Is it weird for a guy to go barefoot?

Excellent response Ganesha. Thank you very much!

Om Muni Muni Mahāmuni Śākyamuni Svāhā​

 

Even though I've worn shoes most of my life, I've never thought it was gross if people went barefoot. Maybe a little unusual, but not bad in any way. I know some people don't like seeing feet, but I thought it was a really weird concept the first time someone told me they thought feet were gross. (Like thinking hands are gross..) If more people went barefoot or wore sandals, people might stop thinking like that, don't you think? So maybe you could think of it as taking one for the barefoot team. :B

And of course you could always try the fake-sandals-made-from-straps technique if you're still embarrassed.

PS this is the second thread I've seen where someone's been embarrassed to be barefoot around their family in the house. Do you mean they all wear shoes all the time, or do they all just wear socks? I wear socks inside when it's cold, but I never think twice about taking them off (or just never putting them on..) if it's warm, especially not in my own house...

 

There is your answer! Just say "I think I'll join you! You both are so comfortable without shoes, I'm game, too." That should solve your embarrassment issue since you'll be in the company of your own family.

It might be different if they were shod at home, but here is the perfect opportunity. Good luck. Build up your self confidence.

 

I guess it's the surprised response I might get from them. That is weird in itself.

 

There is NO reason for men to have nasty feet. Most either choose to, or, not knowing better, let it happen. I maintain that we guys can still be plenty masculine without looking like Fred Flintstone, or worse. Oh. And some women have nasty feet.

Another thing I've mentioned before: one of the few good recent developments in this time where barefooting is held in such low esteem---the recent preponderance of flops and sandals! Yes, it's still not true bf, but it's a start, and it has spread to millions! It gets air and sunshine on millions, gets everyone used to seeing something of the human foot. And it lets me extend my own bf season, since even the pads of flops insulate my soles when things chill down.

 

More and more of us guys do, too. It can be for any number of reasons. Main reason for me is to remove, or prevent the damn gross-out factor! It can go on from there. All the way to the extreme of wanting to look feminine. I'm in between. I want clean, tanned, toned, and toe ringed feet. I still don't paint my nails. But I'm on record as being big on clean, and wanting to remove the gross-out. I do this very well, even at my age.

 

I've never had a pedicure. My wife and I were out with another couple a few weeks ago and the two women were trying to talk us two guys into getting pedicures. Their descriptions made the whole procedure sound pretty soothing and relaxing. It's probably only a matter of time. In general I don't have the whole masculine hang-up thing, but I guess I still feel like pedicures are a women-only thing. Thoughts?

I used to know a professor quite well at the Colorado School of Mines. He was an older guy, quite conservative and quite distinguished. Somehow in conversation one day he almost ashamedly admitted he'd had a manicure. He commented that there's something quite soothing about "having a lady work on your nails." It was funny, he was alomost blushing, but hey, he enjoyed it and that's what's important. Okay, it's the hands, not the feet, but still, he overcame the whole macho stigma.

Any guys out there who believe in getting pedicures?

 

I've had several pedicures over the years, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. There is something about having an attractive woman scrub your soles, file your nails, and massage them while you sit back, watch her, enjoy the feeling while you do nothing! I guess it's one of my weaknesses. It's been quite a long time since I had one, to be frugal, I generally take care of them myself nowadays with the same end results.

Several years ago I had scheduled a pedicure with a salon that I had never patronized previously. The young nail technician called me a few days earlier to confirm my appointment, I thought that was a little strange...... oh well. When I arrived to the salon the day it was scheduled, she was surprised I actually showed up. It was explained to me that she thought it was some sort of a joke due to the fact that she was about to leave her job soon and had never done a guy's feet. Nevertheless she seemed very comfortable with giving me a pedicure.. The only two other female stylists that were working there came over to watch, one of gals said that I had nice feet.

Not long ago when walking through one of the malls in my area, I passed by a nail salon, and it so happend I saw another guy getting a pedicure. A smile came to my face. It was nice knowing there's another guy out there who appreciates that kind of pampering while sitting in a room full of ladies.

 

to be honest i find weird 4 one guy to go to a nail salon in the first place. i dont know one single man who ever went to something else different from a barber shop for estethic reasons. i think i didnt ever see a nail shop somewhere

 

There's no stigma attached to manicures/pedicures in SE Asia. It's merely a service done at many spas, enjoyed by men and women alike.

(And I obviously don't think it "weird" for guys or anyone else, for that matter, to go barefoot anywhere, anytime. I do find it "weird", however that people confine themselves in foot coffins, permanently damaging their feet, isolating themselves from the environment, creating an unnatural and highly unhealthy way of walking and engaging in massive sensory deprivation on a daily basis.)

 

I too get pedicures, about once a month. The women actually get excited when I show up and constantly ask me to send my friends in. I don't have much hair on the tops of me feet but I have them wax what hair there is. I like them nice and smooth and clean. I first started getting pedicures due to calluses and nail problems from running 4 miles per day. Since I've been getting pedicures, I haven't had any of those problems. Hmmm, maybe if I ran barefoot that wouldn't have happened?

 

I'm sorry, but I don't think men should be getting pedicures or painting their toe nails.

 

I'm with you on the no painting nails, but, if you ever tried a pedicure, you'd go back for more!

 

I think that if/when I tried a pedicure, I'd probably do it alone, away from my neighborhoood, and see how it goes. The way my wife and our friend described it when they were encouraging the two guys to go, it sounded heavenly.

 

i get pedicures quite often, well in the warmer months, not in the winter it seems kind of silly to get your feet looking nice when no one sees them and here in the midwest in winter believe me no one sees them, the salon i go to i've never seen a man in there besides me, but that doesn't bother me, women don't really notice or pay any attention anyway, its very nice to have a woman working on your feet, very relaxing, and if a man is going to show his feet in public, they should look nice, for that matter women's too.

 

QFT.

Barefoot Matthew and I have often voiced our opinion in this regard. A wider acceptance of the barefoot lifestyle is best achieved when we show that our feet are clean and well maintained. The removal of the "gross-out factor" is an important "step in the right direction".

Pedicures, whether performed by a professional or by yourself, are a crucial part of maintenance and when properly performed, are beneficial to overall health, as they help prevent ingrown toenails (yes, full-time barefooters suffer from this, albeit to a far lesser extent than shoddies).

 

I agree. Whether it's a man or a woman, the sight of yellow, thick, twisted toenails doesn't do much to promote the acceptance of bare feet. I keep my nails trimmed and any callouses filed. Another note about bare feet. It's funny how big a difference there is with certain people if you have that thin flap of rubber or leather under your soles (i.e., sandals) with minimal straps versus nothing under your soles. I don't get it.

Oh well, it's warm enough here today that I felt comfortable going out in flip-flops. Still too chilly (for me at least) to put my bare soles on the ground.

 

It depends where you walk ... lots of parasites can enter your body thru sole ... they will go unnoticed in your organs for years before they present a real problem. But yes! people in South American and African tribes go barefooted their whole life ...except they have an average life expectancy of 40 something and only small percentage is free of parasites. Nevertheless you can go barefooted in many areas in our country without getting to major exposure abnd you can use Flip Flops or minimal sandals for areas of concern. To me Flip Flops are "almost barefoot" ...and I love them for outdoors.

 

The only place you're going to have issues with human hookworm are areas that have fresh human feces in the soil. Since this condition rarely exists in the developed world and most places tourist frequent in the developing world it's a total non-issue.