Would You Have Elective Foot Surgery For The Sake of Shoes?
Jezebel recaps a Nightline story that profiles a woman who had her toe voluntarily dislocated, sawed and reset so that her feet would better fit high heels. Apparently, the woman profiled isn’t the only one going for elective foot surgery, and toe shortening and foot pad injections of fat are a hot new area for plastic surgery.
We're not going to even guess at how much surgery these would require.
As the personal owner of really long, narrow feet (US size 12, European size 44, UK size 10) it’s not impossible to understand how someone could get past the initial shock value of broken toes and bone saws for the prospect of escaping the “comfort” shoes that tend to dominate in specialty sizes. In the case of foot pad injections, it’s a procedure that takes fat from a patient’s midriff and transfers it to the ball of the foot. It’s definitely not impossible to understand the appeal of less stomach fat, and more comfortable walking. Crunches and cardio may help with the first part, but they can’t do anything for the balls of your feet.
Still, does this just point to the need for some disruption in how we buy shoes? Shirt makers and dress designers have caught on to the problems that people face in finding a good fit with clothing. Making body modifications to fit an item of clothing isn’t unheard of: lots of women have a dress or pair of jeans they hope will serve as motivation for losing an inch or two, women with small chests may keep a pair of chicken cutlets in the back of the lingerie drawer to help fill out a certain top. When it comes down to it though, we have hunch that more people would rather pay for tailoring than surgery.
While there are stores and services that let you choose the color of your heel, or the fabric your shoe is made in, most operate on standard shoe sizes rather than individual patterns. Even high-end shoe makers don’t offer any couture style services where you can get a shoe that’s a little wider in the toe box, or a bit more narrow in the heel. Or maybe, you’d just like a little extra padding in certain areas and Dr. Scholl’s inserts don’t always do the trick. If for whatever reason flats (which can be easier to customize when it comes to padding, at least) aren’t your thing, your main options are comfort shoes that may make a weird attempt at fashion (ahem: Jimmy Choo, Teva, that’s you), or comfort shoes that don’t really try at all.
For now, if you can’t find cute shoes that fit, it looks like surgery may actually be the easiest option even if it does seem to be one small step backwards.
