How would you describe a barefooter?
Anybody who, sometimes or all the time, makes the conscious decision to go somewhere or so something barefoot.
How long have you been barefoot?
I don’t know that I could say. Anywhere from 1 to 3 years. It’s hard for me to decide when the true, ultimate choice was made in a definitive sense.
Why did you decide to be barefoot?
I’ll talk more about this in one of the below answers, where I include some important context.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how “extreme” are you?
Maybe a 3 or 4.
What is your opinion on shoes and socks?
They are a useful tool, and I use them every day. However, I do not believe that they are necessary to life a normal/healthy life. I think they’re beneficial if you’re walking somewhere with animal feces/dangerous terrain (which I do regularly) or dealing with heavy/objects/manual labor. But for just walking around, I think God had it figured out. Feet work pretty well. They should not be restricted when they don’t need to, because doing this will impair their structure and function over time.
Do you think being barefoot is socially acceptable? Why or why not?
Not really. People just have it in their heads that it’s weird. For good reason, I guess. I do it from time to time and I still think it’s kind of weird. I don’t make it a point to talk about it or anything. It’s just not the norm, at least in the Western world. We have a very professional/work based attitude, at least towards adults. We expect a certain level of commitment to a uniform type of life.
Have you ever not been able to go in somewhere/refused service because you didn’t have shoes on?
I’ve not been out in public barefoot enough to say. My parents both wear shoes in public, and my dad especially would not appreciate it if I caused the rest of us trouble by being barefoot and not being allowed in somewhere. Not a knock against him, I love my parents and respect them tremendously. But it’s not something that we’re that committed to. Although, about 2 years ago, we went to Florida and I walked down the beach to a crab restaurant barefoot. It was nice.
What are the best and worst reactions you have gotten? How do you deal with bad reactions and unsolicited opinions?
I don’t have enough experience to say, unfortunately.
How do you go about feet care?
I clean them when I bathe. I trim my nails. Otherwise I don’t mess with them. I’m not one of those fruity guys who likes to paint them.
Have you dealt with fetishers?
I guess so, in that I think I’m one of them. How much of this you want to hear or read (or publish) is up to you, but you know. Veil of anonymity and all. I have struggled for years with how much of my Barefooting comes from an authentic desire and belief and how much comes from my sordid personal failures and demons. When I was 12, I first learned I could watch porn on this little tablet I used for reading. I never really felt good about it or thought it was the right thing, but I had repressed myself from pursuing girls in real life until very recently, so without a healthy way to understand myself and sexual attraction, the temptation being there was enough to hook me.
Early on, foot fetish stuff really stuck out to me. For some reason that’s just what my dumb horny brain grabbed on to. Long story short, I did a bunch of weird, gross stuff after it got dark and one time I got caught, and I still feel the shame to this day. It makes it hard for me to go barefoot in a natural, organic way because it’s always in the back of my mind. It’s always going to be in my dad’s mind. I hate that I ever allowed myself to get that way. Every day I feel angry at myself for succumbing to temptation that way. I’m better now than I was, but I still sometimes buckle down and watch porn. One day I’ll be over it, I hope. Hopefully when I hypothetically find a girl willing to deal with me. Anyway, this is a huge exposition dump about my life. I’m sorry. What you need to know is that I feel a lot of conflict about how much of my desire to go barefoot/engage with Barefooting is organic due to my beliefs about its nature and benefits, and how much is just my own demons.
Do you walk on everything or are there surfaces you don’t walk on?
I prefer softer/smoother surfaces. My feet aren’t quite tough enough for gravel or rocks.
What is your favorite surface to walk barefoot on and why?
I love the mud. Deep, squishy, squelchy mud. It’s heavenly, especially on a hot/humid day.
What are the worst things you’ve stepped on?
Animal/small child feces/urine.
Have you had any mishaps?
Not really. Not the kind any of you want to hear about at least.
How do you handle cold temperatures?
This is one of those things where shoes as a tool come in handy for me.
In your experience, what season is best to be barefoot?
Spring/summer, for the nice temperatures and relatively low ground litter. Also the mud is nice in Spring especially.
How does being barefoot affect aspects of your life (love, career e.t.c)?
I kinda covered that in the part about fetishers and the part about being refused service.
What challenges do you run into (physically, socially e.t.c)?
My own shame. Also my parents. Again, I’m not painting them as repressive or bad by any means, it’s just not how they live their lives or run their household. My mother will go outside barefoot sometimes, and talks about grounding and stuff. But she often will take shoes as well, and doesn’t go other places barefoot.
What are misconceptions about being barefoot?
That we’re all creeps, and also that some of us aren’t.
Also, that shoes are more hygienic/healthy. Shoes, despite their many benefits and useful aspects, will damage your feet over time and impair their natural function. Also they marinate your feet in sweat; and the bottoms collect dirt and filth just like the soles of our feet. The same stuff is getting everywhere.
What are your fears that stem from being barefoot?
Grievous injury. Seems like it would be embarrassing to explain.
What advantages of being barefoot have you experienced?
It feels very liberating and relaxing. Especially in a rural environment like mine. I have a creek running behind my house I like to walk in. Also you can grip with your toes, and move and flex your foot, so anything from household chores to traversing a rocky stream is easier.
What disadvantages of being barefoot have you experienced?
It hurts to walk on some things.
What are things to NOT say or do to barefoot people?
I don’t know. Anything you wouldn’t say or do to anyone else.
How do you feel about how barefoot is portrayed in media? What are some of your favorite pieces of media with authentic representation?
I think barefoot characters are a very cool trope. I like to see the reasons that writers give for their characters to be barefoot. Some are nature-centric characters and are barefoot because it makes them seem connected to the environment. Some can’t wear shoes due to some innate characteristic or power that prevents them from it. Some are just free spirits and don’t like shoes.
I guess it’s probably a pretty low hanging fruit, but my favorite barefoot character is Toph Beifong from the Last Airbender. There’s also a YouTube channel called Loser Ana, where this lady documents her barefoot journey, and I think some of her videos are very insightful and fun. She’s also very pretty, from head to toe.
What would you like to say to barefooters?
I hope I can consider myself one of you, and not a degenerate. Or at least not JUST a degenerate.
Give tips to new barefooters and people looking to go barefoot.
Just do it I guess. Don’t throw your shoes in a fire or anything-use them when it’s appropriate. But also, come up with your own standards of what’s appropriate. You should have boots for if you need to do any kind of manual labor or walk in a place that could give you an injury/parasite/infection, but if you’re comfortable with the terrain in some particular place, feel free to let your feet breathe and be alive.
How do you wish our society would perceive and treat barefoot people?
The same as anybody else.
What would you like people to know about being barefoot?
It’s not everything it’s cracked up to be, but it’s also not as bad or dangerous as people make it out to be. It’s just a different way of doing things.
Tell your story, opinions, experiences.
To sum it all up, I think Barefooting is a healthy, normal practice. I don’t think it should be put on a pedestal, and I think a lot of people go too far or expect too much from it. But I also think it has benefits and is very fun and honestly therapeutic. I believe it should be more respected as a practice than it is.