Shyness about going barefoot

Your bare feet look normal to me also

 

I actually felt pretty comfortable going barefoot today at home. Didn't even think of putting socks on and I felt good, even when guests came.

 

I haven’t worn socks in over 32 years and when I have friends or neighbors come over I’m always barefoot

 

Most people find the less they wear shoes, the less they want to!

 

Yes. It can get very addicting, and that's a good one at that.

 

I think most people who wear shoes when it's not necessary only do so because it's been drilled into them their whole life that they "have" to.

 

Really all you need to get used to is being seen with no shoes in general. There's absolutely nothing off about the way your feet look. For someone who's worn shoes all their life you've actually managed to maintain a healthy natural foot shape! Mine are "damaged"...shaped like shoes instead of like feet, from wearing dress shoes while my feet were growing (private school...). I'm well beyond the point I really care about what others think...(?) Nevertheless I'm envious. I wish my feet were healthy looking like yours. They will revert to an even more natural shape the less you wear shoes!
Seeing as you're trying to overcome self consciousness, perhaps avoid being seen outdoors until warmer weather returns. Being outdoors in the cold with no shoes on does draw attention!

 

Is there a way to delete this

 

Pretty sure you need a moderator

 

I mean I live in the UK, where at school you're basically wearing dress shoes. Pointy at the front and terrible for feet lol. I honestly needed some reassurance my feet looked fine haha

 

They do. Love them, give them the freedom they deserve.

 

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your stay, @Riley Perilleux! Feel free to share whatever it may be that bothers you! Here are some of my unsolicited thoughts, if you'll bother to read such a long response!

First of all, your feet look just fine. They look like they're just happy to be barefoot, as all feet ought to be. Sometimes it seems that some of the more devout barefooters lose sight that for a lot of people, especially the young ones, it's not always easy to even get the opportunity to just be barefoot as often as possible. Closed-toe school shoes that kids spend a significant chunk of their childhood wearing are a blight, and the problem seems to be further exacerbated as sneakers became came to be seen as the ultimate form of leisure footwear - so even when kids just get to have fun without having to wear their daily uniform (regardless of whether it's a uniform in the strict sense of the world), it's like they're stuck in a vicious circle of having to replace one pair of closed-toe shoes with another, with few exceptions. And even when such exceptions occur (for example, during the all too brief summer months), you'll be hard pressed to find kids wandering around in orthopaedic sandals, let alone the few young brave souls that have the gall to feel the bare ground with their naked, sockless soles!

Your experience reminds me of my own. I, too, was extremely foot shy for a while in my younger days. I was so shy, as a matter of fact, that even taking off my shoes at my friends' places and walking around barefoot or in slippers felt a bit awkward to me, and I was petrified by the thought of ever wearing open-toed shoes in public, so I shunned them completely (those were seen as dorky by most boys, anyhow, although I secretly felt that sandals looked and felt much, much better than sneakers). My urge to be barefoot only grew stronger, and eventually it fully overcame any sort of shyness that inhibited me. Nowadays, I even get a bit excited at the thought of other, shod people staring at my feet - and my bare tootsies staring back at them, as if playfull taunting them and goading their feet to also free themselves from the shackles of footwear!

My advice is to ease into your barefooting habit, perhaps try to walk without your shoes around the house, but with a pair of socks on, so it will appear more "normal" to those who aren't in the know. After that, you can simply discard those socks and spend more and more time completely barefoot, especially as the warmer months arrive. Also, I'd recommend that you get some open-toe shoes. I mean, just think about it - if everybody else is barefoot, and you're not, wouldn't you say that you're drawing more attention to your feet (and the fact that you're shy about them) that way? If everybody else is wearing sandals, why would you want to be the odd one out and wear clunky shoes and socks when it's obviously not the most appropriate choice of footwear? It's a win-win situation for you if you give sandals a chance, at least in those situations - your feet won't suffer having to choke in sweat, bound from all sides by useless chunks of fabric, and you'll look just like everybody else?

A pair of sturdy hiking sandals like Tevas would suit you just fine, or some Birkenstocks or sporty slides that you can wear around the house like a pair of everyday slippers, even in the colder months of the year (and which would let your toes wiggle a bit more freely instead of clinging onto a toe-strap of some sort, like while wearing flip-flops). Not to mention, you could wear those sandals with socks (bear with me!) in your spare time. I know, that might seem like a social death sentence for a kid these days (though, in some places, it seems to be a trendy look at the moment) - but in that case, when you take those socks and sandals off, people might even think that you walking barefoot is an upgrade! It would no doubt be an odd choice of footwear that might draw some attention to your feet (fight fire with fire, I reckon) and maybe elicit a few cheeky comments from your mates, especially if you outright replace your closed-toe shoes with a pair of sandals whenever possible. - but I guess that might be a good "test run" for the times you decide to be fully barefoot, and a way to try and suppress the bashfulness that seems to be plaguing you, since your feet still wouldn't be fully exposed in that case.

If you have a friend or family member that you think wouldn't mind hearing about your desire to be barefoot more often, and you think they'd be supportive or at least indifferent, then try to confide in them, and use their company as an opportunity to be barefoot in the presence of someone else who you know won't judge you. Closed-toe shoes may have done their share of damage over time, but that's all behind you now - and is more or less true about most folks out there, unless they just so happen to be lifelong barefooters. If anything, it seems that the kids who happened to be overly conscious of their feet in their youth or suffered some sort of "shoe trauma" often get to be some of the most fervent barefoot fanatics around! Your feet are healthy and youthful, and one way of correcting the way your big toe points (which seems to be your biggest gripe at the moment - not that I think it should be, at all) is simply to - you guessed it - walk barefoot some more!

Barefoot fun awaits - and while you may be shy, remember that your feet eagerly wish (and deserve) to be rid of stuffy shoes, and to show themselves to the world!

 

Yep, went barefoot in front of my cousins, uncle and auntie. Felt great especially since they were incredibly sweaty lol. I didn't really feel uncomfortable at all!

 

Read all of it so it's not a complete waste of your time lol. Thanks for the advice and I will do. Funny thing, I never wear shoes in the house, it's a shoe off policy at my house, and I always wear socks. I always feel comfortable wearing socks even though it can be seen as walking 'barefoot'. I have been going barefoot a lot more and it's great. I might even order myself some Inside slippers since my feet get insanely cold on the hardwood floors..

 

The spring is probably the best time to begin barefooting in earnest. Your feet will adapt to the cold, but it can take several cycles of seasons to reach your maximum tolerance.

 

Barefooting ought to bring you joy, pleasure and comfort. I am working on building cold temp tolerance but I am not going to torture myself. If you need socks and or slippers to maintain comfort, then wear them. Be barefoot on your terms.

 

Attaboy! You never wear shoes in the house, so you're off to a good start already! Another plus is that you feel comfortable wearing socks. You've already come a long way, so keep at it!
Indoor slippers are quite nice, but if I were you, I'd try to get a pair that has open toes and an open heel (or an open heel, at the very least), so you can easily slide your feet in and out of them, as you please! A couple of thick pairs of socks for those times you feel like feeling the floor beneath your bare soles might also tickle your fancy.

And regarding those slippers you mentioned, it would be swell if it was a pair that you could wear outdoors, as well. Some sandals are made out of materials that clean nicely if you get them a bit wet or dirty, so you can wear them around the backyard or take a stroll down the street without having to bother with putting on another pair of shoes. You've mentioned that you wear school shoes a lot of the time, so it would be best if you spend as much of the time remaining during the day as possible far away from tennis shoes and the like. I'd like to know how you feel about the idea of wearing sandals (with or without socks), because my experiences in regards to wearing sandals closely mirrored those I had concerning bare feet - and your plight certainly reminds me of my own tribulations!

Couldn't agree more. The minimal requirement for being barefoot is simply to wear no shoes, I suppose, so just walking around in socks would qualify one as a barefooter. As far as "proper" shoes go, I think of slippers or sandals as a pathway to barefooting, since they are easy to take off and and are far less restrictive than most other kinds of footwear, so they get my stamp of approval - not to mention, I consider them to be much superior to sneakers and other closed-toe shoes in just about every way!

 

I wear flip flops to the beach, and sometimes to the pool, though no one really sees my feet since we drive there rather than walk. I'd probably feel a bit uncomfortable wearing flip flops with no socks at first since your entire foot is exposed for people to see. I'll probably grow on it during summer.

 

I was thinking more about a pair of Birkenstocks or slide sandals like Adilettes, or maybe some trekking sandals - something that you can wear with socks just about anywhere even before summer arrives. And when it gets sunny and warm enough, you can just leave your socks back at home and carry on as usual - except with a bit more bare skin showing, that is - and once you get past that hurdle, it won't take long before you whisk away your sandals as well. Since it seems that your biggest gripe with flip-flops is that they show a bit too much of your bare skin, and you've said that you don't mind having your (bare) feet be seen wearing socks, then socks and sandals might just prove to be your thing...

I know, it may be seen as a controversial fashion choice and attract some negative comments, but if it helps you expand the range of activities and places you can visit while technically being open-toed, a moment's notice away from being barefoot, then this option might just be worth a try. Take it from someone who used to loathe sandals as a kid, especially with socks, and thought that sneakers were by far the best footwear out there... and nowadays, sandals are pretty much the only shoes I own, happily wearing them (with or without socks) even when it's cold, muddy, or rainy outside, and I've come to regard all sorts of sneakers as absolutely abhorrent!

 

Cold weather barefooting is...something I do more to maintain endurance than for enjoyment. As a kid I hated starting over every spring with soft sensitive foot pads.

Although it's pretty funny to see the double takes and reactions of people when they see me. Even when it's not really that cold! 50 or 55F is still "unlimited exposure" for me, and people think my feet should be freezing off at that temperature.