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 Photo via Splash We all know that Hollywood is obsessed with weight and dress size, but I never thought that anyone would care about the shoe size of famous ladies. But then I started looking through the sizes and got a little jump of joy in my heart when I spied that Kirsten Johnson and Meg Ryan both wear size 11! I wear size 11 (it depends on the shoe because I have a weird high instep: Coach or Naughty Monkey, I'm a 11; in Gucci or Payless, I'm a 43 or a 12). Says Paris Hilton: "I desperately hate one thing about my body. I have size 11 feet. Yeah, it sucks, because I see all these super cute shoes in the stores--Guccis, YSLs, Manolos. And when they bring them out in my size, they look like clown shoes."I can't even tell you why the knowledge that Paris Hilton wears size 11 shoes fills me with such joy, but it does. Maybe because I'm now going to start paying extra attention to what these stars are wearing on the red carpet. I can practically recite all of the cute shoe lines that go up to a 12 (Christian Louboutin, Delman, Gucci, Stuart Weitzman, Pucci, Taryn Rose, and NOT Jimmy Choo, Kate Spade, J.Crew, Chinese Laundry, Prada or a bazillion other adorable shoes). I have a shameful number of shoes in my closet, but the perfect size 12 pointy black pump eludes me yet. In fact, I may or may not have approached multiple drag queens in the past, just to find out where the hell she got those incredible heels. But check it: Elle MacPherson's feet seem to have multiple personalities: one source reports her shoe size as a demure 10, another confirms the tawdry secret that she's really a 12. Why would anyone even lie about this? It reminds me of the time that I was shopping for shoes with my sister, who said, "My shoe size is an 8, but the 8.5's fit better." I looked at her like she was crazy and said, "Well, then, your size isn't 8, it's 8.5!" and she rolled her eyes at me because I had totally just burst through her denial. Is this just like listing your weight on your driver's license? Is shoe size just another thing that we use to measure our worth? It's a silly thing to worry about, since you actually can do something about the size of your ass through nutrition or exercise, but not your foot? What are you going to do? Shave off a few toes? Bind them until you can shove your size 9's into a size 6.5N? We've got nothing. And yet, like Paris Hilton, I know that if a genie were to appear and grant me three wishes, my second wish would be for size 7 feet. Tell me about your tootsies. Are you hesitant to talk about your shoe size? Do you feel weird about it, the way you would about your weight? Does having bigger feet make you less feminine or just less likely to be able to wear Jimmy Choos? And just for fun, our favorite video about shoes: The comments would like to see something in a peep toe. 11 CommentsLeave a comment |
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It doesn't bother me that I wear an 8.5. What drives me nuts is the AAA. I have to order most shoes online because who carries anything that narrow? I used to wear AAAA. I've gained some weight, so at least it was good for something. If I wear socks I can get by with a AA. If I add a couple of insoles, I can wear "normal" tennis shoes. My husband has the opposite problem because he wears an EEEEE. If we ever have children, we hope it will balance out so they get "normal" feet.
Size 12 here! Hey J. Crew has a few styles in size 12, but they have them sectioned off on the website in some weird purgatory with the size 5s.
Maybe the shoe size thing is just about proportion? I do think size 11 feet on someone as teeny tiny as Paris Hilton probably DOES look kind of clownish. I wear a 9 or 10 (depending on how wide they are), but I've never felt bothered by that, just because I think that, on my larger body, they look perfectly normal / proportionate.
On the other hand, I definitely know men who are embarrassed by how SMALL their shoe size is, so maybe there IS some stigma attached to the number.
The only bummer about my size 11 feet is that the shoes are scarce in the clearance rack. Other than that, I don't give a rip, as long as they are cute and comfortable! I've been an 11 since junior high, so any chagrin about my "clown" feet is long gone.
I'm at the other end of the spectrum -- I have small feet (size 8 1/2 or 7 1/2 if it's in men's size) and they're wide, so most women's shoes don't fit me as they're too narrow. It's a source of frustration, as it seems that the shoe industry has decided that EVERY woman has the same width of feet (yes I know there are wide-size shoes, but even those are rarely wide enough for me). So, what do I do? I wear women's skater shoes or guys's shoes. Meh.
This said, it's not a source of shame for me, juste a sourec of frustration...
Size 11s unite! The worst part, in my mind, is going to a discount store like DSW -- the kind with all the shoes on display on the top shelf and then boxes with the sizes on them down below -- and spotting a perfect pair only to discover that the shelves are full of 7s and 8s. Gr.
I'm not ashamed of my feet at all, and I think they look totally proportionate to my not-small body, but shoe shopping is seriously frustrating if you're looking for a good deal.
I wear an 8, most of the time, but I have noticed in recent years that shoe sizing is becoming as inconsistent across brands as clothing sizes. This fills me with rage. I would like one thing I can order online without having to try it on, please. (I may or may not have blurted out in frustration to a Zappos customer service rep that if they started instituting vanity sizing in shoes, I would "go on a killing spree." So far, they still deliver to me, though.)
I have heard of women who not only lie about their shoe size, but actually WEAR smaller sizes than they need. Can this possibly true? Would someone put themselves through that much agony?
That reminds me of Dolly Parton's character in Steel Magnolias: "In a good shoe, I wear a size six, but a seven feels so good, I buy a size eight."
I don't understand being embarrassed about shoe size; like you said, it's not like you can exercise them down to a size 6 so who cares?
I have fairly large feet for my height (I'm about 5'7", and I wear a 9 or 10), but have never thought anything of it. However, a smaller friend (with size 6 or 7 feet) will often "console" me when I ask for shoes in a larger size, which is somewhat baffling.
I think that there's an association with some people that small feet/hands = feminine, and so she's trying to make me feel better for being so manly.
However, I remember one ex fondly because we both wore size 8 men's shoes, so I could borrow his supa' cool sneakers.
I have size 11's. If I didn't have such big feet, I'd tip over because I'm tall.
If anyone doesn't like it, I will take my big clodhopping size 11s and as they turn around to walk away in revulsion at the unladylike size of my feet, I shall plant one in their posterior to speed their progress.
(Actually, I'd like to share with some of my big-soled sisters that Nine West does a great job of sizing up. Put me in a Nine West outlet store and I am one happy camper. They even make 10 1/2's.)
This is a great article. I wear a size 14 so I don't get excited when I read that shoes are available "up to size 12". I don't usually tell people my shoe size, but it's hard not to notice them, even though I'm 5'11".
I would love to have an extensive collection of shoes, without having to pay custom-made prices. Zappos is a great place for those of us with big feet, bigger than size 12 that is.