The liberation of going barefoot

I've always loved going barefoot, and last night, I decided to go all day in school today without my shoes. I'm almost positive that our reasonably lax dress code has something about footware being required, but only the principal and vice principal actually expect us to follow it. I followed through with my plan, with mixed reactions from both teachers and students, but little outright disapproval.

I'm not sure why, but the tiny bit of added freedom that comes with not wearing shoes in a public place can make a difference in the overall mood of a day. I felt more in touch with myself, the earth, and maybe even my school, and despite the hard tile floors of the school, my feet feel great. Why don't more people do this?

 

I love going barefoot, but I've only walked around once barfoot - when i was about eight or nine i dressed up as a oliver twist style paper boy, and i used it as an acscuse (sp?) to walk around barefoot all day, apart from when it occasionally got painful and i put on socks. I wouldn't do it at my present school for fear of stepping on cockroaches/evil smelling icky stuff that drips from the ceiling/nasty greasy food. It's nice when i go to the country cause you can do it all the time.

 

Good for you! I know, i'm just beginning to go barefoot, and i must say, i love it! it's way better than wearing shoes. I feel trapped in shoes! I want to go barefoot at school, but I'm still trying to get over that 'what will people think' phase. but lately, i've just been like "who kares, i do what i feel, and i won't care what people say" so i think i'm gonna do what i feel like! and maybe ill go barefoot to school tomarrow! I bet everyone is going to say something..haha oh well. too bad for them.

 

You are lucky to be able to go barefoot to school. I went to an independent school that wouldn't even let me grow a beard. Still I don't think I would have been ready to come out as a barefooter to my friends at school. I've only really just done it with my friends at university.

 

Ya, I have that whole "What will they think?" thing going on; but I imagine I could stand it. I know a few of the kids know that I barefoot fairly often, I smoked some bud with some friends on Wednesday and was barefoot, so they at least know. I dunno, schools out now.

 

I've been 3 days without shoes in school now, wearing them only in gym and woodshop for obvious reasons. My feet are a tiny bit sore, but overall, they feel great. i have better circulation in my feel, and increased awareness of them.

I have a group of supporters who think I'm awesome now, but there are always some who look at me in disgust, tell me i'm going to get a disease, or threaten to turn me in to the principal. And everyone asks why. This is one of my favorite things about doing something controvercial. I love seeing the different reactions of people.

I decided a while ago that the friends worth having won't care about something as stupid as whether i wear shoes or not, and it's a good way to find out about people you don't know. ex. people who hate their bodies generally think feet are disgusting, people who are very interested in why, but express some disapproval in public tend to be insecure about their image to other people, etc. it's interesting.

 

I can't go fully barefoot...so I wear flip flops in the halls and over the past 2 weeks I've been slowly increasing the amount of classes in which I kick off my shoes in and walk around barefoot...

 

Same here

My college is actually pretty good for going barefoot. In fact my history teacher would kick his shoes off too.

Not sure why more people don't do it. Maybe they like shoes or it just never occured to them.

TTFN

Sage

 

I think it's definitely a case of "it never occurred to them."

I've always had a foot fetish (I like girls' feet -- I think they're cute and sexy and fun to play with) but I had never thought much about "going barefoot" until I moved to Florida from New York in 1998. That's when I found that there were online groups of "barefooters." I stopped wearing shoes much of the time, and now I really dislike wearing them at all. I am able to wear only flip-flops at work (my office is casual) and the rest of the time I am always barefoot. Amazingly, although my feet have "toughened up" to the point where it's no challenge to go barefoot everywhere, they are NOT all calloused up and chapped and gross. They're still reasonably soft!

People in society are conditioned to think:
- bare feet are unhygienic and gross
- bare feet are inadequate to walk around on
- bare feet are PROHIBITED by the health department or state/federal law
(this is completely untrue)

Most people think nothing of going barefoot at home or in the yard, but the idea of going out in public makes them feel a lot like they would if they went out without pants and underwear on! I think they simply are unaware of how easy it is, and how liberating it feels.

If anyone feels alienated by others for being barefoot, tough it out. It doesn't concern them, anyway, and they shouldn't be able to stop you. Try to work on an explanation to have at the ready if someone should ask you why you're barefoot. It helps if you can quickly come up with, "I feel good when I'm barefoot -- I'm relaxed and happy," when challenged. When someone asks, "Why aren't you wearing any shoes?!" shoot back with, "Why ARE you wearing shoes? I don't need any! Thanks for the concern, but I'm an adult, I've made my OWN decision, and I'm fine."

-Jeffrey