one thing about hong kong i have never been able to figure out is why the local women, particularly those in the retail industry wear shoes at least one size too large for them.

the results of wearing one shoe size too large (1SSTL) are likely very painful for the wearer...blisters etc, but on a petulant ME ME ME aspect - it annoys me incredibly.

one of my less than endearing quirks is that i get annoyed with the shuffling and clopping that accompanies the 1SSTL habit.

when i first got here i tried to quench my short tempered pettiness because someone told me that "they have to share shoes with their sister". i know now that statement is untrue.

but why wear shoes too large if you do not have to? and it only seems to be pumps. never a slingback.

and yes, this is an issue of the shoe being too large, you can see the space between the heel and the shoe. i sometimes bump into a salesperson if they are leading me to a product because i am so fascinated with their feet.

I DONT GET IT.

suggestions for reasoning behind ISSTL tendencies:

1) since they are worried about their feet swelling they bought shoes one size too large

2) local shoes expand after wearing a few times? (a centimetre)

???????

who would willingly wear shoes that were too big? i have put my time in retail, and i never found bigger shoes to be the answer. i was a bad enough waitress without big shoes further confusing me.

Comments

[Auntie Pammie]

I wear shoes that are either too big or too small, personally if they look good, I make the sacrifice.(Not a wise decision)

I would like to know why women wear thongs that are too small for them , and it projects a very unattractive image for those of us who are standing behing them in line at a store, work , where-ever? It reminds me of looking at a pork loin roast that is tied up with string waiting for someone to take a bit.

Ok, I am not sure if I was on topic, but it was fun.

Auntie P

[Aitch]

I don't know at all. That seems very, very wrong. At least they aren;t doing my pet peevs of open toed shoes with the toes hanging off the edge. yuck!

[-A-]

**Still laughing at Auntie Pammie's thong analogy**

I don't have a clue why you would buy shoes too big on purpose. My personal pet peeve is people who are in dire need of a pedicure wearing very open sandals. Not just nail polish, but make your feet look nice, you know? In fact, as long as your toenails look nice (no cracks or strange colors), I couldn't care less if they have nail polish on them. That was one of the only things that I always kept up with after I had a baby -- pumice stone in the shower and fresh nail polish once a week. When my daughter got old enough, she started trying to "help," so now I have two sets of toenails to do.

[WJ]

I am de-lurking. I love your site. I live in the states but have an Asian background. I used to buy shoes too big for me b/c I have small feet and shoes are not always made in my size. I don't do this anymore but when I was a teenager and I found the pair of shoes I just had to have, I'd settle. I'm not sure why this is the case in Hong Kong but maybe the pumps are made outside the country for those with larger feet.

[Camille]

Odd, very, very odd. Maybe WJ is right. Strange observation. Love the image of you running into the person because of fascination with too big shoes. Sounds like me!

[Sue]

I used to work several nights a week in a Chinese restaurant run by a family originally from HK. This lady ALWAYS slip-slopped around in too-big shoes!! Strange, because they were making a great living and I'm sure she could have afforded to get shoes that actually fit.

My pet peeve relating to shoes and feet in general is yucky, cracked heels that have never seen a drop of moisturiser yet the owner continues to wear sandals, thongs etc. Ick!!

[knobody]

maybe they try on shoes with socks and wear them without?

A.P: the reason we wear thongs that don't fit is that no one makes them that do. i mean, really, for some strange reason no one makes fat chick thongs. like we don't like to be comfy too? and if, by some miracle, you can find a thong that fits around then the thong part is WAY too long and the waist part is up under your boobs. i mean really. am i the only fat chick out there that's under 6 feet tall? can't be. and don't even get me started on blue jeans! all i can say is thank god for the current trend of low rise jeans.

and sue: i have cracked heels. i use moisturizer and pumice them. they are still cracked. i'm open to suggestions. seriously! it's one of my pet peeves too, but i haven't been able to make it better yet. i suppose if i wore saran wrap socks all the time it might work, but that's not really practical. short of paying for a pedicure weekly (not an option right now)just how can i fix this?

[sue b]

Knowbody,

Neutrogena has a great foot cream that works for me. Also, beauty schools are usually a good place to get an inexpensive pedi.

As for wearing shoes that are too big, it just doesn't make any sense at all.

[Auntie Pammie]

Hello again, In response to knobodys comment.. It is VERY rare to find a proper fitting thong,BUT believe it or not, there is a Canadian department store chain that does make thongs who cater to as I call myself.. "chubby chicks".

They are comfortable enough to make you not feel like you have a piece of styrofoam crammed up your butt, but at the same time causes my "overhang" to be more prominent.

I find there are pros and cons to the low rider jeans.. Pro: if you can find a great shirt to tuck in , it hides the overhang. CON.... if the tshirt is too tight, it not only shows off the "pork roast" trimmings I mentioned, but it over-emphasizes the "overhang"..

OK , I have totally wandered off topic , so I will now stop.
AP

[Susan Thong]

Thongs. That's why I don't wear any.

Susan

[maia]

Funny, here in Canada it seems if one is going to buy the wrong size it is too small, shoe size vanity? Dunno..

[Sukey]

Maybe because small feet are a virtue and too large shoes give the illusion of tiny feet.

I'm just guessing.