{"id":28053,"date":"2018-12-06T12:44:29","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T12:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=28053"},"modified":"2018-12-06T12:44:29","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T12:44:29","slug":"when-it-comes-to-sportswear-and-trainers-are-women-given-less-selection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/when-it-comes-to-sportswear-and-trainers-are-women-given-less-selection\/","title":{"rendered":"When it comes to sportswear and trainers are women given less selection?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whilst the sportswear industry is estimated at $1.3 trillion<\/a>\u00a0women seem to struggle getting trainers in correct sizes and are not offered as wide a variety, especially women of size 5 or below who often have to shop in junior sizes<\/strong>. Sporting trainers such as football boots also seem to lack selection for those tailored to fit women’s feet properly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is some recognition for the lack of availability in trainers for women with larger feet, there isn\u2019t the same energy for those with smaller feet, even though there is a market.<\/p>\n

From country to country, the average size of a woman\u2019s height, weight and shoe size varies. However, we do know that women in the UK have surpassed their grandma\u2019s generation by two inches and subsequently, the average shoe size for women has increased from a size four to a size six, according to the College of Podiatry, via BBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a study by the British Footwear Association <\/em>in 2008, women with size four feet were still third most common, following size five and six. So it\u2019s not exactly abnormal for women to still have small feet, even though the selection of trainers available for them may reflect this.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/RuKotecha\/status\/122008572560293889<\/p>\n

For those who love the streetwear style, trainers are usually a key aspect of an outfit and the industry is massive \u2013 Nike\u2019s revenue<\/a> alone was $32.2b in 2017. So why do women with smaller feet tend to have a harder time finding the trainers we want or find there is a lack of selection, in contrast to men\u2019s, when shopping?<\/p>\n

Sometimes women\u2019s sizes start at a five or even a six, so those with even smaller feet have to shop in the junior department and even though they\u2019re cheaper, choices are slim. Some trainers only come in one or two colour-ways, and typically for girls there are a lot of pink and pastel colours with the more neutral\/ versatile colours in the boys\u2019 department.<\/p>\n

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Men have all the nicest trainer choices, why do I have to have such small feet \u2639\ufe0f I want fresh creps \ud83d\udc5f<\/p>\n

— Natalie (@NSB_3696X) August 22, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n