Men wearing womens shoes?

Triathlon Forum
1

Hello all,

My wife brought up an interesting topic last night.
With the release of the Hoka One One Clifton Edge this past week, I bought a pair of 6’s on sale. I’m kicking myself for not getting 2-3 more. She asked why I couldn’t just get a pair of womens shoes as they had lots in stock. So my question is:
Are there any differences between a “mans” shoe and a “womens” shoe? As long as you can find the right size? From what I can find online if there are any differences they are very minute. Curious as to what you all know and if anyone has done this in the past.

Thanks

Quinner

2

I have been running in women’s shoes since the 90’s and haven’t died or had my man card revoked yet.

USA womens 8’s or 8.5’s depending on the brand because the sizes are easier to find than small mens ones.The colours are much nicer than standard men’s traditional,black,dark blue and grey as well.

3

I’ve been wearing woman’s running shoes since 2007 because they are narrower for the same length.

I normally wear a US men’s 9 but wear a 10.5 in most women’s running shoes. Seems to both be a 42 or 42.5 in Euro sizing but the women’s shoe is a “B” width.

4

I wear a size 12 EE in men’s shoes so not a lot of offerings in women’s size 13 EE. 😁

5

A few years ago I bought some women’s shoes at the NIKE Outlet in Lancaster ,only because the were the right size for me and super-reduced in price

Sure, I’ll run in purple shoes if they’re 75% off
.

6

It’s a sizing and cosmetic thing… The biggest difference is the standards for with. Men with small or narrow feet might have more options in women’s models, given that they are cut narrower. I wear a Men’s 10, and depending on the brand, I can fit some standard D widths, but in others I am 4E… So for me, my options would be quite limited in women’s models.

The other factor is cosmetics. at times there may be funner colors on the women’s models than the men’s, so depending on your desire for that, vs. your tolerance for that, it may make that option more or less attractive… I’ve definitely seen some models that I like the women’s colorway way better than the men’s, but I also am not likely to wear hot pink shoes either, so it would really depend on what shoe I was looking for…

American sizing is generally a pain in the arse when considering options that are “women’s” vs “men’s”, Euro sizing is consistent, and easier to work with in that regard, just remember to factor in the standards for width B (for women’s) and D (for men’s) (they only tend to list widths on the box if they deviate from these standards)…

You’re not going to stop producing testosterone, or develop ladylike features from wearing women’s shoes… They’re all shoes, figure out what fits and works for you, regardless of which shelf the shoe sits on…

7

I wanted to try the Saucony Endorphin Pro and all the websites did not have size 8 ‘men’s’. The shoes looked exactly the same in photos, so I ordered size 8 ‘women’s’. I haven’t opened the box yet, but this thread made me aware that I needed to order a different/larger size, so I guess those will be going back . . .

8

I wanted to try the Saucony Endorphin Pro and all the websites did not have size 8 ‘men’s’. The shoes looked exactly the same in photos, so I ordered size 8 ‘women’s’. I haven’t opened the box yet, but this thread made me aware that I needed to order a different/larger size, so I guess those will be going back . . .

Sorry - I had to say something - you’ve made it this far in life without knowing men’s and women’s shoes have a sizing difference (US sizing?)

9

I am between sizes sometimes and can often find a shoe that fits better in womens sizes. I say if it fits it fits. No sense in wearing something that is slightly off if there is a better option.

10

I wanted to try the Saucony Endorphin Pro and all the websites did not have size 8 ‘men’s’. The shoes looked exactly the same in photos, so I ordered size 8 ‘women’s’. I haven’t opened the box yet, but this thread made me aware that I needed to order a different/larger size, so I guess those will be going back . . .

Sorry - I had to say something - you’ve made it this far in life without knowing men’s and women’s shoes have a sizing difference (US sizing?)

You know, funny enough, I’ve been male my entire life and never bought a pair of women’s shoes before.

11

I have small feet (US 7.5) and I don’t think I have bought a “mens” pair of running shoes in over 20 years. Women’s shoes are a bit narrower which works for my feet but the biggest thing I have found is that womens shoes are cheaper. I run nike’s and the womens version of the same shoe is often $10 cheaper. Also because they make a lot more womens shoes than they do mens its easier to find womens shoes for sale.

12

Aside from my running shoes, I pretty much only wear Chucks or VANS which are neither men’s nor women’s

The boxes are labelled “M 9/W 10.5”
.

13

You’ll usually have to go up in size. Mens 9 = women’s 10.5. Some brands it’ll be a W10 other brands W11.

A man’s standard width is a women’s wide width. M9 = W10.5 wide

I put a lot of women in men’s shoes but not a lot of men in women’s shoes except for a lot of Jr high and HS xc/track athletes.

Most specialty running stores aren’t going to stock very deep above W11 and won’t stock deep in M8.5 and under.

14

I’ve been running in Nike Terra Kiger women’s size 12 for the last 5 years. No difference between mens’s and women’s models to my knowledge besides price. $65 all day long on eBay compared to $120+ for mens. They are usually in different colors that are usually more appealing for me personally.

15

A lot of Asics shoes will have 1mm less or more cushioning (can’t remember) then the men’s model.

If the shoe fits…!!!

16

This made me smile, thanks:) You should file a law suit - how were you supposed to know that the size numbers mean different things based on… gender?! What is this nonsense? You could also see if kids size 8 fits…

Nike actually has unisex sizes for some of their models, but in this case they warn the ladies to get 1.5 size up from what they normally wear.

17

All the major brands have EU sizing on the box. Honestly I can not wait for the world to switch to metric and EU shoe sizing.

Remember the width difference.

True story: I got a pair of shoes I’ve had before & love from a vendor. I wasn’t paying attention and just sent them the model # & color code. Got the shoes in, put them on and was “WTF, no way I can run in these” when I put them on.

Turns out I chose the women’s model. Whoops.

Too bad they don’t make that shoe in a women’s wide!

18

Thanks everybody. I just wanted to know if they were made differently at all. And from the sounds of it they are not.
I will try and shop around for some womens sizes now. I have a small foot for a man (US 8-8.5) so it should be easy to find a womens 10-11 but in a wide model.
Plus they have better colours anyways lol.

19

Some brands have a different last for women’s shoes and some just make the men’s shoes pink. Some manufacturers make women’s specific lasts for some models but not for others. Usually if there is a women’s specific last, it is narrower in the forefoot.

20

You mean they tell ladies to get a size 1.5 down right? :slight_smile: I wear a women’s 9 running shoe, but would wear a men’s 7-7.5.