Fashion Has Deformed Women's Feet

[Comenext]

Not sure where to put this thread.
I joined a Yoga class recently and we all do it barefoot.
I can't help noticing how crooked and deformed the other women's feet look. Really shameful how pointed shoes have squashed their big toes out of line. There is also a tendency to have a big toe joint that looks swollen and puffy.
Thank goodness I never wore high fashion pointy high heeled shoes.
There is a lot to be said for trainers! (Just joking. I know trainers can have their downside too)
It makes me angry that none of the men in the yoga class have these ugly feet. Reminiscent of the ancient foot-binding of women.

Women (generally) aren't wearing silly heels because they are downtrodden poor wee things, and doing it in a desperate bid to be on an even keel with men and to be taken seriously in the workplace, though. They do it to have an advantage over other women

What tosh. Do you really believe there is any workplace where wearing high heels will make you be taken seriously?

I absolutely love high heels and still wear them now everyday for work. My feet are not crooked either or "deformed". What a horrible thing to say about someone's feet 😞

I think op gets a bit of a hard time tbh.
women get the double whammy of fashionable-but-not-good-for-feet shoes and the expectation to look good.
many foot deformities will be down to unsuitable footwear, and some of that due to ill fitting shoes when growing.

Human feet in the 'wild' are much broader than typical western lifestyle feet. See photo - those feet look same as the feet worn by bare-footed people I once met in Nepal. These also have a much thicker pad on the sole as protection.

And yes, it is reminiscent of foot binding

No it damn well is not. Feminists really love hyperbole don't they?

I often wish it was more socially acceptable to go barefoot. I always do at home, both indoors and out. I can see that there's a safety aspect to wearing shoes and a warmth aspect in winter, but why shouldn't people be able to go barefoot in an office-environment, for instance? Your feet don't smell if you go barefoot - they only smell when they're covered in sweat-inducing, bacteria-absorbing socks, tights or shoes.

If women are more prone to foot problems than men (as asserted upthread, and I think is probably true), then wearing shoes (of whatever sort) that exacerbate the problem should surely be avoided.
Anecdotally: one of my brothers was an AE consultant (now retired) and had a bit of a bee in his bonnet about the unsuitability of women’s footwear, as he saw many lower leg injuries caused by falling over while wearing high heeled, uncomfortable shoes (to be fair, the problem was mostly made worse by alcohol and inadvisable dance moves).

Feminists really love hyperbole don't they?

I wish we could all stop it with this type of shit. I’m a feminist, I still think the OP was rude and judgemental. Her premise was also flawed. We don’t all think alike.

In my industry it is definitely a thing for women to wear heels. Either super high or kittens. Either way a narrow toe and a spindly heel. This is how women dress to signal power and ambition in my industry.

I agree, foot binding is an OTT comparison. Foot binding was performed on very young girls whether they liked it or not, and as I understand involved breaking the bones in their feet so all the toes could be folded in before the foot was permanently bound. This isn't the same as an adult or adolescent deciding to squash their feet into some high heels, which they can take off at the end of the day if they want.

I have really nice feet, not boasting as it doesn't exactly enhance my life but I get so many comments about how 'pretty' they are.
I've worn all kinds of shit shoes over the years and it's made absolutely no difference to how they look.
Foot problems are largely hereditary I believe and as others have said, caused by pregnancy.

I wish we could all stop it with this type of shit. I’m a feminist, I still think the OP was rude and judgemental. Her premise was also flawed. We don’t all think alike

Maybe address your post to the poster who compared this to foot binding ? And from what I have read on here (being FWR in general) feminists do love hyperbole.

And op, maybe stop being so judgemental about other women?
You have literally no idea why their feet look the way they do.

I danced seriously for years, I still wear high heels now in my 40s, have (if I say so myself) lovely feet. No bunions, no deformities.

I cringe a bit when my girls are doing pointe classes in ballet, as i know it hurts 😔 I just hope my genes prevail and they don't end up being the cause of pity in a future yoga class 😁

Feet do get a LOT of wear and tear. I probably did more "damage" to mine climbing a mountain rather than ballet or high heels. Anybody that does a marathon will have stories to tell too of lost toe nails.

It's not just fashion or art. Feet - both mail and female - do a hell of a lot of work.

What UYScuti says and yes, as per the pictures, human feet unshod would be much wider at the toes. Most shoes do deform our feet, including many flats.

I'm not offended by the OP's post. I think she makes a valid point. I don't anyone's feet are especially attractive!

Feminists really love hyperbole don't they?
Just like misogynists love a sexist stereotype, I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️

Foot binding is an OTT comparison and pretty offensive to the (hundreds of thousands? Millions?) of women who suffered (and some still suffer) that. But saying ‘feminists love hyperbole’ is a crass generalisation, and no less ridiculous than the foot binding comment tbh.

I have never worn high heels and always tried to find shoes that are wide in the toe box, generally my feet are good, I don't have any pain or discomfort but I do have bunions and my toenails are dreadful 😥

I used to wear pointy high heels in my teens and they definitely have deformed my feet.

OP, yes, of course. People have been saying this since the 1950s so it's nothing new.

Some of the damage done to women's feet, such as bunions, seems to be genetic and run in families.

I loved the fashion of the 80s. Doc Martens or similar, opaque tights, shortish lycra skirts. You could move and run. So I spent at least some of my formative years in sensible shoes.

My mum destroyed her feet with high heels. Horrific issues requiring multiple surgeries. She literally didn’t know how to walk in flat shoes. Even wore high heels for her chemo and into the hospice.

I can’t wear them at all and goodness knows I could do with the extra height.

That’s not likely to be caused by shoes. It may be in a minority of cases but it’s rare. It’s more likely to be a result of autoimmune issues, being over weight, pregnancy or, congenital abnormalities.

I have appalling feet with vast bunions and weird lumps and so does ds. Spent a lifetime in flat shoes. Genetic.

Surely it would be a better world if we considered someone competent at work because of the quality of their work not the style of their shoes? Be the change you want to be and related cliches spring to mind

Out of interest, in the workplaces where female shoes are significant what is the equivalent Male footwear?

Sorry if I sounded judgmental. I was just making a general observation. Of course I should be concentrating on what the yoga teacher is telling me to do.
Some very interesting comments here about society's expectations of women.

Doc Martens or similar, opaque tights, shortish lycra skirts

My one pair of Doc Martens boots is the most uncomfortable footwear I've ever owned.