A blog for those who enjoy going barefoot and living the barefoot lifestyle. Read about the joys of barefooting and why it's fun, cool, and healthy. Includes personal stories about going barefoot in public places such malls, stores, restaurants, school/college, and workplace.
by Tania WL One day my little sister Sharleen (when she was in 4th grade) went on a field trip to a forest reserve here on the island. It was really beautiful, and the weather was perfect. It was a little cool and sort of misty up in the mountains. Sharleen really loves nature, so while her friends were taking a break and playing games, she decided to take a walk along the creek and see what interesting things she could find. She felt her feet were getting hot and sweaty, so she sat down, untied her shoes, and took 'em off. Since she wasn't wearing socks, she was immediately barefoot. Aahh...it felt fantastic! That was actually against the rule since she was at a school function and wearing her uniform, but she didn't give a fuck. Her feet had to be free in such a wonderful place! She figured if she got caught, she would just apologize. No big thing. She didn't want to carry her shoes around either, so she just left them on the ground. She would put them back on ...
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Going barefoot - the basics
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by Jonathan Y
Going barefoot is fun and healthy
Going barefoot, even in public, is not against the law. You probably know that already; but did you know that it's also conducive to a healthier and happier life? Read on to find out how.
Bare your feet and live life to the fullest!
Here are some of the most common concerns people have about going barefoot.
Health concerns
Afraid to get your feet dirty? Of course, your feet are gonna get dirty if you walk barefoot outside your house but that's part of the fun. Believe it or not, quite a few barefooters (myself included) think it's fun and cool to have dirty feet. And if you don't like it you can always wash them as often as you like throughout the day which is no big deal.
Now compare that to wearing shoes all day long. If your feet sweat, at the end of the day you (and whoever else is near you) probably won't be able to stand the smell. Yuck! And how often do you actually wash your shoes? Not very often I bet, 'cos you would ruin them. So the inside of your $h0*s (yes, it's a dirty word to us barefooters :p) becomes a culture medium for all sorts of bacteria and fungi (germs) which love warm, moist, and dark places! So do you now see why going barefoot is actually healthier?
What about "athlete's foot?" Some say you get it by walking barefoot in locker rooms. Well, what happens is most people put on their $h0*s before leaving the locker room. So whatever fungus your bare soles picked up will thrive inside your $h0es and cause problems. But if you were to remain barefoot the fungus won't last long in dry air.
Another concern I keep hearing is that you can get parasitic (e.g. worm) infection by walking barefoot outdoors. This mostly happens in under-developed countries where parasites abound and sanitation is very poor, and you walk around barefoot on soil contaminated with human feces. I know, gross! So if you live in a modern developed country this shouldn't be a concern.
While we're on the subject of health, I should also mention that most, if not all, of the foot problems caused by wearing shoes such as calluses, hammer toes, bunions, and other foot deformities can be prevented and alleviated by going barefoot. In addition, some people who have flat feet have noticed improvements after they go barefoot for a while.
Yet another health benefit of going barefoot is grounding or earthing. It's a relatively new discovery that connecting to the earth's natural energy by going barefoot (or some other methods) can help you live a healthy and balanced life. We won't go into details about it here, you can Google it if you're interested. But the bottom line is, going barefoot is healthy!
OK, moving on... Stepping on sharp objects. I have to admit this is a tough one. Everything carries a risk but many people are willing to take risks for the fun and thrill of doing certain things like bungee jumping, sky diving, mountain climbing, or car racing. The risk of dying or getting seriously hurt from stepping on sharp objects while walking barefoot is much, much less than that of the aforementioned activities.
First of all, after going barefoot on a regular basis for a while, your feet become tough; the skin of your soles grows thicker and more resistant to sharp objects that they most likely won't even penetrate. Second of all, a seasoned barefooter is usually more alert and sensitive to the surrounding that often times they "instinctively" avoid stepping on sharp objects and other harmful or yucky stuff like chemicals, bugs, animal doodoo, etc.
On the rare occasion that you do step on a sharp object and get hurt, it's really not that big a deal. You most likely won't die :) Just wash the wound clean with soap and water, alcohol, or other antiseptic solutions you have and then put on some antibiotic ointment and a band-aid to cover it. If it's a small cut, you most likely can continue walking barefoot with the band-aid on until it heals completely. Otherwise, you may have to put up with wearing sandals for a couple of days.
Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, and I'm not giving you medical advice. The above is based on my personal experience and what I learned from various sources.
One very important thing is to keep your tetanus shots current. This is important even if you don't go barefoot regularly. Hey, even your finger could get cut doing manual things, right?
Let's take a little break and watch this short video about The Barefoot Book.
Social concerns
What about being ridiculed or looked down upon by others? Well firstly, there is nothing immoral, disgraceful, or even improper about going barefoot, even in public. It's not like you walk around with no clothes on. Your feet are bare and just like your hands, they are NOT private parts although some people like to think they are (it's their loss, though!). Going barefoot is not against any religion. In fact, some religions actually encourage it.
Secondly, while it's true that in many third world countries people are always barefoot because they can't afford shoes (that's actually one way they enjoy life despite their circumstances), there are places such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, most parts of Hawaii, and some parts of the Southern US where going barefoot in public is quite common and accepted.
People walking barefoot in public in New Zealand
These are not poor countries or regions, and folks walk around barefoot in public as a matter of personal choice, and others are ok with it. In Hawaii I very often see people driving nice cars and wearing nice clothes walk barefoot into stores. Besides, most homeless people actually wear something on their feet.
Now, what about being considered "crazy" for going barefoot in public? If by that you mean being eccentric or a little weird, so what? Most people have their own idiosyncrasies that make them different from others. Just look at the celebrities :) It's no big deal to be different and actually cool as long as you don't hurt anyone.
If by "crazy" you mean mentally ill, that's a little different. But how many barefoot mentally ill/disturbed people have you seen? Again, not very many I'm sure, as most of them wear shoes. I've heard stories of other barefooters being stopped by police because they went barefoot in public, not because it was illegal but the police just wanted to make sure they were "sane" and doing ok. Cool! :)
Lastly, who cares what others think anyway! It's just their opinion. There are gazillions of opinions in this world and if we let all of them dictate the way we live our lives we won't even last a day.
Even Sesame Street encourages you to set your piggies free which is great!
Legal concerns
Is it against the law to go barefoot in public? Absolutely not! At least not anywhere in the US. Those that say otherwise, are either totally ignorant or are lying to you to cover their own prejudices against bare feet. There is not even a health code that says you can't enter establishments barefoot. I'm sure you have seen signs posted at the door of stores saying you can't go in barefoot "By Order of The Health Department." That's a complete lie! You can check out the following link to verify that going barefoot is legal in the US.
I understand that establishments have the right to set their own rules as to how their customers should dress, like certain fancy restaurants require men to wear suit and tie but they don't say it's by order of the government! Therefore, they should not create "phantom laws" concerning bare feet! *They* should actually be prosecuted for using the government's name to lie!
But it's not all bad for there are barefoot-friendly stores that, believe it or not, have No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem signs. In this particular story, the sign was seen on Kauai, Hawaii, but I have also seen something similar in Galveston, Texas. Too bad I didn't have a camera with me at the time. I wish there were more of them to counter the negative ones.
by sharleen wl a couple of days ago there was a discussion on the reddit barefoot sub about being barefoot in mud. the op wrote: "i just love it when the mud oozes up between the toes and covers my feet." i love being barefoot in mud too but i don't get to do it very often. however this reminds me of my experience when i was a kid around 12 years old. our family was on vacation and staying at a mountain resort. one morning as i woke up i stepped out the back door. the morning was warm and the air smelled faintly of tropical flowers. i stood on the edge of the meadow behind the resort, my bare toes sinking into the soft grass. "i'm glad i don't have anything on my feet," i thought to myself with a grin, brushing my hair out of my face. so i set off toward the far end of the meadow where a trail dipped down into the woods. the ground was cool and damp from last night's rain and before long my feet were speckled with mud. the deeper i went the messier i...
a barefoot girl's story going shopping with her strict religious mom by sharleen wl this is a rather long post but a pretty fun story. so i want you to get comfortable. get your favorite drink, maybe play some soft music, be barefooted (if you aren't already), take off all your clo... oops, i'm getting carried away. i mean, you don't have to do that. unless your like me of course, lol. anyway, relax and enjoy! my dad is away on a business trip and my mom is home alone. so yesterday she called me and asked if i would wanna go shopping at the mall with her today (saturday). i love shopping so i said sure. she knows that i'm a barefooter and has kinda accepted the fact, so going barefoot to the mall with her shouldn't be an issue. i wake up a little earlier this morning cuz i wanna eat breakfast before going shopping. need the extra energy. the temperature this morning is 61 F which is cold for hawaii. i slept with my windows closed but i still feel a little cold...
by Tania WL One day my little sister Sharleen (when she was in 4th grade) went on a field trip to a forest reserve here on the island. It was really beautiful, and the weather was perfect. It was a little cool and sort of misty up in the mountains. Sharleen really loves nature, so while her friends were taking a break and playing games, she decided to take a walk along the creek and see what interesting things she could find. She felt her feet were getting hot and sweaty, so she sat down, untied her shoes, and took 'em off. Since she wasn't wearing socks, she was immediately barefoot. Aahh...it felt fantastic! That was actually against the rule since she was at a school function and wearing her uniform, but she didn't give a fuck. Her feet had to be free in such a wonderful place! She figured if she got caught, she would just apologize. No big thing. She didn't want to carry her shoes around either, so she just left them on the ground. She would put them back on ...
Girl barefoot at school story Going barefoot to/at school is quite common in some countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India (see the picture at the bottom of the post). It was also quite prevalent in the US in the old days. A few elementary schools in Hawaii still allow their students to attend school in bare feet. Unfortunately however, most kids today are denied this wonderful experience. So can you blame them for cherishing every chance they've got to go barefoot at school even if only for a brief moment? My little sister Sharleen (nicknamed Lynn) and I went to a private elementary school with a rather strict dress code. We had to wear uniform everyday that included a tie and white closed shoes. White socks had to be worn at all times in the beginning. Being an avid barefooter, I always wanted to be barefoot as much as possible. So I would usually take off my tie along with my shoes and socks on the (city) bus, and walk barefoot home from the bus stop...
by Sharleen W.L. I just finish eating lunch in the cafetaria with 2 of my friends, and were heading to our first afternoon class. I'm barefoot as usual. One of my friends is wearing shoes and the other flip flops. It really feels great walking around campus in bare feet. As we get to the building, both my friends head towards the restroom and tell me they'll see me in class since I don't need to go. So I climb up the stairs to the 3rd floor where our classroom is. The floors in that building are really grimy but it feels good on my bare soles. There are already quite a few students in the classroom. This is a discussion class, so there are tables with a few chairs around them. I spot a table with no one sitting at it yet which is perfect as my friends and I can sit together. There's a nerdy looking guy sitting at the next table busy with his phone. As I sit down he looks at my bare feet but doesn't say anything. He then makes a call and starts talking on...
Another barefoot girl college student story by sharleen wl It was 4 years ago that I wrote "A day in the life of a barefoot college student" so you may be wondering why I'm still in school. Did I continue on to graduate school? Nope. I should've graduated at the end of last spring, but I have to retake a few courses and do some extra work before I can graduate. People tell me I'm too much of a free spirit, a wild child. I really love life, and I guess I've been enjoying it a little too much, and now I'm paying the price. Needless to say my parents aren't happy and they have been giving me shit about it. But hey, at least I didn't quit or flunk out (yet), right? As I wrote in my previous posts, I moved out of my parents' house at the beginning of my sophomore year. I'm living in a small apartment within walking distance from the college campus, and I work a part time job. One thing I cherish is that I'm barefoot 24/7 pretty much....
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