Is going shoeless in public a cool thing to do?

Question

What are people's thoughts on people who go shoeless in public. Either socks or barefoot. Do you think it's alright and cool to do or do you think it shouldn't be done?

Answer 1

Sheez what a lot of anti-barefoot bias again! It's fine to go barefoot in public; I haven't worn footwear for over ten years and I don't intend to wear shoes ever again.

Injury is unlikely; I never divert my step no matter how much glass I see, and I get a tiny splinter maybe once a year, never had a cut, never had the slightest splinter indoors. In the rare case of a more serious injury, Tetanus has had a vaccine since the 1920's that everyone who's even remotely active in the garden, with animals (including pets) or elsewhere outdoors should keep up to date, there are other ways of catching it apart from stepping on a rusty nail barefoot.

Disease is unlikely to enter the body through the skin, as long as you don't put your feet up on the table or lick your toes you're less likely to catch something from the (granted, more visible) dirt on your soles than from the (less visible but not less present) dirt on your hands that you pick up from door knobs, shopping carts, money and railings. Those surfaces are touched by many other people, so there are loads of germs on them, and it's with your hands that you are more likely to transfer them to your face or food where they can enter your body.

Athlete's foot isn't a problem for a barefooter either; yes you do pick up the spores from stepping barefoot in a place where many others go barefoot, especially a warm and moist floor like in a locker room, but it can only get a hold when you then put that foot back into a closed shoe. It's a fungus, it needs a dark, damp, warm place to grow. Keep the skin bare, with lots of cool air, lots of light all around it, no trapped moisture held against the skin, and any spores you may pick up will dry up and die instead.

Parasites are unlikely too, the hookworm has been pretty much gone from the South since modern plumbing has replaced the outhouses and never was a problem in cooler climates.

Dog poo, tar and gum is gross, but isn't it gross to step in it shod too? At least barefoot you'll notice and you can wash it off, shod there is the added risk you won't notice until you've come inside and have tracked it all over the carpet. I only started to go barefoot when I was almost 29, and we used to have a bit of a dog problem in our neighborhood on the sidewalks; I hate stepping in it either way but I hate cleaning the carpet the most.

Only in extreme places like hardhat areas are there true hazards, the rest of the fears people have when they see someone barefoot in public, on the street or in a store, are based on myths and great exaggerations. Fortunately the authorities are better versed with the real risks; in spite of persistent myths there are NO health laws requiring shoes, insurance companies don't require or even recommend footwear for customers, and there are NO laws against driving barefoot. Even the myths seem to be specifically an American thing; here in the Netherlands I've never even seen a store that has a 'no shoes, no shirts, no service' sign, nor on my trips to Belgium & Scotland.

Answer 2

There may be the occasional context in which it would be unwise, but in general, the more the better! I'd probably form a favourable impression of someone I saw barefoot in public.

Answer 3

A lot of people have a problem with feet, I have no idea where that stems from.

But I say, wear shoes unless you're at a pool or the beach.
It's dangerous; and don't walk around only in socks either, they're not much protection.

Answer 4

No.. You would just look likje eiher you couldnt afford shoes or you were a hobo. First impressions are made quickly. If your objective is to stand out, try wearing a funky daring outfit. People will be impressed and jealous of your courage and you will get the attention without looking like a hobo.

Answer 5

It's a public health problem. Shoes are required for entry to most public places.
You can pick up MANY types of fungi from bare feet...haven't you ever heard of people wearing flip flops in public showers like at gyms? You can cut your foot and get an infection, anything.
It's disgusting.
Please don't.

Answer 6

I get a kick out of this little doll someone stuck in the lower branches of a tree on a city block. Buy a bunch of really cheap dolls and stick them in the branches of trees.

Answer 7

I think it must be very cool these days with the temperature between 35F and 45F. Ever heard of hypothermia and frostbite? Enjoy

Answer 8

It's a very cool thing to do and here's why...

In general, being barefoot promotes healthy development of musculature in the feet and legs, while excessive reliance on shoes tends to promote atrophy and weakness in those same muscles. This suggests that overdependency on shoes can have serious consequences. A study published in the September 2006 issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism found that “modern shoes may exacerbate the abnormal mechanics of lower-extremity osteoarthritis.” Researchers concluded that maybe it was time to re-evaluate our daily walking programs,
presumably to include time for walking barefoot.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/546308

Walking barefoot is also a good way to avoid athlete’s foot. Contrary to a widely believed myth, it is not the sole-to-ground contact that presents a risk so much as it is feet going back into the moist, dark, warm environment found inside shoes. Closed-toe shoes especially are ideal incubators for fungi and bacteria to live and breed. Allowing the feet to “breathe” also prevents foot odor.

Dr. Lynn Staheli, who directed the orthopedics division at the Children's Hospital in Seattle for 15 years, documented that children raised in parts of the world where shoes are rarely worn had better flexibility, mobility, and strength, which resulted in fewer foot-related problems and injuries. In the 1960 classic “Take Off Your Shoes and Walk,” chiropodist Simon Wikler notes that children who go barefoot regularly develop stronger, healthier, and more functional feet than children who are generally shod. (He notes that a “constantly shoe-wearing tenderfoot” is rarely able to comprehend the innate capability of the human foot.) The following site covers such topics as when and when not to let children go barefoot, what doctors think, and parental testimonials. It also features excerpts from “Take Off Your Shoes and Walk.”
http: www.unshod.org/pfbc/index.html

The spirit of barefooting is, or at least once was, alive and well in all of us. Do you remember how good it felt to go barefoot when you were a child? Even now, as adults, do we still have that spirit? When we can’t wait to get home and relax after a hard day, does this mean kicking off our shoes in order to do so? Or, if we are planning a holiday or vacation, do we factor in the proximity of sandy beaches, grassy fields, or a natural trail well-suited for bare feet? Can any of us truly imagine being fully comfortable while wearing shoes? Yet how often do we choose the barefoot spirit? How often can we? The truth is we all have the freedom to go barefoot whenever and wherever we want. Most of us, however, just don’t realize it. If we knew it was OK to forget about shoes when it was time for walking the dog, getting the mail, or even while out shopping, how many of us would choose to go barefoot? Why render our feet deaf and blind if we don’t need to? Imagine having to wear gloves or ear plugs every time you left the house. Think of all the wonderful sensory input you would miss. Now imagine expanding avenues of sensory input. Imagine being able to feel the wide variety of interesting textures and pleasant surfaces beneath your own two feet as you go about your daily business. You can.

“Going barefoot is the gentlest way of walking and can symbolize a way of living-being authentic, vulnerable, sensitive to our surroundings. It’s the feeling of enjoying warm sand beneath out toes, or carefully making our way over sharp rocks in the darkness. It’s a way of living that has the lightest impact, removing the barrier between us and nature.”
From the book “Barefoot Dreaming” by Adele Coombs

Even various shoe manufactures recognize the
benefits of nature’s original design. Some have even developed designs that attempt to simulate being barefoot to some extent. Of course, anyone who desires to get that barefoot feeling, can simply save their money and just go barefoot.
Nike Free: Nike researchers developed a training shoe that simulates barefoot running. The Nike Free was born as a result of researchers watching the Stanford track and field team practice and perform training exercises barefoot.
Swiss Masai Barefoot Technology: This shoe style provides less support and stabilization, requiring the foot muscles to work during the act of walking. As a result, the feet become stronger, more developed, and less prone to aches and pains.
Newton Running: This new shoe’s active membrane retracts as the foot rolls onto its toes requiring the runner to land on the forefoot or midsole as opposed to heel-first landings. A technique widely used by barefoot runners.
Topless Sandals: A sole-only shoe that adheres to the sole by virtue of adhesive. Its like wearing a flip-flop but without the strap.
Bottomless Sandals: Available in bejeweled or simple hemp and leather designs, this “footwear” is designed for barefooters who wish to stay grounded and essentially barefoot while decorating their feet in attractive style.

Answer 9

Never - that is disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is as bad as people wearing their jeans so low you can see their crack, or those who shouldn't be wearing tight clothes and they are........do people like this really look in the mirror and think- I look good......my feet are hot I am gonna show them off and pick up all kinds of disgusting germs today

Answer 10

Of course not! if you like getting scrapes, gum and tar on your feet