[excerpt] Here's how to walk your way to wellbeing over the holiday season in shoes that are good for you and don't look like something only your grandmother would wear.
The shoe industry is realising it is possible to blend function, safety and comfort with design to make fashionable, funky footwear.
Local manufacturers are a step ahead in producing shoes specifically designed for South African feet. Among brands that are as easy on the eye as they are on the feet are Froggie, Angels, Planet and Tsonga.
Anette Thompson understands why we need shoes specially designed for local women. A podiatrist doing PhD research on South African women's feet, she says we are ruining our health with the wrong shoes.
"A badly fitting bra won't kill you," says Thompson.
"Badly fitting shoes worn for long enough just might, especially if you are diabetic."
She says a lot of footwear is based on outdated measurements dating back to British colonial days which are unsuitable for the diversity of South African feet.
Measurements have been modified through trial and error to suit local women, but around 80% of women still report foot problems from ill-fitting shoes.
Her research shows that US and European shoes suit around 20% of local women.
The recent flood of imports from the Far East and elsewhere may be "disastrous" for our feet, she says.
They're based on foreign foot proportions, even when attempts have been made to "Westernise" them.
She says foot size, shape and proportions differ between different ethnic groups, based on genetics and lifestyle habits - such as more barefoot walking.
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