Musing

a pair of feet with spread toes, wearing toe socks, seen from above, wearing minimal leather sandals with pale veg-tan leather soles and black nylon straps.

Feet are not symmetrical, and naturally have toes that spread at least as wide as the ball of the foot. So why does most footwear have toe shapes that taper symmetrically around a line drawn down the center of the foot?

Why wide toe areas are so important
Why flat, flexible soles are best
Common problems with bought footwear
Resources: some website, books and courses I've found useful

Why is it so hard to buy shoes that fit well?

I have been asking myself this question for most of my life. Like many people, I have had problems finding comfortable shoes since I was a child. Having spent a few years making my own footwear, I have come to think that we are caught in a cultural catch-22, and have been for decades if not centuries, at least in Western cultures:

We don’t know what good footwear should look and feel like. Rather, most people think that pointy-toed shoes with heels, stiff soles and toe spring are best, for both women and men. So we prefer to buy shoes with these traits, especially if they’re cheap.
After wearing bad shoes from toddlerhood onwards, our feet have become malformed, and our brains have learned to ignore the signals that our feet send when they’re uncomfortable. As a result, many of us can’t feel the damage that footwear is causing our feet until it’s seriously advanced, by which time it may be irreversible. When we do register pain from our feet, we seek stability aids, cushioning and orthotics that may provide temporary relief in the short term but actually exacerbate the problems in the long term, by continuing to to stop our feet working naturally.
Bad footwear can not only deform our feet, but also cause us to change our gait and posture with knock-on effects on other parts of our body. Therefore, transitioning to better footwear after decades in poor footwear can be expensive, time-consuming and painful. We may actually reject footwear that’s better for our feet because it doesn’t feel normal or comfortable.
Hence, it may not be profitable enough for shoemakers to make and market good alternatives to conventional footwear, even if they are aware what traits good footwear should have (and I am convinced many don’t know; after all, why learn how to make shoes that then prove difficult to sell?).

A pale-skinned left foot standing on a white piece of paper with a purple line traced around the edge of the foot. The toenails are painted various colors: pink, red, yellow, green, and purple.

Our feet let us walk, run, jump and skip. Why is footwear that will deform them so ubiquitous?

Bare feet are best. Minimalist styles are next-best

For most of human existence, most people went barefoot most of the time. Today, social norms require us to wear footwear for extended periods.

Almost all footwear prevents natural foot movement.

How can we find shoes, boots and sandals that do least damage to our bodies?

We can try to buy so-called minimalist or barefoot styles. These should have characteristics that let feet move as naturally as possible: wide toes, and completely flat, flexible soles (no raised heels, toe spring or stiff shanks)
If we can't buy what we need, we can make them ourselves.