Japan gives boot to 'large-footed idiot' complex
Cover of the Oct. 20 edition of Josei Seven. (Mainichi Daily News)Japan has given the boot to the centuries old idea of finding dinky feet a turn-on and now huge hooves on dainty dames are sexy, according to Josei Seven (10/20).
Big feet have been frowned upon in Japan for so long and so widely the dislike entered the lexicon and it's still an insult to refer to somebody as "baka no oashi," which literally translates as the large-footed idiot.
But, thanks of the likes of bigfoot Kyoko Fukuda, who's been openly proud of her Sasquatchian-soles, attitudes toward elongated extremities have changed significantly.
It's probably a good thing, too, according to Asian Ring, a market research company, which shows that younger Japanese gals in their teens are almost three times more likely to have big feet of 24.5 centimeters plus than women in their 30s.
And that figure probably helps to explain why oversized-shoes are now a hot fashion item among Japan's young women."Big shoes help create a greater overall fashion balance, look cooler and cuter, which has prompted an increasing number of people to wear oversized sneakers, especially women in their 20s and 30s," stylist Chikei Okajima tells Josei Seven.
Until recently, it's been hard for women with larger than average size feet to find stylish footwear in Japan, but now trendy shoe shops catering to colossal clods are materializing everywhere.
"Old inferiority complexes about big feet disappear the younger a woman is," Mishiko Kashiwagi, owner of posh Tokyo boutique Kotuca tells Josei Seven.
Podiatrist Eiichi Machida attributes Japanese women's bigger feet to improved nutrition that has increased body sizes overall, as well as a tendency for modern parents to shun tight leather shoes that once constricted foot growth during childhood.
"Japan was influenced by Chinese feet binding and had since olden times found smaller feet on women to be 'fashionable' or 'cute,'" the foot doctor says. "Actually, this often involved deliberately breaking the bones in women's feet to keep them small. It goes without saying that this wasn't a healthy practice."
But, as fashionista Kashiwagi notes, styles have a lot to do with acceptance.
"Sandals have become really popular among Japanese women over the past few years. Women are spending more time out of their stockings and going around bare-legged and wearing sandals," she tells Josei Seven. "They don't want to be squeezed into tight shoes and they don't care if their feet get a little bigger because of it." (By Ryann Connell)
October 11, 2005
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