Are bare feet becoming socially acceptable?

In my opinion bare feet are becoming more socially acceptable. I think forums such as this one are changing sterotypes about bare feet.
When I started my job over 10 years ago,no matter how uncomfortable my shoes were I would not think of removing my shoes. Then I started to notice a few girls in our office that would slip off their shoes while working at their desk, so I started doing the same. Before long I spend a great part of my day in the office barefoot. I still feel self consious about leaving our office barefoot, but have done it a few times. I spent an entire day at work barefoot about a year ago and at times it was a little uncomfortable, but a little exciting.
Outside of the work place I am more comfortable being barefoot, I have been to malls, theaters, hair salons and many other establishments shoeless. I have been to several restaurants that I have slipped my shoes off while dining,and on a few occasions have went in barefoot, but I usually have at least a pair of fli flops in my bag at restaurants in case I am asked to put on shoes or feel uncomfortable about being barefoot.
I also feel bare feet are contagous, there are many times at a formal place or event that I have only taken off my shoes because I have seen someone else do it first.

 

.

 

i've been waiting a lifetime for bare feet to come 'into fashion' . i finally started barefooting when i realized there were no chances for this to come and i was going to spend my whole life in boots. and know what ? now i dont give a damned fuck wether bare feet will be SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE or not. seriously, otherwhise i wouldnt frequent these forums. fuck society.

http://hipforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=36776&stc=1

 

One has to be a really brave person to think this.

It's hard to always think that way... Especially when you're 15. Teenagers don't like people who don't conform. And I'm pretty normal... Besides this "habit". :tongue:

 

I think this question is impossible to answer fairly. I'll assume we're talking about only the USA here. The problem then becomes one of region and personality: There's places in the south that I've seen that couldn't care less about footwear; there's places that want to avoid the "hillbilly" label associated with it. There's places in the Northeast during the summer that are just as diverse. Also, it has to depend on who you are. Kids and younger people will obviously have an easier time than older people.

My point is, I think it's acceptable as you allow it to be personally. I live in a place where it is warm all year round, but for me, there would be a difference between taking a walk late at night or popping in and out of a 711, and going to a restaurant or a big store or something. Though I could prolly go barefoot free from others concern a lot more than I actually do, I don't feel the need to test that all the time.

 

I think it's far more acceptable for a girl than for a man. In a girl, barefooting in public is even sensual, same not happening for a man. A barefoot girl looks natural, free-spirited, sexy. A barefoot man looks strange, to say the less. Well, that's just how life is.

Maybe if women would realize the potential of their feet, if they would realize how sexy they look when they walk barefoot in a natural and confident way, they would dare to "forget" their shoes from time to time. I think that some rock and movie stars such as Keira Knightley, Andrea Corr, Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson etc. could help to popularize the barefooting-for-girls concept. But I doubt that it will be fashionable someday...what a pity!

 

Let's not forget Summer Glau in Serenity/Firefly - her feet were practically a major character in their own right. And back in the 60s we had Sandie Shaw in the UK, anyone remember?

 

Her feet WERE a character in the show - Joss Whedon admits this in his director's commentary on the Firefly DVD's (I think the episode "Objects In Space") because they denoted how her character River felt a connection to the ship through her soles (a connection she obviously craved).

But to address the main question, I do think that the younger generation right now is starting to change the "rules" of what is considered acceptable. From the flap that the older generation tried to instigate, but which didn't take hold, when that young women's sports team went to the white house to meet with Emperor Bush wearing flip flops, to the fact that now more and more young men and women can be seen wearing flip flops year round... I don't anticipate that bare feet will ever attain the level of "acceptance" where it's actually a part of everyday fashion, but I think that there might be a day (at least this is my optimistic hope) that bare feet will be more tolerated as an acceptable alternative in terms of comfort.

Just look at modern day rock stars. How many of them now regularly perform on stage in bare feet? I was too young to have experienced the heyday of the '60s, but I am a fan of that era of music, and I don't think that even back then with the hippie movement in fell force that as many "mainstream" musical acts featured barefoot performers. Anyone with longer teeth than me, feel free to correct me. ;-P

Advertising as well seems to have become more "barefoot friendly" with full page ads in magazines, TV commercials, etc. now featuring more barefoot imagery (this I CAN attest to, having watched for glimspes of pretty feet in these forms of media for most of my life).

And yes, while it's true that women can get away with it more, I think that it's not as big of a deal for men as it was even a few years ago. I think a lot more men are comfortable wearing sandals and flip flops and being accepted for it. Overall, I feel that things are moving in a positive direction for us barefoot folk.

 

Going barefoot has a long way to go in the UK before becoming mainstream, unlike say, in Australia where it's almost de rigeur. This is reflected in the fact that for example a bare-foot Keira Knightley makes front page news (just one of many celebs who've been 'outed' that way) or Joss Stone's unique selling point is her perfoming sans shoes. However, I hope going barefoot doesn't end up too mainstream, as with everything the attraction fades once it's accepted by the wider society. As an old school raver, I found the clandestine warehouse parties with their underground vibes infinitely more preferable to the corporate super clubs that replaced them.

Saying that, the old taboos are steadily being challenged. More and more workplaces have a casual dress code that extends beyond the normal dress-down Friday, and flip-flops are becoming more common place, with many girls kicking them off the minute they arrive in the office. However, I've yet to meet a girl who's gone the whole hog barefoot from the minute she's left home. So what if you'll upset some jobsworth health and safety officer! Can anyone please oblige and post some pics just to prove me wrong?

 

Just this sunday I saw a 15-16 year old guy go into Pet Smart barefoot, this was around lunch time. his feet were black so I would have to assume he had been barefoot all that morning.

I have the feeling that the younger generation is turning the corner on 'having' to have the $150.00 air jordans and such and are just as happy with the $15.00 flip flops

 

I've never had a problem barefooting in England, though it's not often i see anyone else doing it. People do occasionally ask where my shoes are (it's a good ice breaker!) and i quite enjoy explaining why i don't wear them. I have never been criticisized for it.

 

I am going to say most certainly yeah its becomming acceptible. in my area at least.

Bare foot forever! and loven it!

 

Yes

 

Last weekend I didn't wear shoes at all. I went to Walmart and the grocery store barefoot and I don't think anyone noticed.

 

Thats really cool. I heard michael Franti say one time "Ive been barefoot for 7 years" I thought that was cool. jw, why do you choose to be barefoot?

 

I'm not wearing shoes this weekend either. So far no ones given me a second glance. I have noticed the majority of people in the stores are wearing sandels. Perhaps their not brave enough to go barefoot yet.

 

South florida..... unless you're in a restaurant or some type of posh mall, I don't think anyone really gives a damn.... as it should be.

 

I would prefer to go barefoot or at least wear sandles. Hey, I was born barefoot. The only problem is that sometimes in my garden I step on them nasty briars, ouch. Other than that I like to barefoot. However, a lot of stores and restruants in our area have signs up prohibiting such things. Maybe we should boycott those stores and eating joints.

 

I think it depends on where you are living or visiting. Just got back from vacationing at Pacific Beach in Sam Diego and was barefoot 85% of the time. The rest of the time I wore only flip flops. I went barefoot in shops, stores, a few restaurants, downtown streets. Saw lots of other people, men and women, of all ages doing the same thimg. Even spent time at museums in Balboa Park barefoot. To top it off we hit Disneyland on the way home and I went barefoot during the night. My feet were getting tired from walking for hours in flip flops.
It was a great nine days of no shoes.

 

when i was a kid of about 6 this guy used to walk past my house in the evenings... he had a looong greying ponytail and bare feet. he fascinated me so much eventually i used to wait so i could watch his feet pass. there were no other adults in my life who went barefoot except as they climbed into bed... occasionally i saw him at the shopping mall also barefoot and i remember thinking i want to be like that when i grow up. later i found out that he is a brilliant mathemetician and designer of kites. he lectured math at the technikon - barefoot.

there are definately more barefoot people around these days - he probably would not be quite as noticeable.

i go barefoot now as often as weather and terrain allow... and i know for sure that we influence the young ones by behaviour we often take for granted. they don't miss a trick, even when we do!