yes, this item is about your feet.

have shoes deformed them? in what way?
what kind of shoes do you find comfortable? what do you like to wear?

have yuo ever noticed the feet in a very old painting, or a statue?
i used to think those feet were odd, because the toes were straight
and there was such a large gap between the big toe and the rest of
the foot. but i finally realized that those feet were probably "normal".

my hubby's toes are much straighter than mine. 
the last 3 toes on each foot are curled under..the littelest toe the
worst off.

are shoes now made to fit the feet, or are our feet altered to fit the shoe?

31 responses total.

I have flipper-shaped feet.  Any "normal" show (even EEEE) that is wide 
enough for me in the toe is many sizes too large in the heel.  I try to
get flexible shoes in brands that run wide and force my toes to spread
a lot when i'm just around home, but my little toes are still curled in.
For my next new pair of shoes, i'm figuring on hunting up a cobbler (or
some such) and paying $$$.  

I LOVE my Converse All-Star high-tops.  They're comfortable, don't squeeze
my feet, and they come in lots of colors.  For dress I prefer my black boots
with the wide heel...lots of support without a threat of breaking your neck.

a friend is visiting me for the week... she used to
have to wear those pointy-toe dress shoes to work.
her toes actually come to a point. the big toe bends
inward, her next to big toe sticks up somewhat because the there is no
room to put it down between the other toes which are curled under
badly.
she doesnt wear pointy shoes anymore, but the damage is done.

as for me, i wear tennis-shoes mostly. i also wear men's/unisex
hiking boots and men's steel-toes workboots. 
a word og advice--- never ever wear steel toes through airport
security. trust me.

My toes curl a little, but I've been such a lover of naked feet all my life
that I think my feet have had more time to recover than many women's have.
I wear pointy shoes from time to time, but refuse to wear anything that hurts
and don't wear anything that I an't walk comfortably in more than once a week.

I have extremely short wide feet, so finding shoes that don't hurt is quite
a challenge.  Although my foot is a size 7.5 length, I usually end up with
size 9 just to fit the width...anotherr eason ppointy shoes haven't misshaped
my feet too much?  Usually my toes end where the toe box starts, at the widest
part.  

I have a twisted curled under little toe, which I used to think was 
caused by bad showes when I was a little girl, but both of my children have
it, too, so it must be genetic. (Since they have worn big-enough tennies
all their lives.) I prefer barefoot to anything else, and I won't wear
pointy shoes or any kind of heel, so I run around in my high-top Reeboks
and that's it.

Have they had the problem since they were babies?

I have some toe issues from my childhood, with shoes that were too narrow
and often too small. I now get all of my shoes in the proper size and
width. I get Bostonian dress shoes, which can be purchased in a genuine
EEEEE, and get most other shoes through Hitchcock Shoes (which I believe
now has a website at http://www.wideshoes.com).

I have been astonished by the damage that some women do to their feet
with their shoes.

If you think Western womens' footware is bad...have you heard what the 
Japanese tradition is?

I thought bound feet was more of a Chinese thing.

  There is a movie, "The Inn of the 6th Happiness". More than you ever would
want to know about foot binding. It is a good movie set against the Boxer
rebellion, with a good cast. 

re #7: It's all a matter of degrees.

well it seems that stilletos are most sought after.ya know why?.

Nope.  Want to tell us?

Shoes should be banned, burned, and outlawed. My poor feet are size 6EEE(E)
and shopping for shoes always leaves me completely depressed. My outside toes
curl in and under; I leave the weirdest footprints.
But I did find a company (the name escapes me at the moment) that custom makes
shoes at a reasonable price. You sit down and press your feet onto a gel mat
over a computer screen to take the measurements. These are sent to the
workshop, and your shoes show up in the mail in about three weeks. Ladies
leather pumps are around $110.00; a bargain for something that actually fits.
The nearest store they have so far is in Milwaukee. I'm planning a trip in
August...

Let us know the phone number.  I got a custom pair made from measurements,
that is near falling apart (resoled about 8 times) and another that they
insisted on putting a steel shank into (Jim finally got it out) that I had
to send back three times, they made so many mistakes - what they did was take
a standard last and treat my wide toes as if they were bunions, but the shoes
are nowhere near the shape of my feet.  (One of the steel shanks was put in
upside down, it felt like walking on a knife).

I wear normal shoes most of the time (actually bought a really comfortable
pair of running shoes over the summer) but my feet are still really deformed
from figure skating. Ice skates are _awful_! 

I agree, they only seem to be available in high-heels or hockey style.  Why
would anyone want to skate in high heels?

Because high heels help keep your weight on the balls of your feet?

They put all my weight on my arches, which are not designed to have pressure
put on them, and it feels like I am standing on a knife.

I have found the BEST athletic shoes! 
They are Propet brand walking shoes, they come in amazingly wide widths, 
and I've found them on line for as little as $45.00. 
I have had a pair for just over a year and they show few signs of tread 
wear. They have lately felt less cushy on the inside, so it's probably 
time to replace them, (good insoles make them a touch too snug) but I 
don't mind since they've lasted sooooo long.
Now if they just made hikers...

My big problem for along time was that my shoes were too wide.  I have a
really really high arch, and narrow feet.  I used to have problems with
lace-up shoes causing pain over the top of my arches.  I've figured out how
to avoid that now, but still ,there are a lot of styles that I just cannot
wear because of them.  At least my feet have widend out so that I don't have
to worry about trying to fit into narrow shoes.  

However, I do have a pair of insoles that I have to put into all of my
shoes, since it appears that they no longer make shoes with arch supports in
them.  (with the exception of Birks and tennies)

Can someone explain to me why practically all the size 9 shoes inthis world
are sold as "wides"

I have no problems finding mediums and even narrows.

Then there are a lot of wide footed women in Augusta... or they take away my
size before I can get any!

I have the opposite problem, Megan.

My feet are really short (size 7) and extrmely wide (EEEE) and I usually end up
in size 8 1/2 to 10, just so the width of my foot can be accomodated.

The exception is New Balance Walkers, which have been heaven sent!  They're
ugly as can be, but they're so comfortable that I rarely wear anything else and
am completely losing my ability to walk in "girl shoes".  I believe New Balance
also make very narrow shoes.  Does Propet make extra wide shoes?

Misti, your feet sound just like mine. 
The best athletic shoes I've found are Propet. They are built on a very 
wide last, and my feet have room to spread out while still being well 
supported.
Though money is not nearly as big an issue as finding shoes that 
actually *fit*, I only paid about $60.00 for my Propet Walkers. They 
are almost three years old and are just beginning to show signs of 
tread wear. And - bonus! - they are a nice, plain, non-ugly black.

I definitely have to look into Prophet Walkers ... though New Balance also
comes in black.  I guess they're only "ugly" if, like me, you'd really,
*really* rather be wearing "girl shoes".  <grin>

I haven't been able to find a pair of NB for women that were wide 
enough. The men's were ok.
I did have some luck a few years ago with a Hush Puppy, but don't 
remember the style name.

I like NB because they have both black and white athletic shoes in women's
sizes that fit my feet: 12s!

Wow. someone else online here has feet as big as mine! :)

I'm a size 12 too :)  Payless and Nordstrom, baby, payless and Nordstrom.

You can also order NB online from their web site -- and then you can get
triple wide womens shoes!

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