Fashion Has Deformed Women's Feet

I haven't worn heels since pregnancy 22 years ago and always go barefoot at home. My Nan had crazy bunions from a young age and I'm hoping to escape them. If you can't run, your shoes are too high.

It's probably a combination of fashion, hormones and pregnancy. I've been lucky with my feet, although I've not worn heels since I've had dc's which may have helped

And I always people watch at yoga. It's the only way to escape the boredom as I can't relax .

I have those ones unique!

It's from a blog contain a bunch of reviews of shoes like this, which all tend to be niche products that you won't see in the shops. Her reviews are very detailed and include links for more info.

I love the Baresteps blog and have got several good recommendations from it, for DC as well as for myself.

Fwiw, I hate heels so never wore them, but used to wear converse, winter boots with a broad 1/2 inch heel, etc. My back was utterly fucked up by these "normal" fairly flat shoes because of a problem mentioned by a pp - the toe box was pointy and meant I couldn't splay my toes as I walked, so they made me walk in a completely different way to how I walk barefoot (at home, on grass in summer, etc.). That way of walking put so much stress on my lower and middle back that I just though it was normal to have back problems in my 30s

Then I did some research and found out about "barefoot shoes" that try to allow the same anatomical freedom of movement as barefoot walking/running by using thin flexible soles and a wide flexible toe box. I bought a pair on sale, built up gradually to wearing them all day (as advised), and by the end of 2 months I never wanted to wear any other type of shoes again. All my shoes are barefoot shoes now and I haven't had back pain for 3-4 years.

Not all barefoot shoes look as extreme as the ones in the picture above. Some look pretty mainstream, like these Vivobarefoot Chelsea boots (pic hopefully below)

I've never really wore heels. Tried platforms in the 90s, but ended up breaking my foot.

I was a raver so trainers were the norm.

My poor mum on the other hand. Her bunions, toes etc., From wearing winklepickers and stilleto's - well my husband seen them once and said he thought they'd been ran over 😂.

Fit flops brand shoes are fucking awesome. They have exactly the right amount of bounce, heel and sole.

Complete flats are fine if you have strengthened your feet gradually first. Moving into wearing them for a long time when your feet have been weakened by arch supports etc may cause issues. Ballet flats not great as they tend to have to be too tight so they stay on, or make you scrunch your toes to keep them on.

Reading all of the thread and knowing what comments my poor sister has thrust on her really makes me wonder why anyone cares what shoes/no shoes anyone wears. It's never occurred to me to be bothered about shoes other than the ones I'm choosing to put on my own feet

I cannot walk in completely flat shoes; I find they aggravate my back and calves too much.

That is because wearing heels misaligns your body and shortens your calf muscles.

Complete flats, like ballet flats, aren't good either. A heel of about an inch is meant to be best, according to my doctor.

As an aside, I much prefer the phrase “towering heels” that’s being used in this thread to the usual “tottering”

I used towering. The description of women "tottering around" or "tottering around like Bambi" on heels they can't walk on appears a lot on here. It says more about the people using it than the people wearing the shoes.

I don't think it's even accurate in many cases. The awesome colleague I was thinking of strides, not totters. I often can't keep up with her if we're walking somewhere.

My mum who only wore heels for weddings and funerals otherwise she was strictly a comfy shoe woman and she has hideous feet
I wore heels for years, until I got rheumatoid arthritis (which is an autoimmune arthritis that affects my whole body) and although I have a slightly deformed big toe from the RA, (I also have a deformed finger and am heading for a hip replacement) my feet are great and in really nice nick.
I don't think you can generalise I know both men and women who have awful feet, DH could give a hobbit a run for their money but he's definitely only ever worn sensible shoes

I have rarely worn high heels. I have never worn pointed shoes. Yet my feet are buniony and knobbly. I wear sensible shoes. Just genetic lottery.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine
dseydododatdodontdeydo
The photo I posted was from a review here: baresteps.co.uk/2019/06/07/review-softstar-primal-runamoc-barefoot-shoes-for-adults-and-kids/
It's from a blog contain a bunch of reviews of shoes like this, which all tend to be niche products that you won't see in the shops. Her reviews are very detailed and include links for more info.
I guess mainstream manufacturers will start making shoes like this if they ever think there's enough demand.

I have given up wearing heels as too uncomfortable. I have hobbit feet, large, very wide and hairy toes! I find men’s shoes are a more comfortable fit now. I go for comfort not style.

Even if what you're saying is true, comparing a bunion from wearing an expensive shoe to foot binding is obnoxious and ignorant

I decided when I was 19 that I would never again wear shoes I couldn't run away in.

It isn’t just running away though. I ditched mine eventually because I just got so sick of the restriction of not being able to move around quickly and comfortably.

As an aside, I much prefer the phrase “towering heels” that’s being used in this thread to the usual “tottering”. I’ve always hated the misogyny implicit in that.

the aesthetic of high heels and foot binding were similar

I read somewhere (I think it was in 'Wild Swans') that women walking on bound feet were considered to resemble willows swaying delicately in the breeze, which was considered beautiful at the time. 'Wild Swans' also includes graphic descriptions of the process of foot binding, and what the feet were like when unwrapped, which was horrific.

Brokenness those shoes are interesting, because I've never seen any shoes like that, men's or women's, so who exactly designed shoes to constrict our feet so much?
Probably women's more than men's, but I've never seen men's shoes like that either.

I cannot walk in completely flat shoes; I find they aggravate my back and calves too much.

That is because wearing heels misaligns your body and shortens your calf muscles.

Brokenness I love those shoes - do you have a link?

Agree that it's not just about pointy shoes. Feet need space to spread, if you can't stretch your toes out sideways then your shoes are too tight. Trainers are often to narrow, it's not just work shoes. As has been previously posted feet should be wedge shape, it's pretty hard finding women's shoes that allow that.

@Pollypocket89

Couldn't agree more.
When buying shoes (even trainers) I need to have a chunky sole, or platform.
I cannot walk in completely flat shoes; I find they aggravate my back and calves too much.

Whilst I can no longer walk around in the sky scrapers I'd wear whilst younger, I find shoes with anything up to a 4 inch heel the most comfortable for me.
Completely flat is a no.

**Unless your job requires high heels as part of the dress code (which is a feminine issue) there is no reason to wear high heels. There never has been. Women aren't sheep, we don't have to follow fashion if we choose not to.

Posts like this drive me mad with their ignorance. Women have agency, yes and also a right to wear whatever they like without being commented on or judged by women who prefer flats. My sister suffers from hypermobility and heels are actually far more comfortable for her yet she has to put up with moronic comments all the time. Please open your minds those who think like the above

Ridiculous thread

When I was in high school in the 70's I worked in a home for the elderly, and many of the women there had toes that were all squashed on top of each other, not just the big toe pointing inward. I'd never been very interested in fashion, but that made me glad I wasn't. I'm surprised here to see that bunions are common without constricting shoes, but there's no doubt in my mind that those flattened toes I saw were the result of shoes. I have wide feet, so I usually buy shoes from the men's section, and have to shop around for the extra wide ones. But even so, my pinky toes are a bit compressed so that the nails are super thick and split sometimes.
I remember reading somewhere, decades ago, something a man had written about how the aesthetic of high heels and foot binding were similar because they forced (I can't remember exactly what they forced, a certain posture or way of carrying the body, I was too pissed off when I got to the 'force' bit....)

A phrase upthread caught my attention
It's peacocking, pure and simple. You are always going to get people who are trying to stand out. Blame patriarchy if you want, but it also comes down massively to human nature. Men also peacock in various ways in order to compete, it just translates differently.

'Peacock' isn't a very good analogy though. The peacock's tail comes at a high cost to his mobility. Now think about fashion trends throughout history (both high fashion and more everyday wear). How many examples are there of fashions which impede women's physical abilities? How many men's fashions impede them to the same extent (if at all)? We're fortunate that nowadays we have a lot more options available, certainly for regular wear, but there's still a disparity.