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

[TwoCotbeds]

When buying shoes, I am remindeed of the old chinese culture on foot-binding. Why is it one gender ( men) can buy shoe which are smart for work AND can also walk all day, round town in comfort, or over grass, say.... but Women have the only Option of 'smart' shoes for work that go with a suit,and look professional or shoes that they can easily wear in comfort all day - but not both ?

I think this has got worse recently with the fashion for very, very high shoes which actually damage the foot.

I always think to myself, a womans and a mans foot is structurally the same. They are not different shapes, like torsos are. Of course I like to look feminine not male, but I also like to walk as much as I like.

I was also told by a chiropodist that the only reason court shoes ( ones with no strap) ever actually stay on, not fall off is because they are actually too small !

There are lots of nice shoes out there a woman can walk all day in. But they probably won't have much of a heel Doesn't mean they dont look good.

harpsi, men's shoes do have a heel. I don't mean a high heel, I mean a 0.5cm or 1cm heel. If you don't believe me, talk to my osteopath!

Ha! I have flipper feet (from wearing sensible shoes/bare feet) but...no bunions!!!

my trainers/Birkies etc have a slight heel of 1cm or so

not a valid point

e.g.

I can add them to my basket (although get a warning message about minimum order value being 10 Euros). They do deliver to the UK (shipping cost 13.90 Euros for one pair, 14.90 Euros for two).

What happens if you try a different size (wondering whether it's a badly-programmed handling of some kind of out of stock message)? Which browser are you using?

'harpsi, men's shoes do have a heel. I don't mean a high heel, I mean a 0.5cm or 1cm heel. If you don't believe me, talk to my osteopath!'

your osteo may be selling you something
most women's shoes have a small heel too, see my example.
most flat women's shoes give perfectly good support
and walking barefoot is marvellously healthy and I do it am much as I can

yup, ballet pumps with a small heel are better than those with absolutely no heel at all. And suzi, you're bang on re paving/ natural ground surfaces. Hence why running is worse for you if you do it on concrete than on grass. It's all about the impact.

even birkies have a heel... sorry for those of a nervous disposition who find birkies too hideous for words

I think we're saying much the same thing, harpsi. Small heel good. No heel bad.

They don't really though - the heel is sunken down to be very flat, the sole is just raised at the sides and back, helping to keep the foot in place.

Mens' shoes always tend to have a proper (low) heel.

I think that we might disagree about what constitutes a 'heel'
I think it comes down to what others have said, if you don't develop a tolerance for it early on, you just can't wear shoes with what I would call a heel without it being agonising.
suggesting that they aren't too marvellous for your feet

(Birkies that is)

The worst shoes I have for comfort are Bloch ballet flats. No support.

Boots for day time are best. Fortunately i can find comfort and fashionable ones. Not for what others think but because I have to look at them. So I would prefer nice ones.

But what about men and suits and ties though? (I do try to be balanced in my feminist rants)

I have taken not being able to get things into my basket on that website as A Sign that I don't need new shoes right now. But when summer rolls back around.....

I see as many problems with uggs, and ballet slippers being worn by girls and women who probably have flat feet like me - because their knees are almost knocking together, and their feet visibly over-pronating.

oh, yes unwind, Uggs are bad for feet, because they allow them to pronate

which is why Birkies are good for feet, the footbed supports the foot in an anatomical position

Wot's pronating and wotnot

my chiro told me that she sighs when she sees people coming in wearing those fitness shoes (what are they called?). good for some, catastrophic for others, apparently.

mbts. or clown shoes, as dh calls them.

Pronating is feet tipping over inwards as you stand/walk (so you wear down the inside of the sole/heel first). The opposite is Supinating (feet tipping over outwards, so you wear down the outside of the sole/heel first).

Pronators tend to have flat feet and supinators tend to have high arches. Neither is good for the rest of the joints.

I am a supinator.

Well that has confused me then! I am a supinator (my feet always turn outwards, to the extent that I quite often "turn my foot over") but I have almost non-existent arches, my feet are really quite flat.

me too.

I can't wear most fashionable shoes as I am slightly disabled (spina bifida) - I can never work out if I am disappointed or relieved to have the 'excuse' to opt out.

I live my life in boots or lace-ups although there have been more shoes with a strap come onto the market recently.

imagine pronation like this

bend your elbow and hold it into your side, then turn your hand over your so your palm faces the floor

supination is when your palm faces the ceiling

your foot can do a similar thing because of hereditary, postural or footwear factors