It’s not quite a fashion statement.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxhd2rcgf8t/

I’ve had a pain in my ankle for a bit that comes and goes, and this week it really hurt.

I went to my chiropractor, and he said it was time to see a specialist. One of my friends in Australia is a podiatrist, and she agreed on seeing someone local, since she couldn’t squish it over messenger.

It turns out I’ve got posterior tibial tendonitis, and apart from being on the same ankle that I broke pretty badly as a kid, the Dr said the biggest culprit was probably shitty shoes with no support. Which totally makes sense when you’ve got small feet, and it’s super hard to find adult shoes with proper arch support. Kids shoes don’t seem to have any, which is silly, given that kids feet are growing and need to be healthy too.

So while I sit on the couch, with this ridiculously large and heavy thing on my leg, I’m going back down the rabbit hole of finding petite shoes that actually fit, and that are also good for your feet. There will be no more, “I wear a 34, but the smallest you have is a 35, so I’ll make it work” or wearing a crap kids shoe with flat insoles.

A few years ago if someone said to me orthopedic shoes, I’d have died of how ugly they all are. But I’m surprised now at just how cute shoes with decent support have become. Now it’s just weeding through those and finding shoes that are both supportive and come in small sizes.

I broke down and got a pair of Birkenstocks this week. I had always thought them kinda ugly, but they’ve actually got some nice styles, although I was sad that their really cute wedges didn’t go small enough for me. Their kids arizona shoe, which is the one everyone instantly recognizes is damn comfortable though, and with the adjustable straps, can fit even a swollen foot. The best part is that their adult and child shoe has the exact same foot bed, so you don’t need to feel like you’re getting an inferior product by purchasing the kids size.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxdo6YugJSU/

It only took me a couple hours to go from thinking they were fugly to me thinking they’re quite adorable.

I’m going to be making a list of brands or online stores where you can find not only petite shoes, but ones that are actually good for your feet. Cause what’s the point in wearing an adorable pageant shoe if it means you’ll end up in this stupid boot?

Leave your favourite shoes in the comments below and help your fellow shrimps out.

Here’s a link to the petite shoe sources page with what I have found so far. I’ll keep updating it as I find more.