Sadly I fear not. The world has moved on from those halcyon and idealistic days. And only a few years ago I can remember seeing several people barefoot during the course of a summer. This year and last year I have seen none.
Its interesting to note the overwhelming majority of those who are barefoot are females. Could that be due to a double standard?
The hopeful hippie in me screams "Yes", but the pragmatist says "no". Current sentiment, sadly, is too permeated with "yuck" and "gross". I try to be optimistic, but I think the age of barefooting as a commonly accepted and enjoyed practice is gone. And sadly, the age of body freedom is also nearing its sunset, without ever truly taking off. Alexandra's feeling pessimistic today.
Interesting pictures. If you look at some of the ladies in the earlier photos all are posing shoeless but if you take a closer look some are standing there in nylons. With that in mind, I'll bet that the photographer set it up to look that way, with all females in the front row without shoes. I did find it interesting how many women were in dresses in the 1970 picture in compared to that of 1982. Notice much fewer students are barefoot in the last photo. My age range is somewhere between the last two photos, so I can definately relate in regards to barefooting. Much more acceptable in the 1970's as shoes were more considered a tool than a fashion statement. Things have definately changed with college students, you find them much more in tune to the material world these days and less attention to social issues. Shoes are part of their overall image nowadays, sadly barefooting is a thing of the past.
It just depends on where you are, I suppose. In Micronesia, almost all classrooms require students to remove their shoes before entering, not just the females, and general barefooting is not really rare at all.
Most definitely. I've had to put up with that double standard all my life. The only major battle won is it's finally OK for guys to show their legs, EXCEPT at formal functions like these. I still see this dichotomy at school dances and even at weddings. The girls are bare and free, while most of the boys are well swaddled from the neck down.
I am almost always the only one. Unbelievable. The consolation is that flops and other sandals have caught on, for almost all ages and genders.
Wow. I admire your assessment. I hope it's wrong, but I'm afraid you are right. I just don't know what happened---
