# Women who have big feet -- do you wear men's shoes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429 "2005-10-16T02:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429/41 "2005-10-17T09:53:16Z")
My father wears a size 6-5E shoe. That’s size 6EEEEE. Five Es. I inherited his wide feet, and I will wear men’s shoes, if I can find a suitable style. My feet aren’t long, but they are wide. To further complicate things, I have a very high instep, and now I have edema in my feet. I’m thinking about just getting some shoes custom made. Even men’s wide shoes are not wide enough. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429/42 "2005-10-17T12:41:25Z")
I’m a 7 1/2 in woman’s shoes, but I find 5 1/2 men’s shoes more comfortable on my wide feet. Particularly sneakers and boots. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429/43 "2005-10-17T15:38:49Z")
12-wides here. You _know_ you have hard-to-fit feet when even Nordstrom’s staff look worried when they see you! The only men’s shoes I’ve bought have been fairly unisex things, like snow boots and walking shoes. I have (or used to have) a pair of men’s loafers inherited from my father, but wound up giving them up because my feet tended to ache if I did much walking around in them. That was more an artifact of the style though. I’ve got some women’s shoes that _look_ like men’s shoes though (Munro lace-ups). Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429/44 "2005-10-17T15:53:09Z")
> [@Harimad-sol](#): > > Calling a lady’s feet “canoes” will not earn you pictures, sirrah. Hey, whaaa? A canoe is sleek, aerodynamic (hydrodynamic?), a classic, inevitable design that works incredibly well and yet is naturally beautiful…just like a woman’s foot. 😛 _mmmwaa_ ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429/45 "2005-10-17T15:58:42Z")
> [@Harimad-sol](#): > > Calling a lady’s feet “canoes” will not earn you pictures, sirrah. Sorry, was meant to be a throwaway reference to Grace’s “Only thing my dad ever gave me was feet the size of canoes” line from the Will & Grace episode [“Oh Dad, Poor Dad, He’s Kept Me In The Closet and I’m So Sad”](http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/willandgrace/season2/willandgrace-213.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429/46 "2005-10-21T15:01:54Z")
I wear Size 11 women’s shoes… I would never make it as a Chinese courtesan (which is just as well for a feminist like me). Many stores (I’m looking at you, Target) just do not go above women’s Size 9 or whatever. That doesn’t have to crimp my lifestyle. I buy shoes at Payless which goes up to women’s Size 12. True, the selection of 11s is meager compared to the smaller sizes (they have almost nothing in 12), but I’m able to find the stylish footwear I need at an affordable price. No worries. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429/47 "2005-10-22T00:41:29Z")
So the answer to the OP is no, I don’t like men’s shoes at all. I have no difficulty finding decent women’s shoes in my size at Payless. Nice girly size 11 strappy sandals, pointy-toed tall suede boots, and that sort of thing. I used to have a hangup about my big feet being too un-girly. I don’t any more, not since I found strappy sandals that fit, especially when accessorized with the right stockings,\* anklets, etc. \*Sheer black stockings worn under a long skirt seem to minimize the apparent size of feet and ankles. If you read “sandals” and “stockings” in the same sentence and go “eek,” well, I think there are certain stockings and sandals combinations that really do work. It helps when both are black. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429/48 "2005-10-22T12:56:27Z")
> [@medstar](#): > > I wear about a size 11 or 12 in women’s shoes. I shop at DSW and every time I can even find a size 11 or 12 in the styles I would want to wear, the shoes are too tight. I wear comfortable, well padded Easy Spirit shoes to work and I was wondering what other Doper Wimmen with big feet do in order to be well shod. I’ve never done this before, but I just bought a couple pairs of sleek leather slip on shoes that were made for men. I’m afraid to buy shoes off the net, but there was a thread not too long ago about just that subject. What do you all do? I buy shoes on the internet all the time. Zappos has free shipping on many of their items, and they’re one of the best customer service internet operations around. Please, give them a try. I’m so impressed with them…I can’t say enough good about them. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-who-have-big-feet-do-you-wear-mens-shoes/326429/50 "2017-04-06T16:53:36Z")
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