Shoe Size Myths and Facts

We all know that American bodies are getting bigger, but what about our feet? In the United States, the best-selling shoe size is 8.5 for women and 10.5 for men. Those are both up a full size from 30 years ago, according to the National Shoe Retailers Association in a Chicago Tribune article. If you think you know your correct size, you could be off — a 2011 report published in the Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery suggests that about 35 percent of people underestimated by at least half a size.

There are also many myths about shoe size, perhaps the most common being that the larger the shoe (and therefore the foot), the larger the penis size. A few different studies have debunked that one, most recently in 2003. British researchers measured the penises and feet of 104 men and found no correlation between their sizes — so the saying should really be "big feet, big shoes."