While many shoes have a little give for stretching, especially if made from leather, this give isn't much more than "breaking in" the shoe to fit you properly. There isn't enough give to change from one shoe size to another. Also, given the fine shaping of dress shoes, they are often less forgiving with stretching. If the shoes feel too tight, try another pair. For all their glamor and fashion, these shoes are the least comfortable of the bunch. They concentrate your weight on a smaller area than your foot was designed to walk on, increasing pressure and often creating pinch points. They can make balance difficult and sink into soft materials, like sand or turf. Go with low heels or flats as much as possible, especially if you will spend much time on your feet in these shoes. There doesn't seem to be as much space for padding in dress shoes as in athletic shoes, but take all you can get. Any layer of foam or rubber that can cushion the impact between hard pavement and your foot will make standing and walking more comfortable.
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One-sentence summary -- Don’t purchase shoes that feel too tight, expecting them to stretch to fit. Consider avoiding tall heels, especially high, pointy ones. Look and feel for padding and cushioning.


Your genetic makeup determines many aspects of your appearance, such as hair color and texture, eye color, freckles, height, and build. Discuss any obvious disparity with your parents.  Consider that intra-family adoptions may mean you have physical traits in common with other family members. You may have been adopted from another family member such as an aunt or cousin who couldn't care for you. Your genetic traits will also help to determine your risk for certain diseases and medical conditions, although your environment (health care, diet, fitness, etc.) also has a significant effect. Knowing your personal history will help you and your doctor make informed healthcare choices. While “race” is not considered a biological construct by most scientists, people with similar genetic backgrounds often share similar risk rates for developing medical conditions. For example, individuals of African and Mediterranean descent are at higher risk of developing sickle-cell disease than others, and individuals of European descent are much more likely to develop cystic fibrosis than those of Asian descent. It can be useful to know whether you should exercise particular care to lessen any potential risk factors you may have. While your genes do determine many things about you, from your hair color to your blood type, there are many widely held misconceptions about how genetics determine your physical appearance. Understanding these misconceptions will help you draw more accurate conclusions about yourself.  Eye color is not determined by a single gene, and there are approximately nine categories of eye color. Two blue-eyed parents can have a brown-eyed child, and vice versa (although brown-eyed babies born to blue-eyed parents is not common, simply possible).Eye color can also change, especially in infants: many babies are born blue-eyed but develop different eye colors as they age, so any judgments made based on eye color are very unreliable if made before a child's eye color has developed.  “Attached” vs. “free” earlobes are actually two places on a much larger continuum. While there is some family influence on earlobe type, it is not a reliable marker of genetic inheritance.  The ability to “roll” your tongue is linked to genetic inheritance, but can vary widely even within families. Even some twins have different tongue-rolling capacities! It is not a reliable marker of genetic inheritance.  Left-handedness tends to run in families, but it isn’t a certainty. In fact, even some identical twins can have different dominant hands! Which hand is your dominant hand is likely affected by a variety of genes and your environment, rather than a single gene. While snooping or prying is probably a bad idea, you may learn something about your origins by listening to how your extended family talks about things such as your childhood. If you have a hunch that you may have been adopted, look through family photo albums and documents to see what pictures exist of you and when they may have been taken. Documents related to your medical history may also contain clues. If you have a good idea where you were born, you can write to the appropriate agency to request a copy of your birth certificate. Many places also keep public adoption registries that you can search.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a database of vital records agencies in all American states and territories; if you were born outside of the United States you will need to look for an office of “vital records” or something similar. All states keep records of births, deaths, and marriages that occur in their state. They may be held by the Secretary of State’s office or the Department of Health in your state. Many online databases also hold these records, although they may charge a fee. The information you find is only as good as the information you start with. If you've been given the wrong birth parent name, wrong city, etc. you could be in for a very long and difficult process. Errors happen with data.
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One-sentence summary --
Study genetic traits and recessive and dominant genes. Understand common myths about genetic traits. Pay attention to conversations taking place within your extended family. Look through family records and photos.  Research your birth records. Realize that public records research can be frustrating and incomplete.