Why aren’t shoes shaped like feet? A history of shoes

This story has two components, and I’m going to start with the second.

History of shoes: The Pouline's: The Nike of medieval Europe

Back in medieval Europe, around the 12th century, there was a popular shoe style called the Pouline. They had this super narrow pointed toe and made of leather, and this is what the upper middle class or the higher society sort of people wore as a symbol of their status. Now, these shoes were worn by the upper class and wealthier members of society. All the cool kids had a pair.

Around the same time in medieval China starting around the 10th century, foot binding was commonplace in women of higher social status. These women would have their feet strapped from a young age to deliberately stunt and interrupt their natural growth. This would leave the woman with a deformed, smaller, delicate foot that was effectively useless.

The scariest thing about this foot binding is that it was only banned in China in 1912. Just over 100 years ago!

Why are shoes so narrow? Footware of the 21st Century

And we have this social and stylistic hangover from back from the middle ages where a pointed shoe has become a symbol of status and wealth (which in the 21st century is translated to fashionable and stylish), and the idea of smaller, dainty feet being a desirable trait, particularly in women.

So by spending the majority of your day in a narrow toe sneaker or dress/work shoe, it's a (lesser) modern equivalent of that Chinese foot binding practice where the shoe is dictating the shape of your feet. Over time that restriction and control dictated by the shoe can permanently disfigure and tighten the joints of the foot, leading to a whole host of foot, ankle and lower limb issues.

This problem is particularly concerning with kids. The bones of a child's feet don’t fully harden and take their final shape until the mid to late teenage years. From kindergarten children are put into tight restrictive shoes for the majority of every day. That foot is going to comply with the shape of their footwear taking on a narrower forefoot, weakened arches and altered movement patterns.

The big problem for me is this fashion statement has become a heavy influence on athletic footwear without any real consideration for the potential ramifications.

Why are running shoes supposed to be tight?

The second part of the history of shoes has to do with the modern invention of the running shoe, beginning in the 1970's with the Nike-inspired jogging revolution.

There are three traditional rules that have driven the design of modern shoes. Some of these are useful, some might be leading to injuries and causing problems such as shin splints, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures or even contributing to growing pains like Osgood Schlatters and Severs in kids.

1. Cushioning under the heel to absorb forces

This is explored in depth in the video below. Cushioning has a place (especially in walking) but not all the time, and not to the extreme degree it has reached.

Since the literal invention and rise of Jogging in the 70's, injury rates among runners have climbed continuously (ref) despite innovations and advances in shoe technology. Maybe more motion control, more cushioning and more arch support are not the answer?

2. Arch support

Support through the middle of the arch here to create control of pronation and supination. Arch support and orthotics are a whole can of worms, which we will get to another time. The constant arch support that modern human's walk around with is like putting your arm in a cast and wondering why your forearm muscles have wasted away. The weak feet and calves from under use can lead to conditions like Shin splints and Severs in children

3. A narrow toe box

This is to keep the forefoot and toes firmly and securely in place.

All three of these traditional rules for shoes are highly contentious, but it's this third rule that I want to bust wide open in the rest of this article.

Foot shaped shoes, let your toes work!

Separating and spreading all five toes should be a normal level of mobility and control

The thing with your foot is it has many similarities to your hand. You can spread all five fingers of your hand apart easily. If you had fingers that were stuck together and couldn’t spread, that would be a real problem. it’s the same for your foot. You should be able to spread your toes apart evenly much like you can spread your fingers apart*. The wider you can spread your toes, the wider your base of support.

*Maybe not quite as wide, I mean you're not a monkey.

One of the separations between homo sapiens and the rest of the primate family is that our foot developed for the ground and gait. Meanwhile monkeys, chimpanzees etc kept the more hand-like foot for climbing trees. More in this in a future post.

A wider forefoot and toe spread improves our centre of balance and improves the ability to feel and control the ground. The other thing is, your big toe should shoot straight out of the front of your foot. It should not angle in the way narrow shoes might force it . The big toe is an absolutely critical part of the kinetic chain, as the last point to push the ground, if that big toe doesn’t push up straight (or push at all), we lose hip extension, glute activation, and power through the posterior kinetic chain. No big toe, no vertical, no speed, and no lateral power.

Best shoes with wide toe box

When it comes to runners, I think they live on a continuum, so something like Saucony, Asics, or Brooks typically have a narrow tapered toe, while something like a Nike Free has a little bit more room. For me, there are three great brands for find ing a shoe with a wide toe box, zero heel drop and minimal arch support.

Vivo Barefoot

These guys have a super wide toe box, with lots of room for those toes to spread, wiggle and move around like they should, the motion control in these is also pretty minimal making the intrinsic muscles of the foot have to work for themselves. Vivos are the most expensive of the three alternatives shown here, around the $100 and up price per pair.

There are a number of styles and colors in Vivo's many of which can pass as unisex. I quite like this for Mens, while these in all-black or all-white are a great Womens shoe depending on your style!

Vivo also do a range of non-sneaker boots and street shoes. Including these mens leather shoe, and womens slip on

Whitin minimalist shoes

Another great option is the Whitin line of shoes, again available in Mens and womens. These shoes have a little more padding in the sole (but still a zero drop and an aesthetic that more closely matches a typical casual or street sneaker.

At last check (May 2024) Whitin shoes priced for around $30-50 USD.

Joomra

A third brand and style is Joomra. With a range of styles from quirky hiking type aesthetics (complete with flat tough soles) through to stylist street sneakers, Joomra look great and tick all the boxes for a minimalist wide toed shoe.

Prices around 25-45 USD, Joomra are available in mens styles and womens.

Foot shaped shoes

If you want to take your minimalist shoe to the next level you can get a pair of toe-shoes.

The most popular brand is Vibram FiveFingers, available in both Mens and womens.

You will also need toe socks to go with these shoes (otherwise the foot odour will reach toxic levels very fast!)

Run faster and easier with the right shoes

If you are interested in improving your running technique, we have a number of blogs and videos on the topic.

You can start with this article and video: A bare foot running transition program

Or, if you are struggling with shin splints, this simple routine tip will help