Solescaping While the majority of foot problems seen by doctors are related to genetic structure, footwear plays a major role. Excluding sportswear, women’s shoes do not take into consideration the immense variation in shape, size, and function of the human foot. As a result, women are forced to wear shoes that decrease foot function instead of optimising it. This is the leading cause of foot pain. There are two major issues that have plagued me over the past 18 years of practicing podiatric medicine. As consultants treating foot pain, we essentially wait for an individual to become a patient so that we can treat them. Why not prevent the development of pathology by keeping the individual healthy instead of waiting for problems to occur? The other less profound issue is why are shoes that are supposed to be good for you are so grotesque. I have always had to hesitatingly recommend these shoes to patients. In doing so I had clearly upset many women and witnessed some break down into tears. It is time for a change. A time to stop ignoring the damage that footwear can cause to a woman’s feet. A time to place a human-centered design on equal footing with style.