I'll take this as a question rather than a statement. I'm sure anyone who has gone barefoot outside realizes your feet are going to get dirty. I don't mind this at all. Its a natural result of keeping your soles bare. In fact, I think dirty soles are kind of a barefooter's badge. At home, its a different story. I always clean my soles when I get home. We don't wear shoes in the house, partly to keep the dirt out, and not cleaning your soles when you get home sort of defeats that practice. So dirty soles are cool when out and about, but at home I prefer them clean.
I like the "barefooter's badge" comment. Personally I don't go to extremes to see if I can get dirty feet. Rather, I realize it's just part of the natural act of going barefoot. Sometimes they're damn near black. Other times you'd never know I'd been out of the house. When I get home I do make a point of wiping my feet off on a mat. I want to brush off any loose dirt. If there's anything abrasive (e.g., sand, small piece of gravel), I want to make sure I knock it off so it doesn't scratch the bamboo floors in our house.
A bit dirty looks better. Sort of honest I think. Maybe it's just me not trusting very clean looking feet to be anything but habitually residing inside dark, damp, infested shoes...
It's clean for me, which is why I still sport my flip flops a lot of the time I am outdoors. I have a few select spots where I habitually go barefoot outside, but most of my time is spent indoors, and for those times I can be both barefoot AND clean. Well, relatively speaking anyway. I'm sure my feet pick up just as much invisible dirt walking around my home and office, but that doesn't bother me the same way that visible "black soles" do. I probably get dirty soles like that once every one or two months when I'm really not the mood to put on my flip flops even. But I am definitely not compelled to achieve the effect just to prove anything to myself or others.
my husband has dirty hobbit like feet and i love them! lol! he is either barefoot or in his deteriorating flip-flops. however, he does have to wear sneakers at work which he says is very uncomfortable.
I was laying across the bed the other day after having been outside most of the afternoon/evening barefoot, and my husband noticed the bottoms of my feet, said honey, my goodness the bottom of your feet are FILTHY. I never think anything of it, my feet are almost always filthy in the summer months. Doesn't bother me one bit if anyone notices either. I think it's kind of shocking to people though, because I tend to look all put together, but then you see the soles of my feet, and it's like, whoa, what the heck.
I like to go barefoot a lot, so my soles and arches are often filthy. I like it and it feels best for me. http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/250983
As bft4evr observed, being barefoot means that your soles will get dirty. Whilst I've no problem with getting dirty soles (I've barefooted in many major cities worldwide) I don't believe blackened soles are in any way a "badge of honor". To the contrary, I'd say that they are a "badge of lack of maintenance". For me, it's a matter of degree. If I'm walking in the jungle in the dry season or the beach, or any other relatively clean location, I don't worry about the slight patina I may acquire. If, however, I'm in a city, I'll wash several times a day (as opportunity presents), and scrub thoroughly with a stiff brush upon returning to my domicile. Good maintenance goes beyond the aesthetic for me. Keeping my feet clean and conditioned means that I maintain the tough, supple, durable natural leather free of cracks and can easily remove any embedded debris before it becomes a problem.
Since I go barefoot so much my feet are always dirty. I prefer dirty feet. Check out my gallery for some net images. I had two ex-girlfriends who were barefooters. At the end of the day you couldn't tell which of us had the filthier feet! I met one near Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. I said to her "I see we wear the same color shoes!" since her feet were filthy too. It was great having someone else to hang with who was also into going barefoot everywhere.
FYI - this same thread is buried back on p. 24 of the "Barefoot" forum. The last entry was Feb 28, 2007.
I think it's fun to have dirty feet, because i like to leave foot prints in the bath tub. But when I get home if they're really really dirty, i'll give em a scrub.
