Big Kid Shoes

20+ years ago, 6 was a boy's shoe size, and 7 was a men's shoe size.  There was no debate, that's how all shoes were set up.  I clearly remember this when I was in the 6.5 transition sizing, but there were literally no shoes in that size for boys/men.

About 10 years ago, I was in a department store and noticed their kids shoe on display looked huge, much more like a men's size than for a kid.  Upon further investigation, I saw that it was a size 7 and was very confused.  Why was a 7 in the kid's section?  My mind was blown, but I just figured it was put in the wrong spot and it's one of those shoes where they just manufacture a continuum of sizes.
That was all good and well until I went into the men's shoes and found that 8's were the smallest anywhere for all their men's shoes.  I later checked online and most places still had 7's as a men's size.  I was sure that this 1 store had just messed up.

Little did I know that it was at the forefront of re-classifying sizing.  Nowadays, it's common, not the exception, to see 7s listed as a boys size.  Places like Walmart still have boys sizes only up to 6, but 7s are curiously absent from most of the men's sizes.

I had a crisis of identity.  I had always thought "well, at least I'm not the smallest men's size"  And now I am.  I fear that in another 10-15 years, I will be a boys size 8.  Already, many adults just accept 8 as a boys size, not a men's size.  ebay auctions of pre-owned shoes show that parents just classify their growing boys' size 8s and sometimes 9s as "boys size"

We live in an ever-increasing foot size world, and us small-footed men are being left behind with every generation.

Outsized by younger kids

If you're a small footed guy, you've probably been in a situation when you were confronted with a kid who was bigger than you. These encounters are awkward at best and usually very embarrassing and potentially humiliating.

Tell us your story, whether you were the smaller adult or the bigger kid!

What's considered small?

Depending on the source, numbers ranging from 6 to 9.5 are seen as the threshold of small feet for a guy. Today, men's sizes start at 8, while 15 years ago, 7 was a men's size.

Age is another factor. Younger guys, including teens seem to have bigger feet on average. They're the ones who will say anything less than 10 is small. Older guys are more likely to see 9 as normal and maybe even 8.

What's your experience and opinion on what is a small size for a guy?