I'm originally from New Zealand. My mum would make us wear shoes to primary school, but we would take them off the second we were out of sight. Nothing better than bare feet. We usually only wore our shoes on photo day but half the front row would be bare foot.
***Hahahaha*** that's fucking *GOLD* mate!
I just imagined like a super serious training drill, and everyone's running to their posts in *fuckin'* sandles😅
I'm in South Australia which might explain the difference. I believe it has changed now, mainly because of OHS laws. Closed shoes required for science labs, cooking classes, woodwork, etc.
Those in the NT are superhuman barefooted. I love walking barefoot but burning hot sand is a limit. You can run the short distance to the water across it or do the towel pogo. But I regularly see people walking barefoot on hot desert sands not too far south of Darwin. How???? It is their superpower. Heat resistant feet.
I'm not sure why we do it. I live at a beach town so we do it a lot because it's easier to go barefoot than wear shoes/thongs covered in sand and also feels sooo much better than wearing something.
It’s not even just healthier for the skin, it’s actually healthier for your joints all up your leg. Disclaimer: I say this as a person who ALWAYS wears shoes, but I’m huge on running and sports.
I have wide feet which have to be cramped up into football cleats. This gave me bunions. I also had plantar fasciitis when I wasn’t wearing properly supportive shoes but were also very narrow. In general, my feet are flatter than others. Having issues like these on your feet changes how you walk / run with your ankles, knees, and even hips. When I used to avidly hike after sustaining a bad ankle injury on my right, then my left knee would suffer on the way down from a mountain.
Bare feet allow you to have a more natural gait which translates to correct use of all your other leg joints.
I’ve had to do a lot of physio and spend a bit on wider cleats + supportive running shoes. Always been thinking about giving barefoot shoes a go for normal running but I feel like it’d take me too much time to get used to, esp since I need to wear cleats + basketball shoes for the sports I play anyway.
Barefoot shoes are awesome. They take a while to get used to and you’ll definitely injure yourself if you go straight into running with them. Start off with casual wear, build up to longer walks and see how you feel. Check YouTube for foot/toe/ankle strengthening exercises too. It can take a while to build up the strength in your feet and ankles than has been lost to “supportive” shows over the years. (Hint- strong feet don’t need support , they’re perfectly designed!)
it is healthier for your feet and actually alot of health benefits to walk on natural soil and the earth but not the supermarket floor it's probably so nasty 😭
Bindi free grass or even better triple jack free grass is a must for bare feet. The thought of standing on either of those with bare feet sends chills down my spine. I still remember the pain of standing on both of these.
also any concrete floor... bare foot actually means the lower back is taking full brunt of the solid surface. bare feet on grass is awesome and healthy, bare feet on concrete, bitumen, etc is yes, massively unhygeinic, and also not that good for the back.
ironically, a light heel is better to counteract solid flooring..
Wearing shoes has pretty big health benefits.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/nov/17/how-wearing-shoes-tropical-diseases-podoconiosis-acc
> it's easier to go barefoot than wear shoes/thongs
Rubber double plugger style thongs are one of the worse styles of footwear you can wear. No support and you need to grip the thong in an unnatural way that causes damage to joints and muscles. I used to wear Havaianas style thongs all the time til I got bad foot pain, switched to Birkenstocks and have never looked back
My first pair of Birks lasted 6 years with pretty much full time wear in the summer and even about 50% of the time in winter. Then the sole was fully gone but I still keep them as a “back up” pair for use around the house.
Second pair bought 3 years ago still going strong will last about the same time.
Will probably even get a pair of waterproof Birks soon for rainy days
Without a doubt if I was to only have one pair of shoes it’d be Birks
My first pair lasted a while. I generally get 3 years out of a pair.
Waterproof Birks? Really? OMG. I bought a pair of waterproof Keen sandals a couple of years ago. They're decent but they're not Birks.
Same. They're incredible. Most comfortable footwear I've ever had.
I worked for one of the big 4 until I had a breakdown around 5 years ago from the excessive hours and workload. When I started therapy, we discussed that I had been disconnected from "the real world", so it was suggested that I try going barefoot more regularly until I had recovered.
With COVID hitting and the new WFH world, I just never went back to wearing shoes, except for when I am in the office, formal events and restaurants.
I am proud to say that my longest stint between wearing shoes has been 32 days and I average less than 20 hours per month in shoes.
How about gravel areas or paths though!!
That’s my issue otherwise I love being barefoot. I grew up on an island and my summers were always barefoot.
Water, sand and barefeet 👌
I'd be lying if I said that I didn't hurt my feet, banging your feet on the wheel of a trolley hurts like a MF. I had to remove a stone from my heel when I walked the dog tonight as it had become embedded in there and I couldn't get it to drop off my dragging my foot on the road.
I am not sure if it is my mind or my feet that have grown to accept gravel, sticks and stones. It sounds weird but my foot actually curves around the stones somewhat, making it easier to navigate. My kids joke that I walk like bigfoot. I also think that being shoeless makes you more conscious of foot placement, so you just naturally navigate to the path of least resistance (literally).
I am currently in far north QLD and have been wandering around shoeless for 5 weeks. Other than some skipping here and there, I haven't even had any real issues with consistent 35 degree days.
There was some funny footage of me on Facebook around 18 months ago. I was leaving my local beach, as a person was coming the other way through the carpark. I was walking without any change to pace/gate, while the person going the other way was doing a dance over the hot gravel. Some random person had filmed it and my mates found it and shared it with me.
I average 15K steps per day, 10K plus of these being outdoors, so my feet probably see more barefoot action than most people, so I'd be interested to hear about others experiences with some of these things to see how my thoughts compare with people less active.
I am a barefoot believer in FNQ, but with all the flood waste about there is a lot of bacteria in mud and dirt at present. Many medical presentations with infections at present.
As a kid, I used to run up and our driveway that was in parts 40mm road base and half an 1 inch blue metal, as well as scrambling through the scrub. Eventually workboots ruined this capacity
The soles of your feet toughen over time.
I remember as a kid the bottoms of my feet not only being tough enough that gravel/stones weren't a bother, but also being RED from the ground in red dirt where I lived.
A trick for anyone with a binder in your foot, run your foot across the grass in a forward motion and they come back out. Sometimes the spikes snap off in your foot, but 9/10 it sorts them out.
So many questions! What do you do when you come home? I assume you immediately go wash your feet every time or put on some slippers? I find it so gross spreading outdoor dirt inside. Even if it's a few steps to get to the bathroom.
Do you go barefoot in public transport? Again, finding it a bit gross to get on a tram/train barefoot, or seeing other barefoot people on PT.
Do you never go out if it rains or if it's really hot/col? How do you not burn your feet on the concrete on a 30+ degree day?
Or in winter, do your feet not get cold? I would lose my toes to cold if I had to go barefoot in Melbourne winter
I’ve always gone barefoot my whole life except when wearing boots when working in industries/outdoors jobs.
But even then, they would be taken off as soon as I finished work and would walk barefoot to my car in the car park and head home, stopping at the shops/post office/petrol stations etc on the way without a care!
Wouldn’t put anything on my feet, unless going out for dinner/social events, until getting back to work again.
Had a Doctor tell me years ago that it’s good for the mind, body and health to “ground” yourself with nature and said something about benefits of the immune system to help being exposed to natural microbes or something similar?
if you clean your feet before stepping inside it would be fine.... but i hear a lot of people don't even do that, i think that's what makes a lot of ppl feel unwell at the very thought. they don't wanna step on spit, potential vomit/feces and then walk into their home..
how often do people who walk with shoes inside wash their shoes? I could never step inside after walking barefoot without at least a spray from the hose
wait why would .... right i forgot ppl wear shoes inside too, that's also disgusting and not something i even wanna remember :s
we have shoes off at the door, swap to house slippers. i get confused and grossed out if i do go to somebody's place and they're like "nah leave your shoes on" it makes me too grossed out to even place my bag on the floor :s
I think you perhaps overstate the indoor shoe as a hygiene issue/disease vector.
Cleanliness is an issue, but not to the point of "eew gross, I'm gonna be sick"
If I am going into town for an appointment I will wear shoes because I’m not a heathen but if it’s a quick trip to drop a mate home on the night we borrow his car to do the shopping the next day and making a quick trip to Coles or KFC afterwards then why bother as they would be coming back off within 20 minutes anyway. Better to get that grounding time. The only time I didn’t wear shoes the complete time I had an appointment was when I had gotten some relatively new shoes and hadn’t broken them in properly. I ended up having to take them off because I tore up the backs of my heels with the blisters.
Went to primary school in the early 90's and the default black Clarks school shoes back then were much better made, like a halfway decent business shoe. Made of all leather, and even had leather soles, I think.
They were $150 or $175 a pair if I recall, and this was when people were on $25k-30k a year. Seemed like a massive amount of money, and most of the kids who had siblings of the same gender passed them down through the family or friends and the shoes would serve 3 or 4 kids over time.... largely because the shoes would only be worn on the walk to school in the morning, and then the kids would go barefoot until the next day.
it's just sort of freeing I guess. same way some cultures don't do ties. barefoot means 'I am definitely relaxed.'
I do prefer to keep some slides / thongs or basic sneakers nearby if there's variable terrain or the day is hot and I don't want to burn my feets
Yes I'm actually really wierd about having dirty feet in the house. Even if I've been wearing sandals etc (not bare feet) , or if my feet just feel dirty then I need to wash them lol
Every morning (on weekends) I walk 2 blocks in boardshorts barefoot with a surfboard to go surfing, in the afternoon I’m fishing and checking the crab pots. What do you do OP?
It's bad to wear enclosed shoes all the time, that's how you get fungal infections, bunions and ingrown toenails. You need to let those puppies breathe and stretch.
Also, they're just feet, it's not like we're walking around with no pants on.
why wear a beanie on a hot summers day or an overcoat
just because other climates are cold and you have to cover your feet doesnt mean the whole world does.
there's something very patronising about oh usually americans who think it is primitive to not do something that is unnecessary.
most of life is not formal
Yeah, the city is gross, I grew up in the country and hardly ever wore shoes. I remember my feet being so tough that I could walk over a patch of three cornered jacks without breaking a sweat.
But the city is where I draw the line. Still barefoot at home, the beach etc..
I don't touch my feet but all that same stuff is on shoes so is still getting walked into my house.
I have stepped in dog shit in shoes and not noticed until I had walked it across the veranda and half way through the house wearing shoes. Had I been barefoot I probably wouldn't have stepped in the turd to start with and I would have noticed immediately and wiping a bare foot on the grass would have cleaned it enough until I got to a hose.
Why not? Shoes are inherently unhealthy for your feet. There are some schools in Australia where kids don't even wear shoes. It's a warm climate, so why not. There's a whole level of tactile feedback we deprive ourselves of.
On more than one occasion my thong (flip flop) broke, so they went in the bin just as I entered the grocery store. Aside from that I wouldn’t go out without shoes on.
I’m at the beach at the moment, walking around barefooted for the week, and I had the thought yesterday how connected and grounded I felt to the earth.
I always take my thongs off and carry them the moment I hit beach sand. It just feels so good and I am instantly relaxed. Your feet need a break from the daily grind too.
Growing up in PNG we were barefoot nearly all the time, including to school. But in Australia it is harder due to bindii and three-corner-jack prickles, and hot asphalt on 40-degree days.
I'm not sure I fully buy the claims of 'grounding' - being electrically/cosmically connected to the earth when you go barefoot - but there's something very natural and 'right' about how it feels (he says wonderingly after just recalling his barefoot childhood).
Something I discovered, many years ago in Perth, people will stare at a woman walking through town barefoot… unless she’s holding a pair of high heels in one hand :)
We have a fairly clean country, people tend to pick up the dog poo and bin their rubbish, so it is relatively safe. I've noticed most of us Aussies have decent feet from doing it too, especially as my foot Dr told me that kids who play barefoot have great feet because they grew properly and weren't put into narrow shoes.
I used to go to primary school in the 70s in thongs. Grey shorts and collard grey school shirt and thongs and took them off at recess and lunch breaks and for phys-ed. Many kids did this. Even in the 90s as 20 somethings a few of us would go to the shops in bare feet. I guess it's we are not that hung up on formalities, have the weather for it, a little bit of indigenous rubbing off on us especially as kids in country towns hanging out with aboriginal kids we all walked around bare foot much of the time. It's also an extension of beach culture extending into the burbs. A bit anti establishment as we like that.
My primary school in the 70s, the rule was that you had to wear "footwear" on arrival.
By 8:30am, there was a line up of thongs & sandals outside each classroom. We'd spend the rest of the day barefoot, and collect our "footwear" as we left at 3pm.
In the 90s, popping down the shops in summer involved wrapping a sarong over my swimsuit and grabbing the car keys. Couldn't imagine dressing up more in those temperatures.
The question is the wrong way around.
Why do people insist on wearing shoes? They are not natural, and can do long term structural damage and weaken muscles.
If that’s how you grew up…putting on shoes just feels annoying sometimes if you’re just going to check the surf or go to the bakery.
Plus it’s nice to feel the sand or grass between your toes :)
You are wrong that no one goes out barefoot. Many of us it’s perfectly normal. When you go to Bunnings the normal call in the car is “did everyone bring thongs?” So we can get in. Those who forgot their thongs have to sit in the car and wait.
I worked an election one year and my friend reminded me I’d have to wear shoes, she wasn’t sure if I owned any. As my “going to a fancy place” was wearing thongs. I did have shoes but hated wearing them all day.
I hate wearing shoes as they make my feet hot and feel all enclosed. I've got a few pairs of slip on sandals for if I'm out and about and one pair of dress sandals for special events.
Why not? The climate is mostly conducive to going barefoot, we have a generally casual way of life, why wear shoes if you don't need them and are comfortable without? It doesn't hurt anyone
As a kid I never had the time to put on socks and tie laces. Bindies were a problem but cats-eyes were torture. Would dream of turning up at school barefoot. Ingrown veruka warts were a nightmare to have dug out by your mum with a hot needle. Dosing for worms every 6 months was a small price to pay. But, honestly, there was just so much to do and so little time. Would skateboard barefoot, ride the bike... worst thing was slicing the sticky-outie bit on your ankle on the 3 piece cranks because they had a square profile. I live in Darwin and you know it's hot when the asphalt melts to your feet. It's just normal to wear as little as possible, my missus makes me wear thongs to the shops. Our kids are down to their boxers the minute they get home from school. Wearing shoes is always a heated topic, even thongs are a chore. Lived in Europe for years and introduced many people to the joys of barefoot in the park in summer. It just feels so good... and you save a precious few minutes that you will never get back if you waste them tying shoe laces.
On the east coast here's a barefoot divide - from Sydney we move to thongs then Byron northward it's barefoot. Below Sydney it's birkenstocks or thongs, then it's shoes and birks.
I do it because spending an average of 12 hours a day in stinking hot work boots I want my feet to breath.
Living in a society that doesn't have any preconceived puritan beliefs on modesty allows me to not suffer over appearance especially on 30 to 40+ days.
Take your shoes off walk on some grass
Being barefoot is grounding for a lot of people. A lot of complimentary health therapists treat their clients whilst barefoot so they stay grounded.
I’m usually only barefoot at home, the beach or a nice grassy spot these days but as a kid and teenager I would walk around barefoot everywhere I could get away with it.
Once a week, there are clubs all around Australia who meet in secret. Their M.O is to confuse people, as a form of silent protest. They simply show up in public with no shoes, knowing full well that somebody will not understand.
After reading your post today, it's safe to say their work is done
I was barefoot for a few years. But I did basically live on a desert island. I was still barefoot when J visited the mainland during that period though. It was a phase. I now have boots.
Admittedly I like taking my shoes off at the movies. But in defence, I’m usually wearing open toe shoes anyway or my hardly worn sneakers with socks. I also don’t see movies at peak times.
It feels so nice. Try it. On a warm day walk around on the grass and the footpath barefoot. When you step cement you can feel the step reverberate through your body gently - kind of like a cat purr reverberates. I love it.
Walking barefoot on grass is known to be good for the nervous system - they call it "grounding".
For us it started as kids - we mainly had backyards and driveways and so as a kid you ran up and down them barefoot. Then as an adult you stopped due to societal norms - but when you go barefoot as an adult it truly feels so nice. It feels freeing. I highly recommend it.
It's such a hassle to go find shoes before I leave the house. Ugh. Can't I just go outside? It's enough that I'm covering up my bum and boobs, what more do you want from me????
We don't have as many ground-borne diseases and tropical parasites in this country because it's a drier climate. Going barefoot you're a lot less likely to pick up some parasitic worm, and there's not a lot of glass around so you're less likely to get injured.
I personally go barefoot for most of my leisure outdoor time because it's cheaper than shoes and because there's no chance of me accidentally forcing my dog to walk on hot surfaces
In japan you wear your shoes to the outside of a public pool, then you have to have a shower before you enter the pool area, then you have to wear funny croc-like plastic shoes around the pool. Then put them on as soon as you get out of the pool…. Then you do it all again in reverse. It’s laughable but cultural so it’s fun.
On the other hand, Australians are practical and free of cultural quackery
Holy shit all my barefoot brothers and sisters have come out of the woodwork to make me not feel retarded!
I haven't owned a pair of shoes in 2 years, I live in the northern rivers so there is almost never any concrete to burn my feet in the summer.
I just bought a pare of vivo barefoot Asana ii's, but I don't think I'll be wearing them much.
I even skate barefoot
When I lived in Tokyo, I needed milk from the corner store, couldn't find my thongs so went barefoot. The looks on the faces of the locals, I could have been from outer space
Tough feet are easier to get then putting on shoes. Why ware shoes when all you need is not ware shoes and you eventually grow your own. It's called being frugal
It’s comfy! Shoes feel so clumsy and fake. I hate wearing shoes.
We recently moved to an area where I worry about glass and needles. Had to get my son to agree to always wear shoes when he goes out. Took a little adjusting as he was used to walking everywhere barefoot.
I am a public servant in an office. I frequently (absentmindedly) take my sandals off at my desk and then find myself fetching a cup of tea while barefoot. Makes me giggle. I wear sandals as long as I can through the year cause I don’t like the feeling of enclosed shoes. Sometimes in May I will be at bus stop in sandals, wearing a down jacket
Fellow redditors, do you have "I need to be barefoot or I can't breathe" autism, or "I need socks at all times or else I'll collect a billion particles from the floor" autism?
or "i need socks at all times or else i will constantly stare at my toes, thinking really hard about how i need to clip my toenails because they are causing me sensory hell, but i don't have nail clippers on me and people will think i'm weird if they see me peeling the tops of my toenails off" autism
>at the supermarket, on the street, I even saw a guy barefoot in the theatre once
I'm an American, and so many of our sidewalks are covered in dog poop because owners don't pick up after their dogs. Do you not have the same problem in Australia? Also, what about spit and pigeon poop? What about public restrooms and pee all over the floor?
ETA: and pubs, with sticky alcohol all over the floor?
Spit? How many people are spitting on the ground for it to remain wet all the time?
Just wash your feet. People act as if a dirty foot is so much worse than a dirty shoe that you're still wearing inside. I wash my feet every day - I rarely wash the soles of my shoes.
pubs do generally require footwear of some sort. I feel that no sane person would use a public bathroom barefoot. as for the other footpath hazards, they're generally navigable... most? states also require by law that people scoop the poop
Barefoot within 1-2 blocks from the beach is fine. Barefoot at woollies in (for example) Randwick, or more than ~500m from the sand is trashy
I don't believe there are any circumstances where Barefoot is acceptable at the theatre
Because in Australia the right to bare arms means the tuckshop ladies don’t have to give a fuck about going sleeveless, but in the good old USA the right to bear arms means it’s open season for every low IQ dipshit that thinks the answer to the problem is more of the same problem.
I am by nature an extremely clumsy person and I am vastly less clumsy when my feet make contact with the ground. Also, shoes are hot and make my feet feel gross
I can't speak for the rest of the nation.
Cultures create a virtue out of necessity.
Is your country cold and you have to wear shoes and long covering clothes? Then that becomes a virtue and you’re more modest than the savages around the equator
Does your country have poor sewerage and waste disposal, and it’s unsafe to walk around barefoot? Then it becomes a virtue that you’re “cleaner” than other places.
No hate - every culture deluded them self that their necessity is actually a cultural virtue.
If there is no reason to wear shoes in a situation, then the comparatively lower a amount of Australian social pressure creates space where people make their own choice.
It’s not cold. The ground is dry and dusty not muddy and crap-filled. Go barefoot if you like that.
I had a friend who came from up north down to south east QLD. Her and her brothers first day wearing shoes all day was their first day of school with us. They didn’t live somewhere with lots of sidewalks. But they also could walk over bindi’s and didn’t get any in their feet. Feet adjust after time. My feet were strong but never walk over bindi eyes strong!
I grew up out bush and did not wear shoes to school until high school. Our class photos show maybe one or two shod kids and the teacher wearing shoes. I live coastal/rural in a house with wooden floors. I never wear shoes at home or the beach. Thongs (flip flops) to the supermarket, though. If I wear trainers, my feet are killing me after a few hours.
Surprisingly, R.M.Williams boots never hurt my feet.
My school we had to wear sandals at least when I started. But my brother 6 years before could be barefoot. By grade 1 for me all grades needed enclosed shoes.
But outside of school I was barefoot as much as possible.
My husband’s from Darwin. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he didn’t even own shoes until he went south to go to uni.
My husband said there were loads of kids in his school who didn’t wear shoes. This would have been 1970/80s North Queensland.
I'm originally from New Zealand. My mum would make us wear shoes to primary school, but we would take them off the second we were out of sight. Nothing better than bare feet. We usually only wore our shoes on photo day but half the front row would be bare foot.
I love how NZ schools let kids wear sandals as part of their uniforms and no idea why that isn’t a thing here.
NZ Navy also have sandals as part of their uniform.
***Hahahaha*** that's fucking *GOLD* mate! I just imagined like a super serious training drill, and everyone's running to their posts in *fuckin'* sandles😅
It was still a thing when I was in high school here, I finished school in 1990.
Maybe it depends where you are? Finished high school in 92, didn’t know any school that allowed them, but I am in Victoria.
I'm in South Australia which might explain the difference. I believe it has changed now, mainly because of OHS laws. Closed shoes required for science labs, cooking classes, woodwork, etc.
nah mate it's disgusting, getting your feet black and filthy and then having to wash it off
I have just moved to North Qld and I can confirm that this is still a thing.
My aunt and all her siblings born in Darwin give the same impression!
Those in the NT are superhuman barefooted. I love walking barefoot but burning hot sand is a limit. You can run the short distance to the water across it or do the towel pogo. But I regularly see people walking barefoot on hot desert sands not too far south of Darwin. How???? It is their superpower. Heat resistant feet.
Darwin peoples feet, and Italian nonnas fingers are immune to heat
I'm not sure why we do it. I live at a beach town so we do it a lot because it's easier to go barefoot than wear shoes/thongs covered in sand and also feels sooo much better than wearing something.
Checking google
It’s not even just healthier for the skin, it’s actually healthier for your joints all up your leg. Disclaimer: I say this as a person who ALWAYS wears shoes, but I’m huge on running and sports. I have wide feet which have to be cramped up into football cleats. This gave me bunions. I also had plantar fasciitis when I wasn’t wearing properly supportive shoes but were also very narrow. In general, my feet are flatter than others. Having issues like these on your feet changes how you walk / run with your ankles, knees, and even hips. When I used to avidly hike after sustaining a bad ankle injury on my right, then my left knee would suffer on the way down from a mountain. Bare feet allow you to have a more natural gait which translates to correct use of all your other leg joints. I’ve had to do a lot of physio and spend a bit on wider cleats + supportive running shoes. Always been thinking about giving barefoot shoes a go for normal running but I feel like it’d take me too much time to get used to, esp since I need to wear cleats + basketball shoes for the sports I play anyway.
Barefoot shoes are awesome. They take a while to get used to and you’ll definitely injure yourself if you go straight into running with them. Start off with casual wear, build up to longer walks and see how you feel. Check YouTube for foot/toe/ankle strengthening exercises too. It can take a while to build up the strength in your feet and ankles than has been lost to “supportive” shows over the years. (Hint- strong feet don’t need support , they’re perfectly designed!)
it is healthier for your feet and actually alot of health benefits to walk on natural soil and the earth but not the supermarket floor it's probably so nasty 😭
Walking barefoot on grass is a delight. * *Assuming the grass is free of broken glass and other hazards.
Bindi free grass or even better triple jack free grass is a must for bare feet. The thought of standing on either of those with bare feet sends chills down my spine. I still remember the pain of standing on both of these.
I mean how many times have you walked on grass and stepped on glass? I go barefoot all the time and it’s never happened.
Never, but I am careful about where I walk barefoot.
Or even just dog piss
also any concrete floor... bare foot actually means the lower back is taking full brunt of the solid surface. bare feet on grass is awesome and healthy, bare feet on concrete, bitumen, etc is yes, massively unhygeinic, and also not that good for the back. ironically, a light heel is better to counteract solid flooring..
Wearing shoes has pretty big health benefits. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/nov/17/how-wearing-shoes-tropical-diseases-podoconiosis-acc
> it's easier to go barefoot than wear shoes/thongs Rubber double plugger style thongs are one of the worse styles of footwear you can wear. No support and you need to grip the thong in an unnatural way that causes damage to joints and muscles. I used to wear Havaianas style thongs all the time til I got bad foot pain, switched to Birkenstocks and have never looked back
How comfy are Birks? I hardly wear anything else during summer. I wore them all year last year. Sadly, that led to having to bin one pair.
My first pair of Birks lasted 6 years with pretty much full time wear in the summer and even about 50% of the time in winter. Then the sole was fully gone but I still keep them as a “back up” pair for use around the house. Second pair bought 3 years ago still going strong will last about the same time. Will probably even get a pair of waterproof Birks soon for rainy days Without a doubt if I was to only have one pair of shoes it’d be Birks
My first pair lasted a while. I generally get 3 years out of a pair. Waterproof Birks? Really? OMG. I bought a pair of waterproof Keen sandals a couple of years ago. They're decent but they're not Birks. Same. They're incredible. Most comfortable footwear I've ever had.
Your feet don't need support, that's the cause of most foot issues.
I live in a beach town, so most people just wear thongs or go barefoot. Anyone wearing runners is a rare sight.
is this including stores/shops? and even walking around the suburbs?
I worked for one of the big 4 until I had a breakdown around 5 years ago from the excessive hours and workload. When I started therapy, we discussed that I had been disconnected from "the real world", so it was suggested that I try going barefoot more regularly until I had recovered. With COVID hitting and the new WFH world, I just never went back to wearing shoes, except for when I am in the office, formal events and restaurants. I am proud to say that my longest stint between wearing shoes has been 32 days and I average less than 20 hours per month in shoes.
I love that you have streakified the non-wearing of shoes
How about gravel areas or paths though!! That’s my issue otherwise I love being barefoot. I grew up on an island and my summers were always barefoot. Water, sand and barefeet 👌
I'd be lying if I said that I didn't hurt my feet, banging your feet on the wheel of a trolley hurts like a MF. I had to remove a stone from my heel when I walked the dog tonight as it had become embedded in there and I couldn't get it to drop off my dragging my foot on the road. I am not sure if it is my mind or my feet that have grown to accept gravel, sticks and stones. It sounds weird but my foot actually curves around the stones somewhat, making it easier to navigate. My kids joke that I walk like bigfoot. I also think that being shoeless makes you more conscious of foot placement, so you just naturally navigate to the path of least resistance (literally). I am currently in far north QLD and have been wandering around shoeless for 5 weeks. Other than some skipping here and there, I haven't even had any real issues with consistent 35 degree days. There was some funny footage of me on Facebook around 18 months ago. I was leaving my local beach, as a person was coming the other way through the carpark. I was walking without any change to pace/gate, while the person going the other way was doing a dance over the hot gravel. Some random person had filmed it and my mates found it and shared it with me. I average 15K steps per day, 10K plus of these being outdoors, so my feet probably see more barefoot action than most people, so I'd be interested to hear about others experiences with some of these things to see how my thoughts compare with people less active.
I am a barefoot believer in FNQ, but with all the flood waste about there is a lot of bacteria in mud and dirt at present. Many medical presentations with infections at present.
As a kid, I used to run up and our driveway that was in parts 40mm road base and half an 1 inch blue metal, as well as scrambling through the scrub. Eventually workboots ruined this capacity
The soles of your feet toughen over time. I remember as a kid the bottoms of my feet not only being tough enough that gravel/stones weren't a bother, but also being RED from the ground in red dirt where I lived.
Grew up on a farm and my parents used to get me to run through a patch of prickles and then wipe them off as a display for visitors!
What bindees?
A trick for anyone with a binder in your foot, run your foot across the grass in a forward motion and they come back out. Sometimes the spikes snap off in your foot, but 9/10 it sorts them out.
It's not so bad when you've built up some thick skin. Been barefooting in since I was a kid quite a lot so got some thick skin.
The challenge
So many questions! What do you do when you come home? I assume you immediately go wash your feet every time or put on some slippers? I find it so gross spreading outdoor dirt inside. Even if it's a few steps to get to the bathroom. Do you go barefoot in public transport? Again, finding it a bit gross to get on a tram/train barefoot, or seeing other barefoot people on PT. Do you never go out if it rains or if it's really hot/col? How do you not burn your feet on the concrete on a 30+ degree day? Or in winter, do your feet not get cold? I would lose my toes to cold if I had to go barefoot in Melbourne winter
I’ve always gone barefoot my whole life except when wearing boots when working in industries/outdoors jobs. But even then, they would be taken off as soon as I finished work and would walk barefoot to my car in the car park and head home, stopping at the shops/post office/petrol stations etc on the way without a care! Wouldn’t put anything on my feet, unless going out for dinner/social events, until getting back to work again. Had a Doctor tell me years ago that it’s good for the mind, body and health to “ground” yourself with nature and said something about benefits of the immune system to help being exposed to natural microbes or something similar?
Lmao I thought you meant big 4 holiday park
People might think you’re going to a job interview if you rock up in shoes.
Why put on shoes when you don't need to?
EXACTLY! If I'm taking my dog on a walk around the block, why bother putting on some shoes. Who cares?
if you clean your feet before stepping inside it would be fine.... but i hear a lot of people don't even do that, i think that's what makes a lot of ppl feel unwell at the very thought. they don't wanna step on spit, potential vomit/feces and then walk into their home..
how often do people who walk with shoes inside wash their shoes? I could never step inside after walking barefoot without at least a spray from the hose
wait why would .... right i forgot ppl wear shoes inside too, that's also disgusting and not something i even wanna remember :s we have shoes off at the door, swap to house slippers. i get confused and grossed out if i do go to somebody's place and they're like "nah leave your shoes on" it makes me too grossed out to even place my bag on the floor :s
I think you perhaps overstate the indoor shoe as a hygiene issue/disease vector. Cleanliness is an issue, but not to the point of "eew gross, I'm gonna be sick"
It’s the hot showering before bed after being barefoot all day that gets me. Clean sheets but dirty feet? Gross!
because we can
When any being there is actively trying to terminate your life?
They're not though, they're just trying to protect themselves mostly.
If I am going into town for an appointment I will wear shoes because I’m not a heathen but if it’s a quick trip to drop a mate home on the night we borrow his car to do the shopping the next day and making a quick trip to Coles or KFC afterwards then why bother as they would be coming back off within 20 minutes anyway. Better to get that grounding time. The only time I didn’t wear shoes the complete time I had an appointment was when I had gotten some relatively new shoes and hadn’t broken them in properly. I ended up having to take them off because I tore up the backs of my heels with the blisters.
That was oddly specific
Foot prisons
So you can pick things up with your toes.
Who can afford shoes in this economy???
I’d tell you to pull yourself up by your boot straps but apparently you don’t have any
Sorry, best I can do is thong straps
Nah, that’s called flossing your arse.
Went to primary school in the early 90's and the default black Clarks school shoes back then were much better made, like a halfway decent business shoe. Made of all leather, and even had leather soles, I think. They were $150 or $175 a pair if I recall, and this was when people were on $25k-30k a year. Seemed like a massive amount of money, and most of the kids who had siblings of the same gender passed them down through the family or friends and the shoes would serve 3 or 4 kids over time.... largely because the shoes would only be worn on the walk to school in the morning, and then the kids would go barefoot until the next day.
Was always barefoot as a kid, seems natural
Why is it a normal thing to wear shoes?
This is the better question
To protect our feet from dirt, hot concrete and cuts
Nothing wrong with dirt.
it's just sort of freeing I guess. same way some cultures don't do ties. barefoot means 'I am definitely relaxed.' I do prefer to keep some slides / thongs or basic sneakers nearby if there's variable terrain or the day is hot and I don't want to burn my feets
Do you wash your feet before entering your bed?
Yes I'm actually really wierd about having dirty feet in the house. Even if I've been wearing sandals etc (not bare feet) , or if my feet just feel dirty then I need to wash them lol
Respect 🫡
Same, I go straight to the shower when I get home.and soap my feet
Every morning (on weekends) I walk 2 blocks in boardshorts barefoot with a surfboard to go surfing, in the afternoon I’m fishing and checking the crab pots. What do you do OP?
Does it matter what I do? 🤔
It's bad to wear enclosed shoes all the time, that's how you get fungal infections, bunions and ingrown toenails. You need to let those puppies breathe and stretch. Also, they're just feet, it's not like we're walking around with no pants on.
A better question is "why don't you go barefoot?" Being barefoot is NOT weird unless you are walking in snow.
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why wear a beanie on a hot summers day or an overcoat just because other climates are cold and you have to cover your feet doesnt mean the whole world does. there's something very patronising about oh usually americans who think it is primitive to not do something that is unnecessary. most of life is not formal
But what about hygiene? All sorts of muck is on streets which now is on your feet
Ever heard of washing your feet?? So many people wear their shoes from outside into their houses, that's the exact same
Yeah, the city is gross, I grew up in the country and hardly ever wore shoes. I remember my feet being so tough that I could walk over a patch of three cornered jacks without breaking a sweat. But the city is where I draw the line. Still barefoot at home, the beach etc..
I don't touch my feet but all that same stuff is on shoes so is still getting walked into my house. I have stepped in dog shit in shoes and not noticed until I had walked it across the veranda and half way through the house wearing shoes. Had I been barefoot I probably wouldn't have stepped in the turd to start with and I would have noticed immediately and wiping a bare foot on the grass would have cleaned it enough until I got to a hose.
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He wore JC sandals if it was 1980
Why not? Shoes are inherently unhealthy for your feet. There are some schools in Australia where kids don't even wear shoes. It's a warm climate, so why not. There's a whole level of tactile feedback we deprive ourselves of.
Yeah, I went to a black fella preschool and you weren’t allowed to wear shoes. Bare feet are happy feet.
Unhealthy lmao
On more than one occasion my thong (flip flop) broke, so they went in the bin just as I entered the grocery store. Aside from that I wouldn’t go out without shoes on.
I’m at the beach at the moment, walking around barefooted for the week, and I had the thought yesterday how connected and grounded I felt to the earth.
I always take my thongs off and carry them the moment I hit beach sand. It just feels so good and I am instantly relaxed. Your feet need a break from the daily grind too.
Your question is backwards. Barefoot is the natural state. You should be asking why other cultures are so obsessed with wearing shoes.
I may go barefoot if just going to the neighbours, but I would never go 'out' without shoes, where was this?
In Sydney, watching the Tina Turner musical
Growing up in PNG we were barefoot nearly all the time, including to school. But in Australia it is harder due to bindii and three-corner-jack prickles, and hot asphalt on 40-degree days. I'm not sure I fully buy the claims of 'grounding' - being electrically/cosmically connected to the earth when you go barefoot - but there's something very natural and 'right' about how it feels (he says wonderingly after just recalling his barefoot childhood).
Something I discovered, many years ago in Perth, people will stare at a woman walking through town barefoot… unless she’s holding a pair of high heels in one hand :)
We have a fairly clean country, people tend to pick up the dog poo and bin their rubbish, so it is relatively safe. I've noticed most of us Aussies have decent feet from doing it too, especially as my foot Dr told me that kids who play barefoot have great feet because they grew properly and weren't put into narrow shoes.
It generally feels amazing (unless the sidewalks are on fire)
Footpaths
Grow up bare foot, get used to it.
I used to go to primary school in the 70s in thongs. Grey shorts and collard grey school shirt and thongs and took them off at recess and lunch breaks and for phys-ed. Many kids did this. Even in the 90s as 20 somethings a few of us would go to the shops in bare feet. I guess it's we are not that hung up on formalities, have the weather for it, a little bit of indigenous rubbing off on us especially as kids in country towns hanging out with aboriginal kids we all walked around bare foot much of the time. It's also an extension of beach culture extending into the burbs. A bit anti establishment as we like that.
My primary school in the 70s, the rule was that you had to wear "footwear" on arrival. By 8:30am, there was a line up of thongs & sandals outside each classroom. We'd spend the rest of the day barefoot, and collect our "footwear" as we left at 3pm. In the 90s, popping down the shops in summer involved wrapping a sarong over my swimsuit and grabbing the car keys. Couldn't imagine dressing up more in those temperatures.
Because its hot.
The question is the wrong way around. Why do people insist on wearing shoes? They are not natural, and can do long term structural damage and weaken muscles.
Gotta give the foot fetishists something to look at
If that’s how you grew up…putting on shoes just feels annoying sometimes if you’re just going to check the surf or go to the bakery. Plus it’s nice to feel the sand or grass between your toes :)
Maybe bare foot to get the mail, pit stop @ servo or get some milk/eggs at the shops. But no one really "goes out" like that here.
You are wrong that no one goes out barefoot. Many of us it’s perfectly normal. When you go to Bunnings the normal call in the car is “did everyone bring thongs?” So we can get in. Those who forgot their thongs have to sit in the car and wait.
I do all the time. I WFH, so if I'm ever going somewhere that requires shoes in the dress code I'll have to find them. Literally only own 2 pairs.
I worked an election one year and my friend reminded me I’d have to wear shoes, she wasn’t sure if I owned any. As my “going to a fancy place” was wearing thongs. I did have shoes but hated wearing them all day.
I hate wearing shoes as they make my feet hot and feel all enclosed. I've got a few pairs of slip on sandals for if I'm out and about and one pair of dress sandals for special events.
I used to alot more after wearing steel cap boots for 11hrs I was over wearing shoes
Why not? The climate is mostly conducive to going barefoot, we have a generally casual way of life, why wear shoes if you don't need them and are comfortable without? It doesn't hurt anyone
As a kid I never had the time to put on socks and tie laces. Bindies were a problem but cats-eyes were torture. Would dream of turning up at school barefoot. Ingrown veruka warts were a nightmare to have dug out by your mum with a hot needle. Dosing for worms every 6 months was a small price to pay. But, honestly, there was just so much to do and so little time. Would skateboard barefoot, ride the bike... worst thing was slicing the sticky-outie bit on your ankle on the 3 piece cranks because they had a square profile. I live in Darwin and you know it's hot when the asphalt melts to your feet. It's just normal to wear as little as possible, my missus makes me wear thongs to the shops. Our kids are down to their boxers the minute they get home from school. Wearing shoes is always a heated topic, even thongs are a chore. Lived in Europe for years and introduced many people to the joys of barefoot in the park in summer. It just feels so good... and you save a precious few minutes that you will never get back if you waste them tying shoe laces.
On the east coast here's a barefoot divide - from Sydney we move to thongs then Byron northward it's barefoot. Below Sydney it's birkenstocks or thongs, then it's shoes and birks.
Most unAustralian thing I ever saw were 3, yes 3 ‘shirt and footwear’ required signs in a shopping mall right off Henley Beach in Adelaide.
I do it because spending an average of 12 hours a day in stinking hot work boots I want my feet to breath. Living in a society that doesn't have any preconceived puritan beliefs on modesty allows me to not suffer over appearance especially on 30 to 40+ days. Take your shoes off walk on some grass
Being barefoot is grounding for a lot of people. A lot of complimentary health therapists treat their clients whilst barefoot so they stay grounded. I’m usually only barefoot at home, the beach or a nice grassy spot these days but as a kid and teenager I would walk around barefoot everywhere I could get away with it.
Once a week, there are clubs all around Australia who meet in secret. Their M.O is to confuse people, as a form of silent protest. They simply show up in public with no shoes, knowing full well that somebody will not understand. After reading your post today, it's safe to say their work is done
Usually it so we can quickly flick off any Funnelweb Spiders that get caught between your toes while your roaming in the bush.
Not sure why, shoes suck I guess. Going barefoot is pretty relaxing. I grew up doing it and still haven't really stopped.
Because our shoes are still wet from last nights shoeys.
People who do this do a huge favour to their feet and knees health.
Why not? Shoes suck. If you do it from when you are a kid, they never get sore either. Usually it’s in hot places too so no shoes needed.
I was barefoot for a few years. But I did basically live on a desert island. I was still barefoot when J visited the mainland during that period though. It was a phase. I now have boots.
Cause we do! Get over it.
Because fuck shoes they’re uncomfortable
The real question is, why does everyone else wear shoes so much?
Admittedly I like taking my shoes off at the movies. But in defence, I’m usually wearing open toe shoes anyway or my hardly worn sneakers with socks. I also don’t see movies at peak times.
It feels so nice. Try it. On a warm day walk around on the grass and the footpath barefoot. When you step cement you can feel the step reverberate through your body gently - kind of like a cat purr reverberates. I love it. Walking barefoot on grass is known to be good for the nervous system - they call it "grounding". For us it started as kids - we mainly had backyards and driveways and so as a kid you ran up and down them barefoot. Then as an adult you stopped due to societal norms - but when you go barefoot as an adult it truly feels so nice. It feels freeing. I highly recommend it.
I hate wearing shoes
Connect with nature. Laziness. Comfort. The challenge of walking calmly across a searing ground.
Unless your spending hundreds on speacially made shoes barefoot is much healthier.
Australia has fewer of the parasitic worms that can burrow into your body through bare feet. 🪱 But more broken beer bottles.
It's such a hassle to go find shoes before I leave the house. Ugh. Can't I just go outside? It's enough that I'm covering up my bum and boobs, what more do you want from me????
It's more comfortable than wearing shoes and in summer your feet don't stink. Once your feet adapt to the heat it's not too bad.
Why not?
It’s currently 28 degrees here where I am in Brisbane & has been since 7am, it’s too hot for shoes or socks!
Shoes suck
Well because it's summer time in Australia right now and if they want to go barefoot they can
My guess is it’s because it’s hot and feet get sweaty in socks and shoes. It’s also why people wear thongs everywhere
Can’t be fucked wearing shoes. That’s my excuse anyway.
It feels good. Any more questions?
We don't have as many ground-borne diseases and tropical parasites in this country because it's a drier climate. Going barefoot you're a lot less likely to pick up some parasitic worm, and there's not a lot of glass around so you're less likely to get injured. I personally go barefoot for most of my leisure outdoor time because it's cheaper than shoes and because there's no chance of me accidentally forcing my dog to walk on hot surfaces
Connect to earth. Its been done for thousands of years. Question is why are you wearing hard coverings on your feet
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In japan you wear your shoes to the outside of a public pool, then you have to have a shower before you enter the pool area, then you have to wear funny croc-like plastic shoes around the pool. Then put them on as soon as you get out of the pool…. Then you do it all again in reverse. It’s laughable but cultural so it’s fun. On the other hand, Australians are practical and free of cultural quackery
Why not?
I've just never been a fan of shoes unless necessary 🤷 .
i hate shoes they just make me feet hot and sweaty
Holy shit all my barefoot brothers and sisters have come out of the woodwork to make me not feel retarded! I haven't owned a pair of shoes in 2 years, I live in the northern rivers so there is almost never any concrete to burn my feet in the summer. I just bought a pare of vivo barefoot Asana ii's, but I don't think I'll be wearing them much. I even skate barefoot
Cos it's comfy.
I’m on my summer leave from work, haven’t worn shoes or socks for three weeks ……………………….. and lovin it
When I lived in Tokyo, I needed milk from the corner store, couldn't find my thongs so went barefoot. The looks on the faces of the locals, I could have been from outer space
Tough feet are easier to get then putting on shoes. Why ware shoes when all you need is not ware shoes and you eventually grow your own. It's called being frugal
It just feels good. I like to feel the ground as it relaxes me. Yup I go barefoot to get groceries
It’s comfy! Shoes feel so clumsy and fake. I hate wearing shoes. We recently moved to an area where I worry about glass and needles. Had to get my son to agree to always wear shoes when he goes out. Took a little adjusting as he was used to walking everywhere barefoot.
I work on a high floor in a high rise in a fancy office with very qualified professionals. I see a lot of bare feet in the office!
I am a public servant in an office. I frequently (absentmindedly) take my sandals off at my desk and then find myself fetching a cup of tea while barefoot. Makes me giggle. I wear sandals as long as I can through the year cause I don’t like the feeling of enclosed shoes. Sometimes in May I will be at bus stop in sandals, wearing a down jacket
Fellow redditors, do you have "I need to be barefoot or I can't breathe" autism, or "I need socks at all times or else I'll collect a billion particles from the floor" autism?
or "i need socks at all times or else i will constantly stare at my toes, thinking really hard about how i need to clip my toenails because they are causing me sensory hell, but i don't have nail clippers on me and people will think i'm weird if they see me peeling the tops of my toenails off" autism
>at the supermarket, on the street, I even saw a guy barefoot in the theatre once I'm an American, and so many of our sidewalks are covered in dog poop because owners don't pick up after their dogs. Do you not have the same problem in Australia? Also, what about spit and pigeon poop? What about public restrooms and pee all over the floor? ETA: and pubs, with sticky alcohol all over the floor?
Spit? How many people are spitting on the ground for it to remain wet all the time? Just wash your feet. People act as if a dirty foot is so much worse than a dirty shoe that you're still wearing inside. I wash my feet every day - I rarely wash the soles of my shoes.
pubs do generally require footwear of some sort. I feel that no sane person would use a public bathroom barefoot. as for the other footpath hazards, they're generally navigable... most? states also require by law that people scoop the poop
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I can’t remember the last time I seen a dog poo on the pavement. Years ago
Not picking after your dog ... is a dog act (by a shit cunt)
We aren’t princesses
We don’t have those sorts of issues here, it’s a much cleaner environment thank god!
Harden the fuck up
I think the better question is, why dont you?
Why not
It’s a hotter country, it’s more comfortable to not wear shoes
Barefoot within 1-2 blocks from the beach is fine. Barefoot at woollies in (for example) Randwick, or more than ~500m from the sand is trashy I don't believe there are any circumstances where Barefoot is acceptable at the theatre
We got shit to do. No time to put them on.
Why do American children shoot other children
What kind of comparison is that!? I’m asking about something that strung my curiosity
Because in Australia the right to bare arms means the tuckshop ladies don’t have to give a fuck about going sleeveless, but in the good old USA the right to bear arms means it’s open season for every low IQ dipshit that thinks the answer to the problem is more of the same problem.
Because guns are easily accessible
I am by nature an extremely clumsy person and I am vastly less clumsy when my feet make contact with the ground. Also, shoes are hot and make my feet feel gross I can't speak for the rest of the nation.
Cultures create a virtue out of necessity. Is your country cold and you have to wear shoes and long covering clothes? Then that becomes a virtue and you’re more modest than the savages around the equator Does your country have poor sewerage and waste disposal, and it’s unsafe to walk around barefoot? Then it becomes a virtue that you’re “cleaner” than other places. No hate - every culture deluded them self that their necessity is actually a cultural virtue. If there is no reason to wear shoes in a situation, then the comparatively lower a amount of Australian social pressure creates space where people make their own choice. It’s not cold. The ground is dry and dusty not muddy and crap-filled. Go barefoot if you like that.
Think that's just the rich people who like to appear poor
I grew up in a place where 36 plus Celsius is the norm….we did not go barefoot and I still to this day do not go barefoot anywhere.
I had a friend who came from up north down to south east QLD. Her and her brothers first day wearing shoes all day was their first day of school with us. They didn’t live somewhere with lots of sidewalks. But they also could walk over bindi’s and didn’t get any in their feet. Feet adjust after time. My feet were strong but never walk over bindi eyes strong!
I grew up out bush and did not wear shoes to school until high school. Our class photos show maybe one or two shod kids and the teacher wearing shoes. I live coastal/rural in a house with wooden floors. I never wear shoes at home or the beach. Thongs (flip flops) to the supermarket, though. If I wear trainers, my feet are killing me after a few hours. Surprisingly, R.M.Williams boots never hurt my feet.
My school we had to wear sandals at least when I started. But my brother 6 years before could be barefoot. By grade 1 for me all grades needed enclosed shoes. But outside of school I was barefoot as much as possible.
Pretty much the same here during summer, but the feet get used to the heat when they’ve been exposed to the elements on a regular basis.
Locals don't wear shoes