Am I weird for traveling to shop barefoot

Frequently (when i have the money) I go out for drives mainly to clear my mind. but my secondary (sometimes primary) reason is so that I can do my shopping barefoot. I will only do gas stations in my city. I just don't want to be a topic of conversation that's all. but in another city i have no fear going into wal marts, grocery stores, thrift stores, or anywhere else. plus i have noticed that in the small towns, bare feet are MUCH more accepted and common. Is this strange?

 

maby alittle but who cares, Its what "you" want in "your" life, right.

 

Nah, you're not weird, just a little shy about being barefoot in public. One of the few times I was able to get a previous boyfriend to go barefoot was when we were out of town. We didn't go there for that purpose, just happened that way. This was the b/f who thought I looked cute in my bare feet. We ended up stopping to browse some department stores in that city. Not a big city, kinda like an overgrown suburb. We were about to get out of the car and I slipped off my shoes. He was all like "Aw, now you're teasing me" because he didn't think I would go through with it. Not only did I do it, but I used some of my feminine charms to get him to leave his shoes and socks in the car. He was so nervous, worried about what if someone we knew saw him but after I explained that we were 60 miles from anyone we knew, he relaxed a little. He still said he felt naked, though. I think some guys who aren't used to it feel vulnerable and exposed if they are barefoot in public.

 

Its not weird to feel a little selfconscious at first, I have the same problem when I walk around barefoot in my own town, but eventually it gets easier, and you will start to feel proud! please do, its so much more satisfying

 

I can relate. I'm not sure how long you've been going barefoot in public, but I'll assume you're relatively new to it. I think anytime one tries something different there's a fear of rejection or embarrassment. "Testing the waters" in an anonymous environment is a safe way to start out. I know I did that. As you get more comfortable, I suspect you'll find the distance you travel gets shorter and shorter until you're finally doing it at home.

 

I did drop off some mail at the post office today and the shoes did not come along. In this city, a guy is treated like a freak if barefoot. An "older" woman I know had foot surgery for some problem and an even older woman remarked "I bet she walked around without shoes" to give her thoughts as to the underlying cause. Nice.

 

Walking around without shoes is good for your feet.
And knees.
And hips.
And lower back.
And posture in general.
And the planet.

 

i assuming you are a new barefooter. after a while you will become more comfortable and have little concern for what others think.

 

I think your inference is correct, but just for fun, I want to turn it around to a more positive inference. Perhaps the lady who just had surgery walked around without shoes *after* her foot started to bother her! Yeah, someone needs to correct the older bat and tell her that most foot problems are caused by shoes. Bunions, corns, deformations, you name it: most often cause is that the shoe that fits the best still fits poorly. Our feet were never made for shoes.

Sorry that your village has so many foot-phobic idiots in it, One Man Band. I hope you finally discover the few people out there that actually are aware of the benefits of barefooting and give you their sincerest regard for being brave enough to be barefoot amongst the foot phobes.

 

normally i have my shoes on me, like when i drive i have them next to my feet (i was told it's illegal to drive barefoot..) or i'll put them in a bag if i go into a big store i know i may be asked to put shoes on in.. a lot of places like small convenient stores i don't wear shoes, i always look for the 'no shirt no shoes no service sign' but no one uses them so technically i mean... you should be able to not wear them wherever. the worst that can happen is they ask you to leave wherever you are... then you can just go back with shoes

 

After joining this site in September 2008, I started keeping track of the public places I went barefoot. Last year from September-December, I noted about 105 different places. This year I started in January, and I'm over 150 places so far. I've only had one experience (last year) in which I was asked to leave, and maybe 2-3 negative reactions. By the way, those numbers are "different places" I've entered barefoot, not "visits." If I kept track of total visits, I'm sure I'm well into the 200's, if not 300's, for 2009.

Of course all this pales when compared to Boogabaah. She probably had these kinds of numbers the first week of January! As for me, I still wear socks/shoes when it's chilly, although there are always a few warm days in the winter. The "high season" of going barefoot is just now upon us!

 

Actually I have been going barefoot on and off for about 5 years. I'll have stretches during the summer where I'll go barefoot more. But I have never been comfortable going barefoot in my city. Even though it's a college town, and I see other people barefoot from time to time. For example, last night, I was visiting a friend who lives about 40 miles away, and I made it a point to go to the wal mart down there so I would feel comfortable going barefoot. I guess it may be something I'll never get over... unless I get lucky enough to find a barefoot gf!!