HAVING BIG FEET as a woman is no walk in the park, and that’s because walking in the park requires a comfortable pair of shoes – something certain women have little to no experience of.

And I should know because I’m one of them.

At the age of 14, I was told I was now the owner of size 9 feet – a revelation that left me staring sorrowfully at the women’s section of the sport shop, knowing full well I was no longer welcome on that side of the store.

No, no, I could shuffle over to the men’s section and size up the monstrous-looking trainers, available in minimal colours.

From light black to dark black (and white if I was feeling frivolous), the world was my oyster as a 14-year-old girl.

Frankly, those things looked and felt like small tractors.

While above average height now, I had yet to grow into my limbs back then and vividly recall gazing at my reflection in the store’s mirror and thinking I would have trouble lifting my feet in the monstrosities available to me.

Now, things have obviously changed a fair bit, and the selection of larger-sized shoes has increased for women over the last decade, but that’s not to say we don’t still face our fair share of demons when it comes to our feet.

And here are just a few that will be familiar to anyone who has even once referred to her feet as canoes.

1. We know the stores that try to con us.

Look, we’re no rookies, so there’s absolutely no point in trying to fob us off with a 41 while insisting they’ll fit us. A size 41 is a size 7, and no amount of talking is going to change that.

As a result, we tend to blacklist stores that claim to cater to an 8 or a 9, and blatantly stop at 7.

2. We love shoe stores that don’t require assistance.

Whoever decided to to stock shoes in pairs on the shop floor deserves a medal.

We can live with none of them fitting us in this instance simply because the shameful task is a solo one; the same, however, can’t be said for having to badger an assistant and send back pair after pair of fake size 9s.

3. We know certain styles are just a no-go.

Back in the day, we had our runners and our school shoes, and while procuring pairs that fit us wasn’t easy, once we got them all was well with the world.

Then we entered our late teens and early twenties and needed to up our game in the shoe stakes only to realise that certain styles were just off-limits.

Brogues, we’re looking at you.

4. We carry plasters in our handbags as standard.

No matter how comfortable the shoes may seem in the store, we’ve been burned one too many times before.

And while we know this is by no means unique to bigger feet, we don’t have the luxury of simply going up a size. The buck stops with us, and we need to be prepared.

5. We rely on cheaper shoes… because we have to.

Ironically, we often find that the cheaper highstreet stores will cater to us while brand named ones refuse to acknowledge our existence.

As a result, our loyalties lie with these lads, and even though the shoes in question offer little to no support or durability, they fit our feet, feel comfortable and you can get three pairs for less than 30 quid.

6. We’re sick of hearing we should invest in a good pair of shoes.

One of the most irritating things about the whole shebang is that your family often assume your feet issues stem from the cheap shoes you snap up alongside your hairpins, bobbins and make-up pads.

If you have to remind them that the only reason you buy cheap shoes is because otherwise you’d be walking to work barefoot, you’ll end someone.

7. We know the tricks of the trade.

From rubbing Vaseline on the back of your heels to giving the shoes a blast with the hairdryer, there’s little we haven’t done to navigate the issue.

Sometimes it has worked, and other times it hasn’t, and that’s because life is cruel.

8. We’ve never been able to borrow shoes from friends.

Everyone in your crew is between a size 4 and a size 6, right?

Well, that’s because everyone in the damn world is between a size 4 and 6.

Everyone except you and me, or so it would seem most of the time.

9. We’ve taken solace in the larger-footed ladies of Hollywood.

This stuff is our catnip.

Being able to count the likes of Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman, and Khloé Kardashian among our allies takes the sting out of the saga sometimes.

10. You’ve born the brunt of bad decisions.

It’s very likely your feet are scarred from particularly monstrous blisters or a corn you did nothing about.

And just like her reference to getting shoes specially made, you mother has, on more than one occasion, recommended a chiropodist in the area which would ‘do your feet the world of good’.

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