# Shoes Onto Feet: Which Goes Where First? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 14, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171 "2023-03-14T14:52:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/1 "2023-03-14T14:52:11Z")
I noticed an interesting pattern about myself and thought maybe it’d be entertaining to discuss how we each handle this decidedly mundane task. Or this thread will sink like a stone like most of my OPs do. During the course of getting dressed I sit down to put on my shoes. I 99.9% always cross my left ankle over my right knee to bring my left foot into easy reach, then put the left shoe on. I never, or nearly never, lead with my right foot onto my left knee. Even when pulling on boots, it’s (nearly) always left first. You? _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/1))_ What made me notice this enough to post was that I also recently picked up on the fact that once I've got my left foot in position & reach for the shoe, I'll nearly always pick up the right one, not the left one. I'm not really consciously looking at which is which, I just reach out and grab one. And damn if it isn't the right (i.e. incorrect) one about 80-90% of the time. What's up with that? Mundane? Check. Pointless? Check. Shared? Check. [aside] For reasons that could make sense only to a computer, Discourse thinks this topic is similar to all of these topics. No, I'm not making any of this up. I thought it was decided some time ago that mods should always state when they're a mod A dog only drinking from her own dish - Would she die of dehydration Any Denver area Dopers interested in getting together for a meal over Memorial Day weekend Dare we devise a Dallas Doper debauch? Dubya's Dine-and-Dash in Baghdad: How would you have done it differently? Clearly Discourse is in love with D-based alliteration. Which has nothing to do with my own topic title which contains no "D"s. Computers have very strange senses of humor. [/aside] ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/2 "2023-03-14T15:00:13Z")
Toes go in first. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/3 "2023-03-14T15:08:18Z")
Other, it’s complicated! I have episodic foot issues. Sometimes it’s my right foot (gout). Sometimes it’s my left foot (extensor tendonitis). Sometimes it’s a mix. If I’m experiencing foot pain, I shoe the less painful foot first. Today my feet both felt great, so it was random. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/4 "2023-03-14T15:48:52Z")
Complicated. Right now my left leg is in better shape than the right so I stand on the left and slip my right in into the shoe. For my Sketcher slip-ins that foot is done, other shoes I’ll bend over to finish up, that will work better than anything I can do sitting down. Once my right foot is secured in the shoe my right leg will be a little more stable but I’m still likely to lean on something while putting my left foot into it’s shoe. And that’s what it’s all about! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/5 "2023-03-14T15:55:09Z")
I always lead with putting the shoe on my right foot. Just habit, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/6 "2023-03-14T16:17:32Z")
This reminds me of an episode of All in the Family. Archie and Meathead were arguing about the proper order to put on socks and shoes. I think Meathead was putting them on sock, shoe, sock, shoe, and Archie told him the proper order was sock, sock, shoe, shoe. Or maybe it was the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/7 "2023-03-14T16:31:36Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I think Meathead was putting them on sock, shoe, sock, shoe, and Archie told him the proper order was sock, sock, shoe, shoe. Or maybe it was the other way around. Definitely socks before shoes. But seriously, whichever shoe is closest or that I pick up first. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/8 "2023-03-14T16:37:50Z")
I voted “random”. I’ve never really noticed which shoe goes on first - the one closest to me, I guess. I did notice something interesting awhile back about the way I put socks on though. I’m usually sitting on the edge of my bed when I do this. Left foot first, and I will pull my knee up to my chest so my heel is on the edge of the bed, then I have to reach down around my pulled-up leg to pull my sock on. But right foot, I cross it over to my left knee and pull the sock on. It’s a much easier reach that way. So how did I get in the habit of putting my sock on the left foot the hard way? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/9 "2023-03-14T16:42:03Z")
Obviously right has to be right. Because after you put on the first shoe, you put on the one that’s left. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/10 "2023-03-14T16:45:32Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > … > So how did I get in the habit of putting my sock on the left foot the hard way? Says the man who goes by @Shoeless. Of course it won’t make sense. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > Toes go in first. There’s always one in every crowd. Sheesh. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/11 "2023-03-14T16:50:08Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > . I think Meathead was putting them on sock, shoe, sock, shoe, and Archie told him the proper order was sock, sock, shoe, shoe. For me, I’m rarely barefoot, so it’s a rare thing for me to be putting on socks and shoes at the same time – when I go to put on shoes, I already have socks on. But, putting on socks follow the same order as shoes: always right foot first. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/12 "2023-03-14T16:50:23Z")
If I’m at home, I put my shoes on the floor and step into them, most often using a shoe horn, and I’ll probably put my right shoe on first.If I am at the doctor’s office, or I am changing into safety shoes, I’ll be seated, and I’ll probably put my left shoe on first. My left hip is much more flexible, so it is quite easy for me to pull my left foot up higher than the right. After showering I always dry my left foot first. Putting socks on is also a bit random. Related thread: > [@Do you use a shoehorn regularly (second attempt at poll)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-shoehorn-regularly-second-attempt-at-poll/980667): > > When putting on my walking shoes this morning, I started wondering about shoehorn usage. I don’t use one in warm weather, because I always wear sandals. But in cool weather, with socks and lace-up shoes, I use one every day. Are shoehorns old-fashioned? Or a timeless, eternally useful device? (I messed up my first try because I used old directions.) [poll](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-shoehorn-regularly-second-attempt-at-poll/980667/1) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/13 "2023-03-14T19:59:55Z")
@LSLGuy, there’s two in _this_ crowd! > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Obviously right has to be right. Because after you put on the first shoe, you put on the one that’s left. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/14 "2023-03-14T20:03:14Z")
I have _absolutely no idea_ what you’re talking about. [aside] [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/prRtcQz8Uqk/hqdefault.jpg "All in the Family - Sock and a Sock, Shoe and a Shoe") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prRtcQz8Uqk) [/aside] ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/15 "2023-03-14T20:03:38Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > This reminds me of an episode of All in the Family. Archie and Meathead were arguing about the proper order to put on socks and shoes. Occasionally, I go sock shoe sock shoe. I think of the episode every time I do it. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/16 "2023-03-14T20:10:41Z")
In winter, it’s right sock, right wooly sock, left sock, left wooly sock, left slipper, right slipper. Shoes don’t go on until I’m going out the door, then it’s left shoe, right shoe. I have absolutely no idea why this order. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/17 "2023-03-14T20:15:00Z")
I do that occasionally if someone is watching just to see what they say. Then I’ll use the Meathead’s explanation about hopping around on one dry foot in the rain instead standing around with wet socks on both feet. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/18 "2023-03-15T02:36:09Z")
This thread reminds me of something I read on Reddit the other day. Dad to toddler: You’ve got your shoes on the wrong feet Toddler (very confused): These are my only feet, though ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/19 "2023-03-15T14:15:49Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Toes go in first. Weirdo! ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171/20 "2023-03-15T14:26:14Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > > [@RTFirefly](#): > > > > Toes go in first. > > Weirdo We’re obviously dealing with a person with a significant history of trauma. All we can do at this point is hope that they heel. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoes-onto-feet-which-goes-where-first/981171.md?page=2)