Woman’s shoes are too narrow?

[ThanksAntsThants23]

I am a woman with quite wide feet and high arches. I have never been able to buy shoes that really fit properly. I run a lot and buying running shoes has away a been difficult, I also work outdoors and have never been able to find a pair of boots that fit so I spend my entire life flaunting risk assessments and having very wet feet by wearing my running shoes to work as they are generally the only thing that I can walk in relatively comfortably.

This year I have developed a bunion and Even the widest trainers I can feasibly buy are now too narrow for one of my feet. I’m seriously beginning to consider just walking everywhere in socks.

The thing is that I know I’m not the only woman who finds woman’s shoes too narrow, I hear it from a lot of woman, especially other runners. Lost of people say they just buy men’s shoes but thats not an option if, like me you have feet smaller than a uk 6. I’m starting to get quite enraged by the lack of shoes available for wider feet.

Are standard woman’s shoes too narrow for the average woman’s foot.

YANBU -standard woman’s shoes are too narrow for the average foot

YABU - standard woman’s shoe width is fine for the average woman and you have no business expecting your weird troll feet and bunion to fit in shoes made for delicate ladies.

I have narrow feet so most shoes fit me fine.

They should definitely have options for all sizes of feet, but no, I wouldn’t want all shoes to be for wide feet.

But they do wide fit in lots of places? I have narrow feet and find many shoes too wide (Doc martens I’m looking at you!).

These days I find women's shoes too wide for my feet. I have narrow feet anyway and everywhere seems to cater for a much wider fitting.
Have you tried men's running trainers? You might get a better fit.

They mens boots.

My feet are narrow around the ankles and arches but wide around the toes, really struggling to even find trainers to fit. Would boys shoes be an option if mens don't go down to a small enough size?

I have very wide feet but have always been ok with ASICS running shoes. Sandals are an issue- my foot is often over the edge of the sandal, looks awful. For walking boots I have a pair designed for bunions although I don’t have bunions and they have been life changing.

DMs seem to be mostly unisex. They (1460s) seem wide to me.

@LaurenCuthbertsonStanAccount where did you get the bunion boots of you don’t mind me asking?

I’m really not sure I could wear dms because of my high arches but that’s a whole other problem 😂

If you are smaller than a size 6 then have you tried children’s shoes in say size 5?
Are wide fit ranges in places like M&S too narrow?

Have you tried JDWilliams? They do D-EEE fit. I used to need EEE and Nike Air Force 1 are a great fit for wider feet, easy to tighten up obviously with the laces.

The problem is that shoes are not foot-shaped. Even wide fit is not wide where our feet is widest, which is usually at the toes.

I've been wearing barefoot shoes for years now and would never go back to ordinary shoes. I'm in my 40s and they completely got rid of any foot pain I had before.

This is a good blog to read more: https://anyasreviews.com/

And me. I can't usually wear shoes which don't have a strap across.

Even the widest fit shoes are not wide enough for me. And most ‘wide fit’ shoes are way too big around the ankle. I’ve had to start wearing ‘barefoot’ shoes with are ugly as fuck but at least don’t cause me agony (apart from aesthetically).

I think there should be more options for narrow/wide feet but I don’t think women’s shoes should be wider as standard.

Boots though: try Birkenstock boots. And Altra trainers for running as they are foot shaped.

If you have narrow feet and most shoes fit you, then that does tend to support the OP’s claim that most shoes are narrow.

I’d prefer that standard was actually standard (not narrow) and then there were narrow or wide options for those who deviate from the average.

Nor do I

My feet are slim

Years ago shoes were sold in width fitting and Clark's were C but u think are now a D

I'm more like a B to C

Great thread. Thanks OP.

YANBU. I have wide feet with high instep (with stupidly skinny ankles) and these days I don’t even bother trying to stick my trotters into the standard fitting in most shops. Some of my friends and also my sister have what I would describe as “average width” feet, yet even they sometimes struggle and have to go up a half size. I second Nike AF1s for fashion trainers, but for running I usually have to go for men’s, or the Hoka wide fit women’s. DM boots (lace up) are also great for wide feet.

I know my place in the casual shoe department, but the struggle really starts when I’m looking for sandals for weddings/occasions. Every strap across the top of my foot is ridiculously narrow! Any recommendations for pretty, wide fit sandals that aren’t low quality (so not New Look etc) would be much appreciated :)

@Bunnyhair i always wear wide fit altras for trail shoes/work but now have a bunion even they are too narrow for the bunion foot!

generally ‘wide fit’ shows were okay pre bunion but they are always hard to get and only from expensive brands. I’ve tried a few ‘bare foot’ brands but not found them to be consistently wide enough and also often quite poor quality for the price, especially walking boots!

I don't have particularly dainty feet. I've found shoes are becoming wider. It's been a nightmare to buy trainers for the gym lately as they seem huge. Flats (ballet pump style) always seem to flop off! I've never had a problem previously. Recently I've been saying I think shops are doing vanity sizes for shoes now, as well as shoes being wide, I've also apparently shrunk a shoe size... But all my old shoes still fit..

YABU.

I have narrow feet and most shoes gape and are too wide. There are no "narrow fitting" options available, only "wide fitting". Wider feet are already catered for.

The terrible with the barefoot style shoes is that they are totally flat. I've bought hobibear brand from Amazon that are the widest thing I've ever worn, and cheap.
I did try the vivobarefoot shoes but they are designed for people with massive big toes it seems!

Do try men's boots and shoes. New balance do great running trainers that come in wide.

High street shops are sadly all about creating bunions and overlapping toes. Off love more shape and width variety.

I have dreadful trouble getting shoes that fit properly, but not because of wide feet (if anything, they're narrow, as lots of shoes are too wide).

But I have a high instep, so it's hard to find boots that fit, and my heels seem to be more pointy than round, so shoes never fit properly at the heel. I desperately want a pair of Blundstone Chelsea boots, but I can't get my high instep round the ankle bit.

I think shoes have got wider over the years. When I was at school (some 50-odd years ago), I needed wide-fitting shoes, now a lot of shoes are too wide. And my feet haven't changed, they've been the same size since I was 12.

Sounds like we just need to have all shoes in a range of widths. I always just assumed people with narrow feet didn’t have issues with standard fit but I can see from these responses I was wrong!