on sizing and wider feet

When it comes to buying shoes, one size doesn’t fit all— if your feet are on the wider side you need to watch shoe width. It’s the one variable you might find hard to predict. If you’re a woman who finds yourself squeezing into shoes that just don’t fit quite right, you might have wider feet than the average woman. But how do you know what qualifies as “wide,” and how does that affect your shoe shopping experience?

So what’s ‘wide’?

Generally, the average shoe width size for women is considered to be a B (medium) width. If your feet are wider than this, you’ll likely be looking for shoes labeled as “wide” (D), “extra wide” (2E), or even beyond. To put it into perspective, a D width (wide) shoe is about 0.6cm wider than a B width, while an E width is a full 1.2cm wider.

While some ladies have medium width feet, according to research published in Footwear Science (2016), the shape of women’s feet has evolved over time, with wider feet becoming more common. This could be due to a mix of genetics, lifestyle changes, and even footwear trends that affect foot structure.

At beautiful decisions we try to stock shoes in medium and wide (D) size widths, and we describe the fit on the product page. Our shoes are usually leather, and if so, they may contour better to a wider foot as well. If you have feedback on sizing, you can let us know on the talk page.