Shoe Sizes

I read in a newspaper a few days ago that both women and men’s feet are a lot larger than they were in the 70’s. This was according to a survey commissioned by the College of Podiatry.

I have often asked myself how they conduct these surveys. Have you ever been stopped in the street and asked if you would like to spend a couple of minutes filling out a questionnaire which is on a clipboard? I haven’t and neither have any of my friends.

However if most people I know were stopped and asked about the size of their shoes they would not want to answer a question so trite and would walk away. So what did the College of Podiatry base their information on?

I take a size seven and my feet have not grown at all despite my age and gaining or losing weight. When younger I do confess that I used to wear shoes that might be a size too small but so beautiful that a little pain was worth wearing them.

I am afraid to say that this particular habit meant that meant that I now have problems with my toes. I also developed bunions which the Doctor put down to me not wearing big enough shoes. Now my feet are no longer crammed into stilettos, however beautiful they may be.

One reason for buying shoes that are too large or small is that more and more people buy them on the internet. There are only so many times you can trudge to the Post Office to return yet another pair.

Gone are the days when fitting shoes was just normal and part of the service at good shops. Most shop assistants were trained to measure your feet and would help you find a pair that looked wonderful and were also comfortable.

Many children have suffered from wearing shoes too small, that is because of the rate at which they are growing. Their clothes are usually hand me downs but you can’t do that with shoes!

One of the things I hated most of all was setting off to shop for new shoes for my daughter. Oh the tears and tantrums if the hapless sales assistant failed to produce shoes that did pass the daughter test. I am afraid that many an argument ensued until we found the perfect pair.

Most men are not choosy about their footwear as long as they are comfortable and practical. Fashions come and go but they pay no attention to the fact their shoes are no longer “cool”. That doesn’t apply to a teenage boy. He desperately wants the latest style and colour of trainers that stars and footballers wear.

Ask any woman you like how many pairs of shoes and boots they possess the answer is usually “Too Many”. Most confessed to rarely wearing the shoes and boots after they were bought because they didn’t fit but looked so beautiful! So if the survey is right, and I am sure it must be if it is done by the College of Podiatry it certainly doesn’t apply to me or many of my friends that I asked.

So I have ditched my stilettos; no, make that some of them, because some day I will need to go to a posh party. I envy Imelda Marcos for her room full of shoes, but I bet that most of them don’t fit!