A woman who boasts of the world’s largest feet says she turns down foot fetish photo requests online and has no plans to cash in on her fame.
Tanya Herbert’s right foot measures 13.3 inches, with her left peg a little smaller at 12.79 ins – and she often struggles to find size 18 shoes.
The 6ft 9ins American is just three inches shorter than the world’s tallest woman Rumeysa Gelgi.
But the Texan’s size has often made things difficult for her.
Growing up, she always struggled to find women’s shoes that would often have to made do with mens’ tennis shoes instead.
But she won’t be tempted into making money on the back of being a world record holder.
Tanya has received many unwanted messages online about her feet, with people offering her cash for photos and videos.
“I never got on social media to be an object of affection or anything like that, or to go into foot fetish world,” she told the Guinness World Records website.
“Growing up I was always the tallest around. My mum was 6ft 5 in and my dad is 6ft 4 in so I had no choice but to be tall.
“I would buy some of the largest shoes I could find online and manipulate those to extend them out a little longer and make them a little wider so that they would fit my feet.
“My parents gave me a very healthy self-esteem growing up so I didn’t think of being tall as a bad thing.
“I never remember getting bullied or anything like that for my height. My friends actually took great care of me to make sure I was loved and liked.
“The coaches always wanted me to play basketball or something like that, but I was always more focused on my education.”
She wants her story to grabs the attention of shoe manufacturing companies and says more size options should be available to women.
“You can find men’s size shoes easily but trying to find women’s shoes is impossible or extremely unaffordable.”
Tanya underwent gastric bypass surgery and said it was the best decision she has ever made.
She uses social media to chart her weight loss journey, which she described as being a “roller coaster of emotions.”
