Fashion for pointy shoes unleashed plague of bunions in medieval Britain
June 10, 2021
by University of Cambridge
The British have suffered for their fashion for centuries according to a new study suggesting that a vogue for shoes with a pointed tip led to a sharp increase in hallux valgus of the big toe—often called bunions—in the late medieval period.
Researchers investigating remains in Cambridge, UK, found that those buried in the town center, particularly in plots for wealthier citizens and clergy, were much more likely to have had bunions—suggesting rich urbanites paid a higher price for their footwear in more ways than one.
