Women’s Sneakers: A “Shrink It And Pink it” Version of Men’s Sneakers?

Women are built differently than men - it's time for sneakers to change accordingly. 

There are countless ways that a woman and a man differ physiologically. Although this is very apparent, top companies in the sneaker industry continue to design women’s sneakers the same as men’s sneakers - just slightly smaller and narrower. This faulty design fails to include the distinctive components that need to be considered when engineering women's sneakers. It’s time for change. 

Because the body structures differ tremendously, the standard men’s-sneaker-but-smaller design is not an acceptable or comfortable option for women. In a 2009 study in Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association concluded, “female feet … are not algebraically scaled, smaller versions of male feet, as is often assumed.” At a glance, there are obvious differences between the feet of a man and a woman. Women’s feet are typically wider towards the ball of the foot with a pronounced arch and narrower by the heel. Men’s feet are flatter and straighter on the edges. Because women also tend to have wider hips than men, this affects the weight distribution in their feet when they walk. Wider hips also lead to a higher Q angle. This is the gradient at which your tibia aligns with your knee cap. In comparison to men, their feet are more likely to strike the ground in the outer part of the foot because of the arch. A woman's big toe is also shallower, and the foot is smaller overall when compared to a man that is the same height. 

Given the numerous characteristics, you would think that the $100 billion sneaker industry would have altered their products accordingly but this is still a relevant issue. As recent as June 13, 2022, Under Armour announced that they are finally launching a running sneaker specifically made for female feet. Companies like Lululemon and Ryka have offered sneakers that were designed from a woman's last. A last is the solid mold or framework the shoe is designed around. Brands like Reebok and Asics design all of their women’s sneakers based on female lasts. Adidas and New Balance also currently sell at least one women’s-specific shoe. Brooks however still designs all of their sneakers on a unisex last. Nike also uses gender specific lasts for running shoes but their iconic Air Force 1’s are still made based on a unisex last.  Gendered lasts are a step in the right direction, but difficulty navigating the market still persists. 

The issue is rooted in the 19th century when sneakers were originally made for runners - which were just men. Times have since changed and there are now more female runners than male runners, and the women’s share of the market is growing faster than men’s. People also don’t just wear sneakers at the gym or for athletic performance like when they were originally designed. Sneakers are now worn daily, not just at the gym. The issue extends into the data collection. Max Paquette, a biochemist at the University of Memphis said that, “historically, scientists have, in a lazy way, avoided studies on women because there's a confounder of the menstrual cycle.” Heeluxe, an independent shoe research laboratory suggests that in general women's shoes are up to 18% tighter around the toes, 70% tighter around the big toe joint, and 68.4% looser in the heel than men’s shoes. This isn’t just for high heels either. This applies to casual footwear or athletic shoes. The gender bias doesn’t end there - Heeluxe itself has tested seven times as many men’s running shoes as women’s. In basketball and hiking, the ratio was three to one. Sandals, high heels, and lifestyle shoes were the only categories in which they tested more women’s shoes than men's. Asics is tackling this issue head on by developing a science to include a biomorphic fit and accommodate for the fact that a woman’s foot changes during her menstrual cycle and this affects her stride and strike pattern. 

Another discrepancy between men’s and women's shoes is availability. Men's sneakers come in a plethora of different colors and designs. When it comes to athletic shoes, basketball shoes, cleats, and even some sandals offer more options for men than women. Additionally, high tops and low tops are more widely available for men. The term, “shrink it and pink it” is not acceptable. Visit your local athletic shoe store or browse any website and you’ll see that there are more options available for men than women. If a woman preferred a pair of men’s shoes, it isn't as easy as just finding a comparable size. Heeluxe said that forcing women into shoes designed for male feet can have serious side effects such as dropped arches, bunions, ankle bone soreness, and blistering just to name a few. 

Athletic brands are beginning to realize that there needs to be different lasts for female and male shoes due to the abundance of research available. The brands that have done so already have had major success with their female engineered models and it’s time for this to become an industry-wide priority. In conclusion, women need their own shoes.

Here’s a link to some of the best running made for women, reviewed by women.