Do my feet look weird to you?

November 1, 2004 4:27 PM

What's normal for feet? Toe length/shape/etc? Google has not settled the argument.
posted by e^2 to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (4 answers total)

The world seems to be fairly evenly split between people whose big toe is longest and people whose second toe is longest. Each camp is convinced that their toe configuration is the way that toes are supposed to be.

My husband is the former, I am the latter. We birthed one of each.

My sister's third toe is longest. I think we can all come together across party lines and agree that THAT is just plain wrong.

As to length, toes should be just long enough to pick up a small object (say, a pencil or a washcloth). Any shorter and they're useless, any longer and they are no longer toes but fingers.
posted by padraigin at 5:14 PM on November 1, 2004

Either first or second toe being longest is normal. In ballet, they call the second-toe dominant feet "Giselle feet," and they're supposedly have different advantages than feet with longer first toes. Third toe longest? No idea, but I would sell tickets.

I totally agree that you should be able to pick stuff up with your toes, but it really freaks some people out. They're just jealous that we don't have to bend down.

I think that as long as you have enough piggies for going to market, having roast beef, going wee wee wee, etc., you're alright.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 7:47 PM on November 1, 2004

"Normal" as regards non-functional issues of the various parts of the human body is a meaningless word. Some people have short toes, some long. Some have toe flexibility, others do not.

So long as someone isn't rubbing their (short/long/flexible/inflexible toed, high/low arched, hairy/smooth, clean/stinky) feet on your person, what difference might it possibly make?
posted by Dreama at 8:39 AM on November 2, 2004

Response by poster: Eh, just a "you're the freak" "no, you're the freak," discussion. ^_^
posted by e^2 at 4:48 PM on November 2, 2004