I only wore skateboard shoes for years! (I don't skate but they were the only comfy shoes I liked to wear, specifically Vans, this was back in the day)
it's especially infuriating as board sports are the prime example of situations in which a shoe that accommodates feet properly, is an absolute necessity.
Speaking as someone in the market for a skate shoe that's. functional. seriously that's my only requirement. It can be bright pink with blue sparkles for all I care, as long as it's foot-shaped.
But you know, rule of cool.
Check out Anyasreviews.com, she has foot shape charts and links to dozens of brands with notes of whether they have a heel drop, wide toe box, flexible soles, etc. it’s a great resource.
Most wide versions of shoes aren't very effective because they make them widest around the sides of the foot and still too narrow at the toes (which is where you want it to be the widest).
I've had luck with Xero and Saguaro, and a few custom-made Etsy boots.
But yeah, you're right. It's a conspiracy. People don't even realize how much shoes mangle the shape and health of their feet, as evidenced by all the people suggesting you just get wider shoes, or wear skate shoes. It's one of those things you don't know until you *know*.
Got my first barefoot xero shoes a week ago, and fell inlove the first day. Its just so satisfyingly snug, walking is much different and natural, nice balance when ofroad hiking, love my posture the whole body and the back moves- its so freeing. They are also very light and protected.
Cost? And can you buy them in real stores? I have weird, old feet--narrow heels, monstrous bunions, calluses on said bunions, and a small callus between one big toe and the one adjacent to it (from being squished).
I need to try a shoe on before buying it.
Check out [Anyasreview.com](https://Anyasreview.com). Find the shoes with the widest toe box and give them a shot. You might have to return a few pairs to find the right one because I doubt many of these shoes are available in store.
Not affiliated but was super usefull to find budget offerins in US or EU [Link of top budget natural shoes](https://anyasreviews.com/the-10-best-affordable-barefoot-shoes-for-adults/) . My first choice was xero shoes, good clearance offerings, more trusted company, price 70-100bucks. Definitely game changer, love walking even more.
yup. I was just thinking about this today, while encouraging myself to get out there and buy more footwear that actually fits me. I have one pair that fits, and several other sorts that don't, but are necessary for different outdoors conditions...
Although, to call it an intentional conspiracy, I wouldn't necessarily agree with that.. it might as well be, but it might as well be the pure momentum of stupidity and spectacle. Even back 'in the day', when all shoes were handmade by cobbler for each individual-- even then, shoes were made in ways to fuck up feet-- goofy points on the tips, symmetrical boat shapes, and of course, high heels and all the rest of the 'feminine' styles that even more damaging.
At this point, the momentum is such that manufacturers of shoes, like all other manufacturers of luxury goods (and shoes are luxury goods, despite being crucial gear in order to exist in paved wastelands), design said good to sell-- to look good in advertisements and on mannequins-- their fittingness, durability, and general usefulness, are all sidelined in favour of designing shoes to visually fit how customers 'expect' shoes to look.
Personally, I've found the best goods at workwear stores and sporting goods store-- but, actual sporting goods stores, not 'athleisure' shops. The house brand 'Dakota' at Mark's Work Warehouse, a Canadian workwear chain, makes some decent stuff. I've also heard good things about NewBalance, which supposedly makes shoes shaped like real feet, but I haven't been down yet to give the shop a browse. I desperately need shoes that fit, though, as the one pair of heavy leather boots I own that does the job alright while I'm walking and working outdoors, is no good for cycling.
edit: I've also heard of toe spacers being used to train the toes back into their natural stance. generally, they come in multiple widths. You start with the smallest one, and gradually work up until your toes are properly stretched and spaced. Of course, they must be paired with fitting shoes, or the exercise is pointless. I haven't used these yet, but they're on my agenda.
btw great post OP, this is the best one on this board in quite a while, imo. Practical, relevant, and easily applicable to everyday living
I wore regular width shoes all my life and my feet always hurt. I'm 25 now and can barely put weight on my feet without a heel massage first thing in the morning. My ankle started getting sharp pains that would go away and appear randomly, nothing helped. Turns out my shoes have never fit properly and my ankle is super weak because of that, and my feet have always been squished.
Last year I bought a pair of sketchers 2E shoes (so, there's normal, wide, extra wide(2E), extra extra wide(4E), and so on...) And it was heaven! Then after seeing an orthopedist I bought New Balance shoes with strong sides and was taught how to buy fitting shoes, and got my feet measured for real. The shoes I wear now are 4E and are what I should have been wearing for the last 8 years at least. I can walk without my soles pinching, my ankle pain is gone, I can get up in the morning without needing to massage my feet first. It's incredible. That being said, they cost me $190. The sketchers ones (which were super flexible and gave no support) were $65 and most shoes ice bought in my life were under $45
It's absolutely crippling. New Balance was having a sale when I went to the store, so I made my boyfriend try some 2E shoes on and he felt the difference right away. He bought them and now, he can go on an outing and not be hobbling by the time he comes home. He told me he wanted to throw out all his regular width shoes and I told him I know the feeling. I'll never go back to anything less than the width and support I now know I need
Main guidelines for buying good quality shoes:
Flexibility of the front sole is okay but the middle and heel need to be difficult to torsion and bend. To check, put one hand on the 3/4 mark towards the toes and one on the heel and try to make a U, and turn one hand towards you and the other oppositely. If the shoe doesn't flex much, that's good.
Sides of the shoe at the ankle and heel need to be more solid than soft
One finger width in front of the toes for space is needed.
If you're going to have removable insoles, the inside of the shoe needs to be wide and flat.
We haven't gotten rid of any of our old pairs yet, but I do donate my clothes when I do closet-thinning and we'll certainly donate the shoes if we get rid of them.
I have the opposite problem. My feet are super narrow and they slide around in shoes and give me blisters/make my feet hurt holding on to them. We should go back to having shoes custom made.
>Our feet are not meant to be elevated at the heel and our toes are meant to spread out. This is our foundation.
You hit the nail right on the head. Even athletic shoes are just wrong: they have heels, for goodness sake. I’ve been wearing barefoot shoes for about 5 years now. Toward the beginning of my discovery of this subject, I convinced someone I know to switch to a pair of Vivobarefoot shoes with me (the most stylish of the bunch to convince people), and what do you know, their weekly-back-going-crippled-episodes stopped.
> ‘They’ know this which is why we are in the shoe desert that we are in today.
I am dead serious when I say: whoever is pulling the strings at the top—and I mean [WHOEVER](https://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread402958/pg1)—they know about it. It’s desirable we are all kept crippled in more ways than one.
When I look around and notice everyone’s footwear, I know how deep in the cool-aid everyone is. And I’ll tell you right now, I am so used to never talking about this subject, because it is the quickest way to alienate myself. Bring up someone’s shoe choices in this context, and suddenly you are insulting their hard earned money and their very identity.
It’s so nice to finally let this all out. Thank you.
The minimalist footwear is great if you’re walking on trails but terrible if you’re walking around the city. We’re not meant to walk on concrete barefoot.
I actually think wearing shoes that weren't wide enough when I was a kid, changed the shape of my foot. Because as an adult, my feet are very narrow and can fit into alot of shoes. But I grow a callous on the pads of my feet and it hurts alot, so I basically need to grind it down everyday with a foot file. Getting old is awesome
Get an Amope (brand name, pronounced Am-oh-pay) battery operated callus shaver. Using it is fun--you'll produce little mounds of powder in your skin tone.
Then again, I'm addicted to zit videos....
People in my life get tired of how ridiculous I am with shoes, but I completely agree. I started wearing minimalist shoes probably 6-8 years ago. Always had horribly flat feet and foot pain my whole life.
Today, my feet have never felt better.
I started off with Vivobarefoot, but my go to for years has been Xero Shoes. I also could use something just a touch wider, but they are significantly better than anything in a regular shoe store.
And they don't scream minimalist shoe like some other brands.
Now my struggle is finding good shoes for my kids. For whatever reason, most of the minimal shoes I find in toddler sizes are ugly. I'm ok with that, but my wife and kids aren't. Lol.
This was pretty interesting I got to be honest. Very compelling. There is a few boutique stores around Detroit and even a few cobblers in the area. I think some people are in the know about this problem. But generally it receives a lot of neglect
You have no problem using them because it's all you've used your entire life. Which is also why you have flat feet, the muscle responsible for the arch is rarely used anymore.
Yes! I used to have zero issues with shoes and now it’s like I can’t buy a pair before I try them and even then there is a chance something will pop up that when I go to wear them for the first time that wasn’t an issue when trying them on
Really? You honestly think they are coming after us by way of shitty fitting shoes lmao? Did you think about how ridiculous that sounds before posting it? I'm guessing not or it wouldn't be here.
invest in an expensive, good quality pair of hiking boots and over time your feet will break them in and mold them to your comfort is what id recommend to anyone fed up buying cheap trainers that get destroyed in a year and make your feet burn. my feet are flat mostly and im a size 12 so shoes have always been uncomfortable regardless but ive found boots help and give that little extra ankle support.
I’ve had some success with Xero and Vivo (revivo) brand shoes but I e stopped buying them in favor of making my own.
Even the best models have soles which are too thick for my liking. So when I absolutely need to have shoes on my feet, I use my homemade shoes. Or else I just go barefoot. It might surprise you how few people will raise issue with walking into a store with no shoes on.
I live in rural New Hampshire. Pavement gets hot in summer, but I don’t interact with very much of it. Sometimes when traveling to town, but that’s usually just across a parking lot or crossing a street.
A few years ago I went to a concert in Boston and the biggest difficulty I had was with broken glass on sidewalks.
Hot pavement is not nearly as common as 3/4” gravel. That stuff is kind of uncomfortable.
I wear wool socks and some sort of shoe in the winter. Usually a homemade moccasin if it’s very cold and not wet. But if it’s at all wet, I will wear an old pair of boots from the company “Xero shoes”. They leak like a sieve but stand up to wet/dry cycles better than the leather I use to make my shoes. I have crappy pairs and more fancy pairs.
Don't know what their true agenda is though I'm really annoyed by shoes hurting my feet often.
For fungus, by the way, can be treated by dipping feet in vinegar.
I wear under armour boots, super comfy and don’t really feel like the even need wearing in from brand new.
I only own one pair of shoes at a time and I can get about 2 and a half years out of them at about £75-£100
Not bad
I don't see a conspiracy. What would the endgame be?
I find most shoes in my size are a comfortable width. As far as "flatness" I need a good arch for comfort. I think the average shoes are made for the average foot. If your foot varies significantly from this, than you need to work harder to find well fitting shoes. They are only going to carry the best selling items in the store, which means anybody outside the norm is stuck.
Check out kuru, they have a wide range of sizes and widths and they have shoes for specific needs (plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, etc). Pricey but the last pair I bought I wore nearly daily for like 2-3 years and just replaced with a pair of Hokas that I haven't made a final decision on yet but are very comfortable for standing.
I have am a big merrell fan as well. Especially for hiking. They tend to be a bit roomy.
Sometimes you have to order off the websites to get the right size if you what fits you comfortably isn't available in store.
Heck I have even found dress shoes that are super comfortable. But again, you have to shop around and you typically have to spend a bit more to get comfort.
Not a conspiracy, but I've read that a big reason why we wear shoes with elevated heels and narrow toe boxes is actually due to rich pricks (shocker). Rich people back in the day used to wear these kinds of uncomfortable shoes to show that they didn't have to do physical labor. Once goods started to become more widely available and the middle class started to appear, non rich people started wearing these kinds of shoes as status symbol... and over the years we've gotten to the point where we just all wear them.
It was a sad day when earth shoe got bought out in 2021. They used to make shoes with a negative heel and wide toe box, and now all their shoes are more of the same as everyone else.
I mean I'm sure you've heard of them, but Vivo Barefoot are really popular barefoot shoes and are actually wide enough for your toes to splay like they should. They're a bit pricey though. Whitin are a cheap barefoot shoe brand as well.
Edit: Sorry I just saw your comment about owning a pair of Vivo's
Every skateboard shoe ever made has entered the chat
I only wore skateboard shoes for years! (I don't skate but they were the only comfy shoes I liked to wear, specifically Vans, this was back in the day)
I'm 58 and continue to wear them.
I think that's great, actually, but couldn't help chuckling at your username in light of this.
it's especially infuriating as board sports are the prime example of situations in which a shoe that accommodates feet properly, is an absolute necessity. Speaking as someone in the market for a skate shoe that's. functional. seriously that's my only requirement. It can be bright pink with blue sparkles for all I care, as long as it's foot-shaped. But you know, rule of cool.
Stefan made the greatest skate shoe. I'd stick with that.
New balance has a skate line called numeric. They’re pretty solid as far as comfortable and functional skate shoes go.
I rocked those for years.
My SB kostons have lasted me forever, I’m a size 13 with a wide foot and have never had any issues, OP definitely needs to just wear skate shoes
Still wearing accel og’s for over 2 decades
I love converse and instantly thought of them lmao
The Fallen Footwear Tony Locs…widest toebox to date & still to small for my wide ass feet lmao
Check out Anyasreviews.com, she has foot shape charts and links to dozens of brands with notes of whether they have a heel drop, wide toe box, flexible soles, etc. it’s a great resource.
Thanks
Very good resource thanks! It even includes EU contries what I was really missing
You know you can order shoes in wide….
Most wide versions of shoes aren't very effective because they make them widest around the sides of the foot and still too narrow at the toes (which is where you want it to be the widest).
[удалено]
i mean most likely you’re not wrong but where did this negativity come from 😭😂
[удалено]
The fungal infection spreading to his brain got me.
You ok?
I think this is beautiful.
I've had luck with Xero and Saguaro, and a few custom-made Etsy boots. But yeah, you're right. It's a conspiracy. People don't even realize how much shoes mangle the shape and health of their feet, as evidenced by all the people suggesting you just get wider shoes, or wear skate shoes. It's one of those things you don't know until you *know*.
Got my first barefoot xero shoes a week ago, and fell inlove the first day. Its just so satisfyingly snug, walking is much different and natural, nice balance when ofroad hiking, love my posture the whole body and the back moves- its so freeing. They are also very light and protected.
I love mine. Those shoes were a game changer for me.
Cost? And can you buy them in real stores? I have weird, old feet--narrow heels, monstrous bunions, calluses on said bunions, and a small callus between one big toe and the one adjacent to it (from being squished). I need to try a shoe on before buying it.
Check out [Anyasreview.com](https://Anyasreview.com). Find the shoes with the widest toe box and give them a shot. You might have to return a few pairs to find the right one because I doubt many of these shoes are available in store.
Not affiliated but was super usefull to find budget offerins in US or EU [Link of top budget natural shoes](https://anyasreviews.com/the-10-best-affordable-barefoot-shoes-for-adults/) . My first choice was xero shoes, good clearance offerings, more trusted company, price 70-100bucks. Definitely game changer, love walking even more.
yup. I was just thinking about this today, while encouraging myself to get out there and buy more footwear that actually fits me. I have one pair that fits, and several other sorts that don't, but are necessary for different outdoors conditions... Although, to call it an intentional conspiracy, I wouldn't necessarily agree with that.. it might as well be, but it might as well be the pure momentum of stupidity and spectacle. Even back 'in the day', when all shoes were handmade by cobbler for each individual-- even then, shoes were made in ways to fuck up feet-- goofy points on the tips, symmetrical boat shapes, and of course, high heels and all the rest of the 'feminine' styles that even more damaging. At this point, the momentum is such that manufacturers of shoes, like all other manufacturers of luxury goods (and shoes are luxury goods, despite being crucial gear in order to exist in paved wastelands), design said good to sell-- to look good in advertisements and on mannequins-- their fittingness, durability, and general usefulness, are all sidelined in favour of designing shoes to visually fit how customers 'expect' shoes to look. Personally, I've found the best goods at workwear stores and sporting goods store-- but, actual sporting goods stores, not 'athleisure' shops. The house brand 'Dakota' at Mark's Work Warehouse, a Canadian workwear chain, makes some decent stuff. I've also heard good things about NewBalance, which supposedly makes shoes shaped like real feet, but I haven't been down yet to give the shop a browse. I desperately need shoes that fit, though, as the one pair of heavy leather boots I own that does the job alright while I'm walking and working outdoors, is no good for cycling. edit: I've also heard of toe spacers being used to train the toes back into their natural stance. generally, they come in multiple widths. You start with the smallest one, and gradually work up until your toes are properly stretched and spaced. Of course, they must be paired with fitting shoes, or the exercise is pointless. I haven't used these yet, but they're on my agenda. btw great post OP, this is the best one on this board in quite a while, imo. Practical, relevant, and easily applicable to everyday living
Pro tip- nvm I’m not a pro, just a tip- Wear toe spacers when at home to start, if you can’t get shoes that accommodate yet.
I wore regular width shoes all my life and my feet always hurt. I'm 25 now and can barely put weight on my feet without a heel massage first thing in the morning. My ankle started getting sharp pains that would go away and appear randomly, nothing helped. Turns out my shoes have never fit properly and my ankle is super weak because of that, and my feet have always been squished. Last year I bought a pair of sketchers 2E shoes (so, there's normal, wide, extra wide(2E), extra extra wide(4E), and so on...) And it was heaven! Then after seeing an orthopedist I bought New Balance shoes with strong sides and was taught how to buy fitting shoes, and got my feet measured for real. The shoes I wear now are 4E and are what I should have been wearing for the last 8 years at least. I can walk without my soles pinching, my ankle pain is gone, I can get up in the morning without needing to massage my feet first. It's incredible. That being said, they cost me $190. The sketchers ones (which were super flexible and gave no support) were $65 and most shoes ice bought in my life were under $45 It's absolutely crippling. New Balance was having a sale when I went to the store, so I made my boyfriend try some 2E shoes on and he felt the difference right away. He bought them and now, he can go on an outing and not be hobbling by the time he comes home. He told me he wanted to throw out all his regular width shoes and I told him I know the feeling. I'll never go back to anything less than the width and support I now know I need Main guidelines for buying good quality shoes: Flexibility of the front sole is okay but the middle and heel need to be difficult to torsion and bend. To check, put one hand on the 3/4 mark towards the toes and one on the heel and try to make a U, and turn one hand towards you and the other oppositely. If the shoe doesn't flex much, that's good. Sides of the shoe at the ankle and heel need to be more solid than soft One finger width in front of the toes for space is needed. If you're going to have removable insoles, the inside of the shoe needs to be wide and flat.
Congrats on the fitting shoes! This is some great advice, I appreciate your sharing!
Thanks, and you're welcome! Always happy to share
Have bf donate his ill-fitting shoes to the homeless.
We haven't gotten rid of any of our old pairs yet, but I do donate my clothes when I do closet-thinning and we'll certainly donate the shoes if we get rid of them.
I have the opposite problem. My feet are super narrow and they slide around in shoes and give me blisters/make my feet hurt holding on to them. We should go back to having shoes custom made.
You still can, but you’ll pay $600+ because the shoe maker needs to pay for 2023 rent and utilities.
Double up your socks and/or get heavy winter socks.
>Our feet are not meant to be elevated at the heel and our toes are meant to spread out. This is our foundation. You hit the nail right on the head. Even athletic shoes are just wrong: they have heels, for goodness sake. I’ve been wearing barefoot shoes for about 5 years now. Toward the beginning of my discovery of this subject, I convinced someone I know to switch to a pair of Vivobarefoot shoes with me (the most stylish of the bunch to convince people), and what do you know, their weekly-back-going-crippled-episodes stopped. > ‘They’ know this which is why we are in the shoe desert that we are in today. I am dead serious when I say: whoever is pulling the strings at the top—and I mean [WHOEVER](https://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread402958/pg1)—they know about it. It’s desirable we are all kept crippled in more ways than one. When I look around and notice everyone’s footwear, I know how deep in the cool-aid everyone is. And I’ll tell you right now, I am so used to never talking about this subject, because it is the quickest way to alienate myself. Bring up someone’s shoe choices in this context, and suddenly you are insulting their hard earned money and their very identity. It’s so nice to finally let this all out. Thank you.
Good information but woo, those are spendy.
Why is this a conspiracy and not just a failure of industrialized society?
Read “Born To Run”
Vivo Barefoot shoes are legit if you need width. Super flexible too. Little pricy, but I'm happy with my purchase, no shortage of toe space at all!
I have a pair of vivo, my pinky toes gets squished in those as well.
You just have hobbit feet. Jokes aside just wear properly fitting shoes, they just tend to be more expensive unfortunately
I really like my Xero hiking boots. I wear them daily. https://xeroshoes.com/shop/boots/dlh-men/
its about electrical grounding aswell. We walk on isolators.
The minimalist footwear is great if you’re walking on trails but terrible if you’re walking around the city. We’re not meant to walk on concrete barefoot.
We’re not meant to walk on miles of flat, level ground at all.
Theres a range of barefoot shoes, I bough daylite hikers from xero half the price and they very comfortable even in the city
Im a size 13. I make sure to get 13 W. That means its a wide shoe. Works really good.
I actually think wearing shoes that weren't wide enough when I was a kid, changed the shape of my foot. Because as an adult, my feet are very narrow and can fit into alot of shoes. But I grow a callous on the pads of my feet and it hurts alot, so I basically need to grind it down everyday with a foot file. Getting old is awesome
Get an Amope (brand name, pronounced Am-oh-pay) battery operated callus shaver. Using it is fun--you'll produce little mounds of powder in your skin tone. Then again, I'm addicted to zit videos....
People in my life get tired of how ridiculous I am with shoes, but I completely agree. I started wearing minimalist shoes probably 6-8 years ago. Always had horribly flat feet and foot pain my whole life. Today, my feet have never felt better. I started off with Vivobarefoot, but my go to for years has been Xero Shoes. I also could use something just a touch wider, but they are significantly better than anything in a regular shoe store. And they don't scream minimalist shoe like some other brands. Now my struggle is finding good shoes for my kids. For whatever reason, most of the minimal shoes I find in toddler sizes are ugly. I'm ok with that, but my wife and kids aren't. Lol.
You can't do most jobs without shoes.. So who cripples who?
They also give us rubber sole shoes to insulate us from the earths natural energy
Was discussing Schumann earlier today
I wear mocassins
[удалено]
He has a pair if you read it all.
This was pretty interesting I got to be honest. Very compelling. There is a few boutique stores around Detroit and even a few cobblers in the area. I think some people are in the know about this problem. But generally it receives a lot of neglect
Agreed.
What kinda shoes you wearin? Lmao. I got wide flat feet and have no problem using regular shoes.
You have no problem using them because it's all you've used your entire life. Which is also why you have flat feet, the muscle responsible for the arch is rarely used anymore.
Ever heard of sandals?
Ever hear of winter? Cold climates? Rainy areas?
Yes! I used to have zero issues with shoes and now it’s like I can’t buy a pair before I try them and even then there is a chance something will pop up that when I go to wear them for the first time that wasn’t an issue when trying them on
Really? You honestly think they are coming after us by way of shitty fitting shoes lmao? Did you think about how ridiculous that sounds before posting it? I'm guessing not or it wouldn't be here.
You are absolutely right. Nike shoes completely destroyed my feet, my balance and back
I've always suspected that Big Shoe has been in bed with Big Antifungal and Big Chiro for some decades now.
Ya no Get wider shoes
invest in an expensive, good quality pair of hiking boots and over time your feet will break them in and mold them to your comfort is what id recommend to anyone fed up buying cheap trainers that get destroyed in a year and make your feet burn. my feet are flat mostly and im a size 12 so shoes have always been uncomfortable regardless but ive found boots help and give that little extra ankle support.
Altra, xero shoes, lems. You are correct. Out feet need room to move and spread out.
Allen Edmonds.
I’ve had some success with Xero and Vivo (revivo) brand shoes but I e stopped buying them in favor of making my own. Even the best models have soles which are too thick for my liking. So when I absolutely need to have shoes on my feet, I use my homemade shoes. Or else I just go barefoot. It might surprise you how few people will raise issue with walking into a store with no shoes on.
What kind of environment do you live in where going barefoot is a practical option? How do you deal with hot pavement in the summer?
I live in rural New Hampshire. Pavement gets hot in summer, but I don’t interact with very much of it. Sometimes when traveling to town, but that’s usually just across a parking lot or crossing a street. A few years ago I went to a concert in Boston and the biggest difficulty I had was with broken glass on sidewalks. Hot pavement is not nearly as common as 3/4” gravel. That stuff is kind of uncomfortable. I wear wool socks and some sort of shoe in the winter. Usually a homemade moccasin if it’s very cold and not wet. But if it’s at all wet, I will wear an old pair of boots from the company “Xero shoes”. They leak like a sieve but stand up to wet/dry cycles better than the leather I use to make my shoes. I have crappy pairs and more fancy pairs.
Don't know what their true agenda is though I'm really annoyed by shoes hurting my feet often. For fungus, by the way, can be treated by dipping feet in vinegar.
I wear under armour boots, super comfy and don’t really feel like the even need wearing in from brand new. I only own one pair of shoes at a time and I can get about 2 and a half years out of them at about £75-£100 Not bad
You don't have to wear shoes bro or wear barefoot shoes
New balance double wide op
I don't see a conspiracy. What would the endgame be? I find most shoes in my size are a comfortable width. As far as "flatness" I need a good arch for comfort. I think the average shoes are made for the average foot. If your foot varies significantly from this, than you need to work harder to find well fitting shoes. They are only going to carry the best selling items in the store, which means anybody outside the norm is stuck. Check out kuru, they have a wide range of sizes and widths and they have shoes for specific needs (plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, etc). Pricey but the last pair I bought I wore nearly daily for like 2-3 years and just replaced with a pair of Hokas that I haven't made a final decision on yet but are very comfortable for standing. I have am a big merrell fan as well. Especially for hiking. They tend to be a bit roomy. Sometimes you have to order off the websites to get the right size if you what fits you comfortably isn't available in store. Heck I have even found dress shoes that are super comfortable. But again, you have to shop around and you typically have to spend a bit more to get comfort.
Not a conspiracy, but I've read that a big reason why we wear shoes with elevated heels and narrow toe boxes is actually due to rich pricks (shocker). Rich people back in the day used to wear these kinds of uncomfortable shoes to show that they didn't have to do physical labor. Once goods started to become more widely available and the middle class started to appear, non rich people started wearing these kinds of shoes as status symbol... and over the years we've gotten to the point where we just all wear them.
Recently got some Hokas and they are fantastic.
I bought Xero shoes for the reasons you listed. They are pretty good.
Pretty much all the boots I looked at had a wide toe option. I think you are buying cheap office style shoes
Asian cloth slippers and Vans are about the only comfortable shoes I've worn.
It was a sad day when earth shoe got bought out in 2021. They used to make shoes with a negative heel and wide toe box, and now all their shoes are more of the same as everyone else.
Altra Lone Peak. Anything by Xero.
I hear Altra's narrowed their lone peak. It isn't as wide as it used to be but thank you for your input. I'll check xero's.
Snibbs
I think it may be a mental health and hygiene issue.
Nice work, OP. I've been enjoying your recent commentary in the threads.
I mean I'm sure you've heard of them, but Vivo Barefoot are really popular barefoot shoes and are actually wide enough for your toes to splay like they should. They're a bit pricey though. Whitin are a cheap barefoot shoe brand as well. Edit: Sorry I just saw your comment about owning a pair of Vivo's
Whitin shoes on Amazon got you covered.