Transgender |
The ultimate test for a shoe is to try it on and walk in it for a while. At $30 to $100’s of dollars, you want to get something that is comfortable. When trying on a shoe, feel the pressure on the toe’s. Does it seem to uniformly squeeze all toes or just one or two toes? Does the heel shift up and down or side to side when you walk? Do you feel any strain in any other part of the body that you think will get worse the longer you wear the shoe? This could mean the heel is too high or the toe shape is not right for your foot. Not everyone can wear the fashions they desire. Needless stress on your foot will only come back to haunt you later. Always wear the type of sock that you plan to wear with the shoe when trying on shoes. Nylons for dress shoes, foot liner for casual summer shoes, socks for every day casual wear. If the shoe seems to shift on the foot, don’t buy it. Women’s shoes are designed to fit snugly. Also when wearing a shoe with a nylon, be sure you don’t position the seam against a pressure point or on the outside side of your small toe, as it will give you a blister. Once when on a extensive shopping trip in my favorite 2 3/4" heels, I got a nasty blister on the outside of my small toe. Now these shoes never bother me. What had happened was the toe seam on the nylons got between my little toe and the shoe. After a few hours of rubbing, a blister formed. Same for the great (big) toe by the ball, and it’s side. These are the pressure points of the shoe. A lump of stocking will dig the seam into your toe. Finally don’t be afraid to return the shoe if it doesn’t fit. I once bought a pair of flats. I tried them on in the store, walked around and decided they fit fine. I got out to the car and put them on for the day. After about a half hour in them I realized they were too tight. I returned them the next day. Cheap shoes will not cushion you foot as well as the better shoes. The materials in the better shoes will not only feel better, they will keep your foot from over heating and becoming too damp from sweat. The pointed toe shoe styles seem to work well for me. One day when I was shopping in some round toe shoes, with good quality nylons on, I found out that I had ruined both stockings. What had happened was my big toe was being pushed against the toe of the shoe. Even though my toe nails were well trimmed, I eventually tore the nylons up. The pointed toe shoe eliminates the end pressure on the toe. If the shoe is loose, this grinding of the toe into the end of the shoe will also happen. What if you can’t find the perfect fit? Lets say you normally wear a size 11, but a particular shoe you like in that size is loose. You ask for a size 10 but find it is too tight. Being a logical person you ask for a size 10 1/2, but are told you can’t get that shoe in a half size. You really want that shoe in the worst way. Well you may have another option. If the shoe is a boot, you can pad up by wearing a thick sock tucked out of sight. If it is a heel shoe, your options just got smaller. You might try a pad under the ball of the foot to push up the foot into the shoe. You can try a heel pad to push the foot into the shoe. I another trick that sort of works is to glue pads on the sides of the foot behind the toes. That is a pad beside the ball and a pad beside the little toe. The main problem with this technique is getting the pad properly positioned and glued with adhesive that won’t let the pad move. Weldwood contact cement works as does Elmers wood glue if the pad is made of leather. Foam pads don’t work. Dr. Shols pads sort of work on the sides. They work for the sole pad and heel pad areas. Remember women’s shoes hold by pinching the foot around the toe area. Looseness can be partially corrected by putting more pressure in these areas. If you are buying an evening heeled sandle, forget any sort of pading. About all you can hope for is a bandaid on the pressure points to minimize the last strap from digging into you foot. This last strap takes most of the downward and forward pressure from your foot. The smaller it is the more it will dig. Sizing Most people say that if a man’s shoe size is "X" then the woman’s equivalent size is "X+2", that is two sizes larger. My personal experience is no more than one size increase. I wear a men’s narrow size 10 to 10 ½. In a women’s I wear a medium size 11. In fact sometimes I have to buy a women’s shoe for guy wear because the men’s are too wide. You should, at least once, go to a shoe store, get a women’s fitting gauge, and size your foot with it. Write the dimensions down. Now you have a reference with which to work with when you approach the clerk. A woman who says "gee I don’t know what size I wear" obviously just fell off the hay wagon. You will be surprised on how much the actual size will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I’ve even found a variation in size with only a style change. Mail order buying requires a best guess on the size. Not only is trying on the shoe before you buy it important, it is a blast of fun. I can really have a lot of fun just trying on a bunch of shoe styles and feeling the sensations they offer. The feel of an ankle strap around your leg is a really neat feeling. Oh, and don’t forget, when fitting a shoe, make sure you check the fit and ease of putting the shoe on. Once when shoe shopping, I tried on a pair of cross straps. I was never able to get the shoe on my foot properly. I pity the woman who buys these shoes. After a few cramps in my legs and hips trying to contort my body to get them on, I gave up. Remember: if the shoe fits -- buy it, but if the shoe can’t be made to fit -- forget it -- it isn’t worth the hassle. |
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