Why can’t shoe sizes reflect today’s reality?  Modern culture, diet and lifestyle changes over the last 60 years have increased the size of the average woman’s foot from approximately US size 6 in the 1950’s to US size 9 today according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Yet the footwear needs of women with bigger feet have largely been ignored by the footwear industry despite evidence showing that demand for bigger sizes such as 10, 11, 12, and 13 is on the rise. 

Approximately 40% of women in the USA wear a US size 9 shoe or larger, yet many retailers as a rule stock sizes only up to US size 9 or if you’re lucky you might find some styles in size 10 or 11 (any bigger then you’ll seriously start to struggle). Where they stock larger sizes, fewer shoes in those sizes (up to 75% fewer in larger sizes) are held. 

Many designers create women’s shoes in smaller sizes and then scale them up to bigger sizes, making little or no allowance for the look, or the fit of the shoe or indeed the comfort of the wearer. A shoe designed in smaller sizes does not consider the mechanics of a bigger foot e.g. the way the weight is distributed in the shoe and how the foot might move in the shoe. 

Sizing is inconsistent and requires guesswork to determine whether a shoe billed as a specific size will actually fit true to that size. This is often exacerbated the larger the shoe size. 

We have a lot of love for those few designers, manufacturers, and retailers who have heeded the need to cater for larger shoe sizes and have done it so well. However there is still work to be done. We are tired of having to choose between style and comfort, and bearing the pain of ill-fitting shoes in silence especially if we don’t have to. We are asking that the footwear industry (designers, manufacturers, and retailers): 

Your voice can help to make a change, and you don’t have to be a woman to support this petition. Please sign our petition so that we can no longer be ignored or send it to a woman you know with big feet. Add your voice to the campaign. 

Together we are  LOUDER!!!    

Let’s start a big shoe revolution.

Helping you find the most beautiful shoes online in sizes 10 to 16. This is a campaign that's close to our hearts. The difficulties of growing up with large feet and finding shoes that fit is one of the reasons we established isybshoes.com.