Encyclopedia
Going
barefoot is the practice of walking without
shoes,
socks, or other foot covering.
It is more common in developing countries and among poor groups but less common, at least in public, in most industrialized countries due to greater availability of footwear and societal taboos against going barefoot.
Some people who live in areas where going barefoot in public is more or less uncommon nonetheless choose to go barefoot in public part or all of the time. Some of these people call themselves
barefooters and make an effort to go barefoot as much as possible. Many enjoy the sensation of their feet in direct contact with the ground and/or may have other motivations such as perceived spiritual or health benefits. People who self-identify as "barefooters" tend to be those living in developed countries, as the term itself has been popularized primarily via the Internet.
Activities
Barefoot hiking
Some people who enjoy the sensation of walking barefoot go barefoot on hikes in the countryside, which offers a greater variety of different surfaces to experience than typical indoor or city environments.
In the
United States as well as several
European countries there are barefoot hiking groups which organize shoeless excursions. Several
German-speaking countries have
barefoot parks which are designed to be ideal for going barefoot and to encourage the activity.
Barefoot sports
Most
martial arts are practiced barefoot, as well as many
gymnastics and dancing disciplines. Barefoot
beach volleyball and beach soccer have become the favourites of many young people.
Sports that make use of a
swimming pool are usually practiced barefoot.
In sports like long-distance running, most athletes run in shoes, but Abebe Bikila set world records running marathons with and without shoes.
Zola Budd trained, raced, and won the World Cross Country Championships barefoot, twice.
Some
American football placekickers have also played with a bare kicking foot, citing better control over the contact between their foot and the ball as the reason. In the
1970s and
1980s, the
Philadelphia Eagles had two placekickers who kicked barefoot: Tony Franklin and Paul McFadden.
Barefoot lifestyle
A significant portion of the population even in
developed countries enjoy going barefoot and some are resisting their society's taboo against doing this in public. In the
United States social folkways that frown upon bare feet in public are more pronounced in certain parts of the country than others, where they can hardly be said to exist at all. In some
industrialized nations such as those of
Oceania, people of all ages and backgrounds, while a minority, are seen walking barefoot for pleasure, comfort and style as they go about their daily business in settings where people dress in blue jeans, shorts, t-shirts, sandals or other informal/casual attire. Upscale restaurants and most pubs, however, generally require shoes.
Some barefooters and social historians old enough to remember American life before the 1960s have theorized that the often inaccurate but nonetheless persistent stereotypical image of the filthy, unkempt, barefoot
hippie from the later part of that decade has contributed to an overall change in society's attitude toward the practice of going barefoot in public. The widespread appearance of "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service" signs can be traced to this era, and some decidedly non-hippie individuals and even families who had gone barefoot in public on a regular basis opted to begin wearing shoes, lest they be indentified with opposition to the
Vietnam War and other causes associated with the
counterculture.People who prefer walking barefoot to wearing shoes maintain their barefoot lifestyle is a matter of personal choice that harms no one, intends no disrepect and is consistent with the tradition of individual self-expression that has historically been a cornerstone of liberty in democratic nations. Many barefooters are optimistic that with increased awareness, education and visibility, social acceptance will return to pre-1960s levels and in time, the illogical anti-barefoot sentiment of the late 20th and early 21st centuries will be little more than a footnote in the history of footwear.
Parents for Barefoot Children
This is a group which promotes the barefoot lifestyle for children. The group advocates letting children go barefoot in most public places, including
parks,
museums,
restaurants and shopping areas. Members also advocate the revision of
school dress codes requiring footwear, allowing children to go barefoot in class. The group claims that such dress codes reflect the personal preferences of the administrators rather than health considerations or the requirements of decency. They claim that barefoot children are more relaxed and better behaved in public places as well as being far less prone to most common foot problems compared to those who habitually wear shoes. Their website cites research and articles by medical professionals supporting these views.
Religious and cultural aspects
Acts of devotion
Many religious traditions consider removing shoes as a pious gesture of respect, especially appropriate when approaching holy places.
...
, shoes are removed before entering temples.
Going barefoot is also a common form of
mortification, often combined with others such as pilgrimage, either as
penance or
ascetism.
Roman Catholic religious orders that permanently restrict the ability of members to wear footwear are known as "discalced".
Two of
C. S. Lewis's
Narnia novels,
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and
The Horse and His Boy is a novel [i] by C.S. Lewis [i]. ...
, feature barefoot pilgrimages.
"The Barefoot Path in the Western Contemplative Tradition" by Ken Rice provides a good overview of the subject.
Regional traditions
In many cultures it is considered inappropriate, even rude, to wear shoes indoors. It may be acceptable to wear shoes in public places , but people are usually expected to go barefoot, or wear socks, inside dwellings. This is usually true for countries where inclement weather is frequent, such as Japan, China, or Canada, and serves the purpose of minimizing the amount of dirt and mud brought in from the outside.
Symbol of peace
In ancient times, shoes predominantly served as military equipment. Therefore
Isaiah announced that
For every boot... will be for burning, food for the fire. For to us a child has come, to us a son is given. .
Jesus advised his
disciples to go out for preaching the Kingdom of God without taking along shoes -- and Jesus is shown barefoot on most paintings to demonstrate his peaceful mission. One way to commemorate
Mahatma Gandhi, is to walk barefoot around his monument. Even
Pope John Paul II paid him this honour.
Barefoot on stage
In
dancing,
theatre, and
opera performances, bare feet often express emotions, fears, vulnerability, a down-to-earth attitude, and/or familiarity. It may often alleviate a performer's sense of nervousness or anxiety in such situations, as being barefoot tends to promote physical, and by implication mental, comfort.
Sign of Poverty or Mourning
This tradition dates to
Roman times, when it was traditional for prosperous Roman citizens to wear elaborate clothing, including footwear, while slaves and lower-class citizens went barefoot. In
Medieval times, leather shoes and boots were expensive, so poorer people often either went barefoot or wrapped their feet in cloth. In art and literature, bare feet often symbolize
poverty.
Just as 'sack cloth and ashes' or even full nudity, it was also a sign of mourning in Antiquity.
Symbol of Innocence
This largely American literary tradition dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, when going barefoot was a standard part of childhood play, especially in rural areas. It features prominently in the novels of
Mark Twain and the poetry of
John Greenleaf Whittier. Barefoot children are also common in the paintings and sketches of
Norman Rockwell and
William-Adolphe Bouguereau.
Myths
There are many myths and popular misconceptions regarding regulations against bare feet.
Driving Barefoot
Many people like to drive barefoot, and argue that it is safer than wearing certain types of loose-fitting footwear, such as
flip-flops. However, critics suggest that it may be dangerous in some situations. For instance, if a sudden stop is necessary and there is anything such as gravel or glass embedded in the brake pedal, the leg's reflexes may cause the foot to withdraw from the pedal, resulting in an increased stopping time.
Regulations concerning driving barefoot vary from one jurisdiction to another:
- In the United States, widespread belief in the existence of laws against driving barefoot has been debunked as an . Members of the Society for Barefoot Living wrote letters to the highway patrols of all 50 states and were told by officials in each state that driving barefoot was not illegal.
- In Germany, traffic laws do not forbid driving barefoot. For thorough study see .
- In Belgium, the driving code does not explicitly ban barefoot driving, but article 8.3 requires drivers to be "constantly able to perform any maneuver". According to the federal police, this implicitly bans barefoot driving .
- In Hong Kong, laws require drivers to be driving with appropriate footwear. Driving barefoot, or with sandals, is not allowed.
No shoes, no shirt...
In the
United States, it is also frequently believed that OSHA regulations prevent people from going to stores, restaurants, and the like without shoes . In fact, the law refers specifically to employees and is designed to protect employers from lawsuits. There are no state health codes that ban customers from going barefoot in establishments, as is demonstrated by a undertaken by The Society for Barefoot Living. Individual businesses, however, are free to refuse to serve customers without the footwear they deem appropriate. Individual cities and towns may also require certain footwear in public places.
Health issues
Risks
There may be regional risks like poisonous plants or animals, or parasites that can enter the body through the skin or cuts on bare feet. For instance, the intestinal parasite known as
hookworm may infect humans who walk on
soil containing hookworm
larvae
Benefits
Some physicians who espouse natural healing traditions recommend going barefoot as a measure against
flat feet,
varicose veins, and dorsal pain. They believe that the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks. Currently this issue has not undergone any peer-reviewed study, the standard for a practice to be accepted by the medical establishment.
In the Far East, some areas have officially established reflexology paths; the idea being that those who walk on them in bare feet, stimulating the foot reflexology points, will get the same benefits as a reflexology massage.
There is some evidence that going barefoot inhibits the development of fungal infections like
athlete's foot. Such infections proliferate in warm, moist places like the inside of a shoe.
Some evidence for the health benefits of going barefoot has been collected on the page , although again this is not a peer-reviewed, scientific study. People who promote a barefoot lifestyle, such as Richard Frazine and members of maintain that habitually going barefoot makes the feet tougher and far less susceptible to commonly feared hazards; this is echoed by former NJ health commissioner .
References
- French language: B.F., in La Dernière Heure, August 6, 2003
- The Barefoot Hiker by Richard Frazine. ISBN 0-89815-525-8
External links
See also
