Shoes for Women - why is their pressure to wear uncomfortble footwear to 'fit in'?

Yeah, flip flops and ballet shoes end up hurting my legs too after a while!!

I hope no one cares what i'm wearing on my feet at work but you do have to give an overall impression of smart and trainers that ain't.

I always think it's useful to do a reality check about stuff we do to ourselves in terms of 'would men ever do this?' eg slapping on makeup every day, wearing uncomfortably tight clothes and shoes that hurt. I try really hard to put comfort first and ignore the nonsense that's peddled at women.

And those shoes women say they find "comfortable" - flip flops and ballet type shoes - in fact offer no arch support or cushioning at all and are only thought to be "comfortable" because the others are so dreadful they actually inflict pain!

But I agree, court shoes are the very devil as far as feet go.

At least it is now OK for women to wear trousers - there's a much wider range of shoes/boots you can get away with wearing with those.

Ideal solution I think is to get shoes or boots that are deep enough and supportive enough that you can add in your own insoles with arch supports for the necessary cushioning.

I have got to the advanced age now where I wear the most comfy shoes I can because I am sure an expression of pain on my face is even less flattering. Mind you, I'm in a job where footwear doesn't =£££ as nobody really cares what I look like as long as I do a half decent job :-)

I pretty much have 2 pairs of shoes (despite what my DP might tell you) Birkenstocks/ flip flops, and Uggs.

I do have other shoes but none are comfortable for yaknow, walking in.

it is bad isn't it? my most confortable pair of shoes are my birkenstocks but i don't wear them outside of the house. they just aren't flattering, yet i never find myself looking at men's shoes thinking "they are so unflattering". it's not right at all.

I was comparing 'fashion' shoes (that seem to be the norm for every situation except the gym) to foot binding yesterday (in my head)! I needed to walk all day, wanted to wear a full length dress, too cold for flip flops - what's a girl to do? Wore Uggs in the end, it didn't look great....

I also wonder about those chiropodist shops (Reiker is it?) who sell women's shoes that are good for your feet - are they though? Or are they better than normal fashion shoes?

Anyway, I'm sure it has something to do with the sadism of our pain for someone else's pleasure, along with the happy coincidence of making us less mobile and the scary consequences and inference that holds.