As we celebrate women this month, it’s also important to highlight the sacrifices made as many women work to balance it all.
National Health Reporter Erin Billups takes a look at a particular beauty standard that has led to a lot of pain and introduces us to one doctor who’s working to replace the pain with self confidence.
The size and beauty of womens’ feet have been judged for centuries across cultures. But having petite, cute feet isn't in the cards for many women… including twins Shannon and Shawna McKinney.
“We were always the tallest in the class, the biggest and the big feet, ” said Shannon.
By the time the two hit middle school, they had fully absorbed the cultural messages around them.
“We wear like a size nine. And I was like, I don't want to wear a size nine. So we would get like 6 to 7 and just. Yes, we were obsessed with having small feet, ” said Shawna.
That obsession came at a cost; hammer toes and corns, which carries even greater cultural stigma. Podiatric Reconstruction Surgeon, Dr. Yolanda Ragland calls it the “Boomerang foot syndrome,” a nod to the scene in the 1992 Eddie Murphy movie “Boomerang” where he’s just connected with a beautiful woman.
“He thinks that she's perfect, but he snatches the sheets from her toes and he sees these corns and he's just repulsed,” said Ragland. “Everybody knew that feet had to be nice. But once that movie came out, I think it just put it out there.”
The twin sisters say they had seen others get teased for their “ugly” feet and tried to avoid the same fate.
“It was painful and especially the way that we would try to alter us having corns to make it look like we didn't,” said Shawna.
Agreeing, Shannon added that wearing shoes became even more painful after trying to shave or file off their corns.
Hammer toes, corns, bunions and overlapping toes are among the most common foot deformities. These conditions impact women significantly more than men, but few studies say why. Some point to the style of womens’ shoes, Dr. Ragland said it is also due to the size of shoes being worn.
“I think women in general are always under pressure with what's out there in the media,” said Ragland. “Squeezing your feet into shoes too small is no different than squeezing your hips into jeans that are too tight. For some people it's not even an option. Some people just can't afford to get the right sizes.”
One study found an estimated 64 percent of those over 50 have bunions, 35 percent have hammer toes, 34 percent have overlapping toes. It can lead to balance issues and falls, contributing to poor overall health. Although the issue is more common in older people, the damage develops over time.
“You definitely see it affecting people as they age and start thinking about, well, I'm too old to have surgery done,” said Ragland. “If you're symptomatic and you start seeing these changes, it's something that you really should consider doing sooner rather than later.”
The McKinney sisters started wearing the right shoe size as they reached adulthood, but the damage was already done. Shawna eventually found a foot surgeon but was unhappy with the results.
“I just went and got the surgery for nothing, and it's worse than it was before. So now I'm covering up corns and a Frankenstein line on my toe,” said Shawna.
The sisters eventually found Ragland through social media. Ragland said the corns will go away once the ability to flex the toes is removed. She shortened the bones of the toes to resolve Shannon’s hammertoes.
After the surgery, the toes can no longer bend like fingers. Ragland says for most, it’s an unnecessary movement.
“You won't be able to pick up a pencil with your feet anymore,” said Ragland. “We keep the function that's actually required and remove a function that's not necessarily required anymore. Perhaps, in ancient times, maybe we needed that.”
Ragland made incisions along the side of Shannon’s toes, instead of on top, and along the creases of her joints- to avoid hyperpigmentation, the darkening of skin around a scar - which is more common among women of color.
“The way that we heal is different,” said Shawna who is looking forward to her upcoming surgery with Ragland. She will try and fix her toes that have corns that didn’t resolve after her initial surgery.
The work for Ragland is more than just improving her patient’s physical foundation.
“It is, you know, mentally exhausting for some of these women,” said Ragland. “I have women that have been married for decades and their husband has never seen their feet.”
The sisters agree.
“It definitely improved my life. Definitely improved everything. My mental health, physical health, I'm able to move around more freely. I don't have to worry about makeup, shaving my feet.” said Shannon.
Dr. Ragland said insurance often covers bunion, hammertoe and corn surgeries, particularly if it is at times painful to walk.