I've recently started barefooting in public. I've never gone farther than the mailbox or the neighborhood playground barefoot before. A couple of weeks ago, I wandered around downtown barefoot because my sandals were hurting my feet. I even went into the local metaphysical store and didn't bother to put the shoes back on. Last night, I spent about two hours wandering through a bookstore barefoot. I know the people that worked there noticed, but I guess they didn't care. It was SO great! It felt a little odd when people gave me a weird look when they noticed, but it was so much more comfortable than wearing shoes!
Congratulations on your first experiences. It does get easier, and unless you run into an uptight store manager who likes to assert their authority, I think you'll find that there aren't a whole lot of people who care enough to make a big deal out of it. Best of luck on your continued barefooting as we get into the warm days of summer.
I was barefooting it the other day and not five mins after stepping out of the car I got a piece of glass in my foot. Barefooting in the city sucks.
yeah, i was walking barefoot around streets yesterday, and it was fine until i started noticing pieces of glass everywhere. people are so disrespectful, it's sick. i took a walk through the forest as well, and there was even broken glass in there. it's sad, really.
That's terrible! Thankfully, I didn't come across any glass. The only trouble I had was with gravel and rough sidewalks. I had to slow down a bit. Other than that, it was good. It was very cool out yesterday, so I didn't even burn my feet on the asphalt.
Places like bookstores seem nice that way around here. I'm surprised a young woman like you would have attracted stares from the people who worked there---unless they were admiring stares. Even at my age there is very little of that kind of staring. Unless it's the very few who really find me interesting that way, or, the very few who (control freaks) are going to make trouble for me. Most don't seem to notice. Mostly that's how it should be.
I don't get why it matters anyway! I'm not spreading germs by wandering around with no shoes. The only person it might hurt is me, if I step on something or get stung by a bee or something. Why do they care?
There are as many answers to that as anything, and yet none that mean a damn thing unfortunately. There isn't justification for most of the answers regular people could give you to answer that question...but they themselves probably believe they are completely right. Some of the most popular I have seen are: 1. Liability - unfortunately the American legal system provides just enough opportunity to act stupid, get hurt and then get rich suing someone else. This has resulted in many companies having to enact strange regulations to protect themselves from every conceivable injury a person could inflict on themselves...but their arguments are ludicrous because being barefoot isn't inherently riskier in most circumstances. People perceive this to be the case because we as a society have come to rely on shoes and socks so much that the general impression people have of feet is that they are weak...that they need to be protected...that they are somehow inadequate. 2. Power plays - Sadly in a lot of cases, middle or even upper management put up with so much crap from both above and below them, that they begin to assert their authority over anything that they can. So they may take the most trivial of scenarios (like coming into their business barefoot) and amplify its importance to give themselves a feeling of power over something. Control is a powerfully addictive thing though. 3. Negative Stereotypes - Sadly there are still a lot of people who associate being barefoot in public with being poor, or being a hippy, or a pervert or homosexual...who knows what all people think...but it seems as though there are enough stereotypes of barefoot people that have been handed down through the years and people may not even know why they feel the way that they do when they see someone barefoot. (Oh and to clarify, none of the things I mentioned - pervert, homosexual, poor - are negative in my mind...but some people don't feel that way, so I listed them for that reason). 4. Hygiene - It's true that when some people see dirty feet, they are disgusted because they have an aversion to dirt, germs, etc. Whether or not the things that get our feet dirty are harmful or not can certainly be debated in some cases, for others (including me) dirty feet are just "dirty". I'm sure that I haven't touched on all of the reasons people get uptight about feet, but these seem to be most of the ones I've run across either personally, or in reading through forums over the years. Heh...I probably gave you a detailed response when your question may have been entirely rhetorical. Oh well..it was a good waker-upper for this this early Monday morning.
I love walking around downtown barefoot. I've gone barefoot in town for the same reason (uncomfortable shoes) but found I really liked it. It's fun to feel so out of place and different than everyone else. Just curious, was it a difficult decision for you to make, taking your shoes off? Was it a big, daring step for you to take? I remember the first time I took my shoes off downtown, it was like "I can't believe I'm doing this! What are people going to think?" But then I relaxed after I realized that nobody really cares. Even the weird looks I did get didn't bother me after awhile. My feet were black afterwards, too. Mark
Keep in mind, if store managers ask you to put your shoes back on, just say they're hurting you unbearably. Sorry, I happen to be a bit of a compulsive liar, too.
As your feet get tougher and thick the gravel, rough sidewalks and hot asphalt won't even concern you Have Fun....Terry
im a new barefooter.. i got really into late last summer and all through the fall and winter and spring. and im doing good. the only time i wear shoes is when i see my dad at his work. and at festivals, just because thats not safe. my feet are getting used to the barefoot-ness. my body is just recooperating from being sick, but its all good. sendin barefoot vibes!
if you have shoes with you... personally i prefer to disobey, inform the owner that it's the last time I come to her/his shop, drop (not on the floor) all the things I was going to buy (if any, in this case it is better if it's a whole bunch of expensive stuff ) and step out. If they have the right to require you to do something you mantain your right to choose where to spend your money. It's fast, definitive, plus you dont have the hassle of arguing with a friggin' storeowner.
