Are shoe sizes changing?

Posted by S_A_R_K@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 26 comments

I used to wear always wear a size 10 or 10.5 depending on the brand. Last year I got new shoes and needed 9.5. Today the pair I got are 9s and have a little room for me to grow into them. Are shoes getting bigger? Are my feet shrinking, is that a thing?

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nuskit@reddit

I'm convinced it's a thing. I was an 8.5 in my teens (mid-90s). Today, I'm solidly in a 7. It's like vanity sizing for shoes. Like, I wore a size 12 jeans at 125lbs. 30 years later I'm 150lbs and still in a 12, but my teenage jeans are nowhere close to fitting. My 8.5 teenage shoes do fit. It's vanity sizing all around.

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PuzzleheadedAbies678@reddit

Shoes have different cuts based on the brands in addition to losing or gaining weight. I was a size 12 in Adidas but only an 11 in Nike. Even had a pair of Airwalks that were 14s and were kinda tight even then.

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Impossible_Mode_7521@reddit

I'll be honest, I do my best to buy the same shoes over and over.

That might be the tism.

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S_A_R_K@reddit (OP)

I tried to do that with a pair of new balance trainers I got for $50. They were $100 when I needed to replace them and shittier quality

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TransportationOk657@reddit

My shoe size has stayed the same.

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AmbassadorCheap3956@reddit

Feet getting flatter with age will increase shoe size too.

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Neat-Rock8208@reddit

But that's the thing, OP's appear to be getting smaller. I'm often buying smaller than teenage years too, I wonder if shoes are starting to follow the vanity sizing thing.

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lovemypennydog@reddit

I swear years ago I was a 7.5 but now I'm a 6.5 mostly. No massive weight change... if anything I was thinner then.

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Odd-Contribution7368@reddit

Yeah, this is my issue. Went from a 14 to a 15. So glad the 14+ options are better than they used to be... back in the day options were slim.

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WendyPortledge@reddit

When I was younger I was at a size 10 in a sneaker. Now I can fit some 8.5. US shoes aren’t standard.

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bivo979@reddit

No. For some reason diffrent shoe companies do sizing diffrent from one another. Just look at some companies shoe sizing charts.

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Traditional_Entry183@reddit

I think that they've been much more inconsistent in recent years than ever before. When I finished getting taller at age 15, I wore a 10.5. Sometimes an 11. And that was true 95% of the time with any pair I tried on for the next 20-25 years. But then over the last 5+ years, its just all over the place. Sometimes a 10, sometimes an 11, often 11.5 or 12. I even had one pair where I was in a 12.5. My wife joked that mens shoes are now like women's clothes. You just never know until you put them on.

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Fit_Leek_86@reddit

This ^

Also Darn Tough socks. Change your life.

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S_A_R_K@reddit (OP)

I recently started spending money on quality wool socks and I couldn't be happier with the fit and comfort. Smartwool, Camel City Mill and Darn Tough are my favorites. They're expensive but I've warrantied CCM and DT socks when they've gotten holes with no problem.

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Traditional_Entry183@reddit

My problem is that i like thinner socks though. There was a time when they were making really great ones that were both thin, soft and lasted for years. Now its all crap.

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S_A_R_K@reddit (OP)

These ones are thin and have been great for me in the summer https://darntough.com/products/unisex-merino-wool-t4088-tactical-quarter-cushioned-midweight-tactical-socks?variant=37874260836538

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mjh8212@reddit

My normal size was a 7.5 to an 8. I gained a bunch of weight and went to a 9-9.5. Lost all the weight and am back to my normal size.

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steveweber314@reddit

definitely yes. exact same thing happened to me

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Deep-Ad4351@reddit

THANK YOU!! I got a 6.5 and 6 and both pairs of shoes (Docs and G.H. Bass) are too big and I felt like I was going crazy!!!

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Throw-away17465@reddit

This sounds like an extension of vanity sizing

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bustedaxles@reddit

Have you checked to see if you're getting shorter? Might oughta measure everything, keep tabs in your self...

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S_A_R_K@reddit (OP)

I was in the pool!

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