Never seen this before, until yesterday, when I received my new pair of ASICS Gel Nimbus 24. I've been runnning in these shoes since they were numbered 12. Never marked "Gender Specific" until this latest edition. The shoes themselves have always been top notch, but this gender shit is just stupid.

All of my shoes are "men's shoes."

Male and female feet are different in shape. Of course I buy men’s shoes.

Nope, I just wear steel toes everyday.

I thought the womens running shoes were pink.

What? Am I a biologist?
All I know is I have a 50% chance of getting them on the right feet!

It doesn’t say which gender it is specific for.

They have fluid soles...

I wear men's shoes. They're built to have enough room for the balls of my feet.

That's just the insoles. They get thrown in the trash anyway. Factory insoles in running shoes are junk, so they get replaced with good ones that actually do their job.

It must be a nightmare to design, stock, and sell product for 100 different genders.

Or does "gender specific" refer to what the shoe/sole identifies as?

(Ok, now you're just being silly. Or am I?)

Yes they are, and I want them to be gender specific.

Lasts can be gender specific, which creates a gender specific shoe. If you do not happen to know what a last is, it is the form and shape around which the shoe is made.

The average woman's foot will vary in many places vs. the average man's foot. First women's heels tend to be more narrow. Both if you look at the heel from the back / achilles area. And if you look at it from the bottom of the foot. Women's insteps (the top of the foot where the laces are on a shoe) tend to rise to a greater degree / angel than men's feet. And there are other differences also.

Some companies will use a gender specific last for every single shoe they sell. However, lasts are very expensive, so very few do this. Others will use gender specific on the more popular models. And some of the big names will not use a gender specific last at all. Which generally means a poorer fit for the average woman because the unisex last will be a men's last.

quote:

Originally posted by Eponym:
It must be a nightmare to design, stock, and sell product for 100 different genders.

LMAO. Come on dude, can’t you feel for the dress makers? These are the folks really having to put in extra work to make dresses to accommodate for a penis and testicles. I hear the fashion dress companies are offering top dollar to that actor in Silence of the Lambs.

Why would this irritate you? They are saying the shoes are made for men's feet, which, I guess, are different than women's feet for some reason.

It is good that they don't make a generic shoe, although if they did, I am guessing it would be for men's feet, and may not be a problem for the OP.

Clothing, shoes, sleeping bags, backpacks, have come in gender specific designs for quite some time now.

Am I misinterpreting the irritation? Are you irritated that they are not marked "men's" and instead are just being neutral about it and saying "gender specific"?

That must complicate production and packaging, seeing there are something like 47 or so genders these days.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Clothing, shoes, sleeping bags, backpacks, have come in gender specific designs for quite some time now.

Am I misinterpreting the irritation? Are you irritated that they are not marked "men's" and instead are just being neutral about it and saying "gender specific"?

I'm betting thats the gist of the issue, on their web page it says mens shoes, inside the shoe, Gender Specific.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:

Am I misinterpreting the irritation? Are you irritated that they are not marked "men's" and instead are just being neutral about it and saying "gender specific"?

Maybe that is the problem, although, if that is it, it strikes me as going out of your way to be offended.

Could this be about how the shoes identify?

Yes. I run in Brooks Men's Dyad. They also make a women's Dyad. I always thought that was normal.

Or am I about to be beaten because I have confused sex with gender...