Going barefoot for my girlfriend

Discussion in 'Bare It! Nudism and Naturism' started by Lucard, Jan 29, 2005.

  1. Lucard

    Lucard Member

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    LOL! I sure wasn't going to be doing anything like that on that day, to be certain. I'm sure a psych major could have a ball with this.
     
  2. NudistMike07

    NudistMike07 Member

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    I think for the escalator its just a saftey thing and they probably need that sign there even if it isnt a rule that the mall itself has. Id just take the elevator or stairs and not worry about it. If there is no sign on the door then just go barefoot and dont worry about it, the least the guards could say is to put some shoes on. Sometimes the signs for the dress codes are really small and on the windows next to the door.

    You can probably also go to the customer service desk in the mall somewhere and ask them for their policy about behavior in the mall and it might have something related to barefeet in there. Even if they do have a rule sometimes they dont always enforce it, sometimes its just a fallback option for people who cause trouble.
     
  3. Lucard

    Lucard Member

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    It probably wouldn't hurt to just give it a try. I mean, the worst they would do is tell you to leave. I know that for someone who just started going barefoot in public even that would be something normal to be afraid of. I might have just been lucky that time. But it was the first place I went that day and my feet weren't dirty or anything, so maybe that could have had something to do with it.

    Another thing I've noticed is that girls can "get away with" going barefoot more often than guys. I haven't seen a lot of people get hastled for not wearing shoes somewhere, but the times I have it has only seems that guys get grief about it.
     
  4. NudistMike07

    NudistMike07 Member

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    I think that if a place is going to hassle someone for being barefoot then they should at least have to do it for both genders so they are not discriminating.
     
  5. voet

    voet Member

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    i hate shoes.
     
  6. bfrank

    bfrank Member

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    Sign or no sign, take the escalator. No harm is going go come to anyone's bare feet unless they are so stupid that they would stick their toes into the little spaces between the moving steps and the sides of the escalator. Also, just be sure you always watch where your feet are (as any experienced barefooter does anyway) and always step off at the bottom before the moving steps slide underneath. I'm not sure if bare feet could get pinched there or not, but there's no point in taking a chance.


    Actually that's not the advice I would have given. I think a good rule of thumb is to NEVER ask any business what its policy is on being barefoot. It is highly unlikely that any store, business, or mall is going to respond to a direct question like that by saying, "Oh, we don't have one, so it's perfectly alright for you to be barefoot in here." If they don't in fact have such a policy it's probably because the issue has never come up and they've never thought about it. By asking such a question, you're bringing up the issue, so now they have to think about it. And with all the myth and misinformation out there about health laws, safety, liability, and all that, they're likely going to "not take any chances" and say it's not OK to be barefoot there. So, by bringing up the issue for them to think about, you may have inadvertently given them the opportunity to create a policy where there was none before. If they indeed have a policy against customers being barefoot and they intend to enforce it, they will tell you when you walk in barefoot. Then at that time you can decide one of three things. (1) You can just leave, or (2) you can try to reason with them and perhaps they'll change their mind, or (3) you can go out and put on your shoes or flip-flops and go back in. But I don't think you should ever ask ahead of time.

    Oh, and another good rule of thumb. If they have a "shoes required" sign on the door, ignore it. What’s the worst that could happen? They tell you to leave. But they might not even care. Quite often employees aren’t even aware there's a sign at the door, or if they do know, they just don’t want to confront a potentially good customer, so they don’t worry about it. Don’t be intimidated by some sign.
     
  7. NudistMike07

    NudistMike07 Member

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    I just thought some people could ask at the desk if they were the type who is too scared to go in barefoot or shirtless and test their policy. I think that if you got the courage to just go in shirtless/barefoot then do it.
     
  8. hippin life

    hippin life Member

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    minus surf shops:sunglasse

    good advise
     
  9. bfrank

    bfrank Member

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    If some people are so timid to go barefoot someplace unless they have the full assurance from management in advance that it's OK, then I guess this would be the way to go. But I think it definitely would lessen the odds of your actually being allowed to be barefoot there.
     
  10. NudistMike07

    NudistMike07 Member

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    I keep wanting to and telling myself to just go in places barefoot but I can never gather up the courage to do it because im always worried about someone saying something to me and im just afraid of not being able to go in there like that which would totally suck.
     
  11. shaggie

    shaggie Senior Member

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  12. bfrank

    bfrank Member

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    A tough mind is more important than tough soles in order to be a barefooter. We know we are not doing anything wrong and are only doing what's natural. But we have to face the unfortunate fact that a lot of people don't look at it that way. At best, most people are going to think we may be a little strange, but they'll accept what we're doing as none of their concern and not say anything. At worst, we're going to be told that being barefoot isn't allowed for whatever (usually arbitrary and stupid) reason.

    I'm always a little nervous about going into a place barefooted, especially if it's a place I've never been in barefoot before. But I just do it. Because I have to. I cannot not do it. If I chickened out because I was just too afraid to take the chance, I would never know if I could have done it or not. And I have been surprised - both positively and negatively.

    I'd say try the easy places first, like department stores. Later when you get a more confidence, try a restaurant, maybe a fast food at first, like Arby's. I've never heard of an Arby's that gave anyone a problem. You just never really know, no matter where you go, but you have to just do it. That is if you love barefooting and want to be a real barefooter.

    BTW, on a personal note, you show you live in Orange. There are lots of Oranges around the country. Where is the city or county of Orange that you live?
     
  13. Lucard

    Lucard Member

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    Being nervous about it is part of the fun, at least for me it is. Newcomers to going barefoot in public should try sparsly populated places at first. Like an older shopping mall. One nice thing about living in Ohio is suburban sprawl has created a lot of older malls where many stores pulled out and moved to the newer malls. The older ones are less likely to have security to hassle you because the owners are content that you're there, bare feet or not.

    It's not something I do every single day because I don't want to lose getting that feeling that I'm trying to get away with going someplace barefoot.
     
  14. NudistMike07

    NudistMike07 Member

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    I think they need to make laws protecting the rights of people who go barefoot so that these businesses cant hassle them for it. I dont think what people wear on their feet is any of the store owner's business. The only thing thats their business is what the customer does in their store and with their products. I just think that if people are gonna stick up for the storeowners rights then they gotta stick up for the barefooters rights too. Anyways I live in the city of Orange in California.
     
  15. NudistMike07

    NudistMike07 Member

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    I dont usually go to department stores and most around here are inside the malls. I havent ever gone to an Arby's that wasnt inside of a mall before so I dont know how theyd react but ive gone in other fast food places shirtless before and only had trouble in one INNOut and a McDonalds.

    Most malls around here are fairly new and they seem like they wanna have this upscale look to them and theyre always talking about how they wanna make a good impression on the customer and worry about how people look there n what they do n all. Most of them just seem like they wouldnt like someone coming in shirtless or barefoot and all the ones ive asked them about have said they have policies about such things but I dont know if they enforce them and I havent tested any of them yet. I saw this one younger boy in the mall one day without a shirt on but didnt follow him around to see how long he got away with it, he went into a department store with his mother but noone seemed to hassle him and theyve got security cameras all over the place so im surprised.
     
  16. bfrank

    bfrank Member

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    Actually that's very good advice, whether it's with a friend, wife, husband, or s/o. And this person you're with does not necessarily need to be barefoot. There is a definite strength in numbers effect. You're more likely to be confronted if you're barefoot alone than if you're barefoot with one or more other people (who may or may not be barefoot themselves).



    Cool. You're not all that far from me.



    Like I said before - don't ask! Just do it. But you seem to be talking about both shoeless and shirtless. I'm only into going barefoot. I can't speak about going shirtless into stores and things, although I used to do it a long time ago. I would think that you are much more likely to have problems with going shirtless than going barefoot. When I go out shopping, etc., since I am always barefoot, I try to otherwise dress nice and neat so that store managers or employees will have no excuse to prejudge me for any other reason other than my bare feet. I do like to go without a shirt in general, and do at home almost all the time, but it's not all that important to me to be in public that way. What's important to me is being able to be barefoot. If you're wanting to be both barefoot and shirtless in stores and malls, you've got your work cut out for you, IMO.
     
  17. NudistMike07

    NudistMike07 Member

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    Im more of a shirtless person than a barefoot person. I beleive that people should be able to go shirtless in places for the same reasons they can go barefoot. I think there should be a law protecting people so that unless they are causing a disturbance or harming someone in the store or otherwise breaking a law then they cant be denied service merely for coming in shirtless or barefoot because theres absoulutely no reason to do that to a potential customer. I just think someone needs to be looking out for the rights of the customer as well as the owner.
     
  18. alec_hidell

    alec_hidell Member

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    Dude, she took your glasses?! How did she get into doing that? I felt uneasy when I was new to going barefoot too, but it must have been rough if you couldn't see where you were walking. That had to really suck.
     
  19. Lucard

    Lucard Member

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    We had been dating for a few weeks. One night I was at her apartment and I was trying to walk across the room while wiping a smudge off of my glasses with my shirt. I stumbled and dropped my glasses in the process of trying not to fall down. Now with a prescription of about -17 or so, everything was a total blur so I was reduced to feeling along the floor for them. Not one of my finer moments. She knew that I needed them, but not to the extent I couldn't see well enough to find them when they are basically within reach. She thought this was hillarious. After that she knew what my weakness was and how to take advantage of it. I didn't mind too much until she took my glasses away from me out in public. It's one thing to play around and take them when we're alone in private, but it's another thing to do it in front of others. We had a long talk after that and she agreed only to do it when it's just us and we're not out in a park or someplace in the open.
     

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