Taking care of your feet is essential for numerous reasons—we've previously explored how a small strip of tape can dramatically reduce the discomfort caused by high heels—but the latest findings on shoe sizing are truly astonishing. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, a study indicates that roughly half of all women in the United Kingdom are walking around in incorrectly sized shoes. Yes, you read that right.
Conducted by the College of Podiatry and released last month, the study surveyed 2,000 adults. It found that one-third of men and almost half of women confessed to buying footwear that didn't fit properly. While slipping into a pair of heels that feels a bit snug might not seem like a big deal at the moment (they'll stretch, right?), wearing ill-fitting shoes can lead to a range of negative health outcomes. These include hammertoe deformities, the development of bunions, persistent foot pain, and even issues like headaches and back pain.
What's the fix? Never wear a pair of shoes unless you've verified they fit correctly. In practice, this makes online shoe shopping tricky when you're unfamiliar with a brand—if they don't fit upon arrival, you should send them back. More importantly, taking accurate measurements of your feet to identify the size you should be wearing is essential. Years ago, most people had their feet professionally measured on a regular basis. Today, that practice is rare. But here's the good news: you can do it yourself.
Scroll down for eight simple DIY steps to measure your own feet and find your proper shoe size.
If you don't have genuine notebook paper, a standard piece of paper will work just fine.
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We recommend sitting on a chair or crouching rather than standing. Also, ensure you're on a truly flat surface, such as a hardwood floor area in your home.
Next up! Tips to stop your shoes from squeaking.
Use a pen or pencil for this step to avoid leaving heavy marks on your foot or sock. When finished, your foot tracing should appear inside a rectangle.
With a ruler, draw a perfectly straight line along each side of your foot: the toes, both sides, and the heel.
Using your ruler, measure the inches between the two parallel lines on each side of your foot—top to bottom and side to side. Note these two numbers.
This accounts for the tiny extra space between your foot and the straight lines.
Size 4: 8 3/16″ or 20.8 cm in length
Size 4.5: 8 5/16″ or 21.3 cm
Size 5: 8 11/16″ or 21.6 cm
Size 5.5: 8 13/16″ or 22.2 cm
Size 6: 9″ or 22.5 cm
Size 6.5: 9 3/16″ or 23 cm
Size 7: 9 5/16″ or 23.5 cm
Size 7.5: 9 1/2″ or 23.8 cm
Size 8: 9 11/16″ or 24.1 cm
Size 8.5: 9 13/16″ or 24.6 cm
Size 9: 10″ or 25.1 cm
Size 9.5: 10 3/16″ or 25.4 cm
Size 10: 10 5/16″ or 25.9 cm
Size 10.5: 10 1/2″ or 26.2 cm
Size 11: 10 11/16″ or 26.7 cm
Size 11.5: 10 13/16″ or 27.1 cm
Size 12: 11″ or 27.6 cm
Most shoes don't include special width sizes, though a few indicate if they're particularly narrow. If you need it, here's a helpful chart to determine your appropriate shoe width size.
Now shop some of the shoes we're currently coveting with your correct shoe size.
