So, I’m a pretty average-height guy—5’7”. Not tall, not short, just… there. My feet, however, did not get the memo. They are gigantic. Size 15. Which means I leave footprints that suggest someone much larger (or possibly Bigfoot) passed through, got spooked, and took off running.
People always comment. First, the double-take. Then: “Whoa. Those are… big.” And finally, the classic: “How do you even find shoes?”
Badly. That’s how.
Shoe shopping for me is like searching for an ancient artifact. Store clerks disappear into the back, only to return shaking their heads, as if I’d asked for a unicorn saddle. “We might have one pair in the back…” And what they bring out is always tragic—some orthopedic dad sneaker the size of a small canoe, usually in a shade best described as “beige disappointment.”
For a while, I tried to hide it. I slouched. I crammed my toes into size 13s like a Victorian woman chasing a terrible beauty standard. I even considered custom shoes—until I saw the price and briefly thought maybe barefoot life isn’t so bad.
But now? I’ve embraced it. I don’t tip over easily. I get extra legroom on buses just by existing. And when people ask about my shoe size, I just smile and say, “Great for swimming.”
I wear 15 wides and it’s always been a nightmare finding shoes, it’s gotten a bit easier with online shopping after COVID but still very sparse on choices
I hear you. I often take 15 EE as well. At least you’re tall?
You might try an orthopedic shoe company like Drew Shoes. They carry size 15 in multiple widths for a lot of their shoes. They can be a bit pricey, but they have a clearance section that usually has a lot of options.
Yeah I’m pretty much in the same boat. I just go online now for all my shoes. In the before times when I had to go in person it sucked, they’d have my size in like one or two shoes, there was no picking at all. But online there’s a waaaay bigger selection obviously. Sucks that you can’t try stuff on but once you get familiar with brands they all kinda for similar enough