Shah & Christopher (2002) measured the stretched penile length of 104 men and recorded their shoe sizes. Result: "There was no statistically significant correlation between shoe size and stretched penile length." The supposed association "has no scientific basis." Published in the British Journal of Urology International.
Shah J, Christopher N. BJU International, 2002; 90(6):586.
Why does this myth exist? Probably because both feet and penises grow during puberty, and people confuse temporal correlation (growing at the same time) with causal correlation (growing together). A man who finishes puberty with size 13 feet is not more likely to have a larger penis than a man with size 9 feet.
Multiple studies have examined hand length, palm width, and finger length against penile measurements. The evidence consistently shows no clinically useful correlation. Hand size is determined primarily by skeletal frame genetics, which operate independently from genital development genetics.
The hand myth may persist partly because of visual proportionality — a penis looks smaller when held in a large hand and larger in a small hand. This is a visual illusion, not a relationship between hand and penis size.
This one has a tiny kernel of truth — but it's useless as a predictor. Some studies have found very weak positive correlations (r = 0.1-0.2) between height and penile length. But the correlation is so weak that knowing someone's height tells you virtually nothing about their penis size. A 5'6" man is just as likely to be above average as a 6'2" man.
The Veale et al. 2015 meta-analysis found that the strongest anthropometric correlation was with stretched penile length, and even that was "weak at best." Individual variation overwhelms any population-level trend.
A 2021 Japanese study (Ikegaya et al.) examined 126 cadavers and found a correlation between nose size and stretched penile length. However, this study had significant limitations: it used cadavers (not living erect measurements), had a small sample size, and hasn't been replicated. Other studies have found no such correlation. The Ikegaya study generated huge media coverage but hasn't changed the scientific consensus.
The One That's... Interesting: The ratio between your index finger (2D) and ring finger (4D) length — called the 2D:4D ratio — has shown a weak but somewhat consistent correlation with penile length in multiple studies (Choi et al. 2011, among others). A lower ratio (ring finger longer than index finger) correlates with higher prenatal testosterone exposure, which may influence genital development. However, the correlation is still too weak for any practical prediction.
The 2D:4D ratio is more interesting from a biological standpoint than a practical one. It suggests that prenatal androgen exposure plays a role in multiple developmental outcomes, which makes sense. But "ring finger is longer" doesn't mean "penis is big" — it means there's a very slight statistical tendency in that direction across populations.
We've covered this in depth in our debunking article, but the short version: clinically measured differences between racial/ethnic groups are much smaller than stereotypes suggest — typically less than 0.25 inches — and are dwarfed by individual variation within any group.
The reason no external body measurement reliably predicts penis size is that penile development is governed by a specific combination of genetic factors and prenatal hormonal exposure that don't strongly correlate with the factors controlling limb growth, skeletal frame, or facial features.
Translation: The only reliable way to know your penis size is to measure it. Not your shoes, not your hands, not your nose, not your height. A ruler. Here's how to do it correctly.
These myths persist because humans love shortcuts for hidden information. You can see someone's height and shoe size but not their penis — so the idea that one predicts the other is psychologically satisfying, even if it's statistically worthless.
They also persist because of confirmation bias: you hear about the tall guy who was big and the short guy who was small, and those cases stick in your memory. You never hear about the tall guy who was average or the short guy who was above average — because nobody tells those stories.
No body part predicts your size. But actual measurements + actual clinical data = your actual percentile.
Check Your Real StatsShah J, Christopher N. (2002). "Can Shoe Size Predict Penile Length?" BJU International, 90(6):586-587.
Choi IH, et al. (2011). "Second to Fourth Digit Ratio: A Predictor of Adult Penile Length." Asian Journal of Andrology, 13(5):710-714.
Veale D, et al. (2015). "Am I Normal? A Systematic Review." BJU International, 115(6):978-986.
Ikegaya H, et al. (2021). "Nose Size Indicates Maximum Penile Length." Basic and Clinical Andrology, 31:3.