy hideous old lady styles 😢

Exactly the problem, you end up with the horrible ugly shoes 😔

OP posts:

Original poster

PoppiCan · 23/09/2026 11:52

backformoreofthesame · 23/09/2026 09:03

I guess we could think about why so many seem to dislike having large feet and how much of that is internalised mysogeny - that we should look dainty and childlike to be feminine - that we feel a bit less of ourselves with big feet

it’s purely appearance by the sound of it ( and perhaps fewer larger styles available but that’s less of a problem now )

I say this partly because whilst the harmful heel has been mostly binned, women’s shoes are usually designed too narrow for most women’s feet because wide shoes look like granny shoes ( to paraphrase years of reading these boards )

this means women get lots of feet problems
and the mysogeny tied up in “looking old “ is also huge / women should look like fertile untouched children

Not really, when you are short it looks completely out of proportion as I said if I was tall it wouldn’t be so much of an issue.

OP posts:

CloudyWithAChanceOfCustard · 23/09/2026 09:13

backformoreofthesame · 23/09/2026 09:03

I guess we could think about why so many seem to dislike having large feet and how much of that is internalised mysogeny - that we should look dainty and childlike to be feminine - that we feel a bit less of ourselves with big feet

it’s purely appearance by the sound of it ( and perhaps fewer larger styles available but that’s less of a problem now )

I say this partly because whilst the harmful heel has been mostly binned, women’s shoes are usually designed too narrow for most women’s feet because wide shoes look like granny shoes ( to paraphrase years of reading these boards )

this means women get lots of feet problems
and the mysogeny tied up in “looking old “ is also huge / women should look like fertile untouched children

It’s not about looking dainty…it’s about being able to buy and wear shoes that are nice to wear and also fit. Go into any shoe shop and there are racks and racks of gorgeous shoes….and a single rack of ‘wide fit’ shoes which are just hideous. Why are these wide fit shoes not just normal shoes…but wider! Why are they shoes only your 96 year old great-granny Olga would wear?

thatwasclose · 23/09/2026 09:10

I had size 8 when I was 11 - in the 70s. It was a bloody nightmare. I now wear size 9 and don’t have any nice shoes - I tend to live in trainers from Pavers or Deichmann. Fortunately I don’t go many places that require heels.

CloudyWithAChanceOfCustard · 23/09/2026 09:08

Yup! Huge fat feet…size 8 but also very wide so struggle to find anything remotely attractive to fit me. In summer I live in Birkenstocks, which is fine, but not pretty! Winter is harder, as boots are never wide enough to be comfortable…unless I buy hideous old lady styles 😢

backformoreofthesame · 23/09/2026 09:03

I guess we could think about why so many seem to dislike having large feet and how much of that is internalised mysogeny - that we should look dainty and childlike to be feminine - that we feel a bit less of ourselves with big feet

it’s purely appearance by the sound of it ( and perhaps fewer larger styles available but that’s less of a problem now )

I say this partly because whilst the harmful heel has been mostly binned, women’s shoes are usually designed too narrow for most women’s feet because wide shoes look like granny shoes ( to paraphrase years of reading these boards )

this means women get lots of feet problems
and the mysogeny tied up in “looking old “ is also huge / women should look like fertile untouched children

Lilacspring · 23/09/2026 08:08

I also take a size 8,my daughters take a 5 or a 6.

FuzzyPuffling · 23/09/2026 07:56

In the long ago days when I had a Saturday job in a shoe shop, the ordering distribution went like this...
Size 3 - 1 pair
Size 4 - 2 pairs
Size 5 - 3 pairs
Size 6 - 3 pairs
Size 7- 2 pairs
Size 8 - 1 pair.

Laurmolonlabe · 23/09/2026 06:52

I would hate it too, but as many posters have pointed out, it is the general trend so shoes are being made in bigger sizes these days.

HeatwaveHoratio · 23/09/2026 06:47

I’m a size 8 and have been since starting secondary school. I’m a wide now (wasn’t pre children) and it’s mostly ok but is like to wear cute white trainers with things and my feet tend to look enormous with them. My preferred shoe is a chunky Chelsea boot. It seems a lot harder to get shoes in anything bigger than an 8.

both of my parents are size 7, so that was fun as a kid.

3luckystars · 23/09/2026 01:47

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 23/09/2026 00:04

I don’t think many people notice the size of other people’s feet!

It must be a pain if not all shoes go up to the size you need. But often you can get shoes at either the smaller or larger end of the scale in the sale, where as you rarely get anything much in the sale when you’re a 5 or 6.

That mightn’t sound like a big bonus but it’s annoying when you go into a lovely shoe shop sale and all the nice shoes are only reduced in size 3 or 8!

Yes you are so right, I don’t notice the size of other peoples feet but I definitely notice mine. Mine are 5.5 but I usually wear a 5. I have had size 6 shoes and boots and thought they looked so big that I have thrown them away. I can’t bear looking down and seeing big shoes.

I would love to see the statistics on this, I often go into a sale and think whey don’t they just have more of the 5/6 sizes, surely they are the most popular if they are gone? But they must have had more of that particular size when they ordered them. I’d love to see the orders shops make and how the manufacturing of shoes is balanced out size wise.

I remember in school there was one boy who had size 11 shoes and we thought that was ENORMOUS at that time, I wonder if feet are generally getting bigger?

Bigbumbigtum · 23/09/2026 01:44

Are these the type of shoes your daughter likes? Not sure if they would be too wide or chunky.
www.very.co.uk/the-very-collection-older-girls-chloe-mary-jane-bow-patent-school-shoes-black/1601286080.prd?variantId=X0OCW&cm_mmc=google--PLA+-+Generic---_-__[AdID]&utm_campaign=Generic_Fashion+Clothing+%26+Footwear+-+Child+%26+Baby+-+PMAX+-+Low&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=&campaigntype=shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20444536307&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_ca857uDlwMVoKNQBh1EpjJOEAQYAiABEgJ0M_D_BwE