They look trendy on BLACKPINK’s Jennie — but are ‘toe shoes’ bad for your health?

BLACKPINK's Jennie is seen wearing toe socks. She is known for her fondness for both toe socks and toe shoes. Captured from Jennie's social media

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Toe shoes are dominating the summer fashion scene, but foot specialists are warning that the trend may come at a cost to your health.

The craze gained momentum after BLACKPINK member Jennie was spotted wearing a pair as part of her airport look — prompting the model to sell out quickly. Also known as "toe sneakers," these shoes wrap around each individual toe, offering a barefoot-like feel inspired by ballet footwear and Pilates grip socks.

Among the most well-known brands is Italy’s rubber sole specialist Vibram, which has produced its signature FiveFingers line since the mid-2000s. Fashion magazine Vogue even listed the shoes as one of this year’s trendiest items, describing them as going beyond merely revealing the feet to actually replicating them.

However, some experts are skeptical of the trend, especially when the shoes are worn casually or for long periods of time.

‘Toes vary the most between individuals’

Vibram’s FiveFingers shoes use grippy rubber soles designed for trail running, hiking or indoor workouts. Their key feature — allowing toes to move independently — is praised for mimicking barefoot movement.

But Lee Ju-kang, a professor of rehabilitation medicine at Gachon University Gil Medical Center, said this very feature could aggravate or even cause foot problems.

“The human foot varies significantly from person to person,” Lee said. “That’s why two people can feel very differently in the same size shoe, even if it’s the same brand.”

Most mass-produced shoes are designed using a “standard foot model” based on the most common shapes and dimensions. Factors like differences in width and arch height are accounted for when designing shoes, but toes — where the most variation occurs — are typically not individually designed.

“Ordinary shoes don’t require separate compartments for each toe, so they can better accommodate differences in foot shape,” Lee said. “But toe shoes must align with individual toe length and thickness. Unless custom-made, it’s practically impossible for ready-to-wear toe shoes to fit everyone perfectly. That can lead to toe deformities over time.”

Not ideal for outdoor, extended wear

The professor also pointed out that toe shoes may compromise one of footwear’s primary purposes: protecting the feet.

“In traditional shoes, the heel bears most of the body’s weight. It’s covered with thick, pressure-resistant skin,” Lee said. “But to simulate a barefoot feel, toe shoes distribute pressure to the toes as well.”

Given that toes are covered with thin, delicate skin, prolonged walking or vigorous activity outdoors in toe shoes may lead to discomfort or injury.

Lee concluded that toe shoes are best suited for specific physical activities under controlled conditions. “These are shoes designed for a very particular function,” he said. “They should be worn with caution and not treated as everyday footwear.”

This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top healthcare and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.