Barefoot
Being barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear.
There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead to higher incidences of flexible flat foot, bunions, hammer toe, and Morton's neuroma. Walking and running barefoot results in a more natural gait, allowing for a more rocking motion of the foot, eliminating the hard heel strike and generating less collision force in the foot and lower leg.
There are many sports that are performed barefooted, most notably gymnastics, martial arts and swimming, but also beach volleyball, barefoot running, barefoot hiking, and barefoot waterskiing.
Historical and religious aspects
Historical aspects
The ancient Spartans required boys to go barefoot as part of their obligatory military training, and the athletes at the ancient Olympic Games typically participated barefoot and naked. Although the Greeks had a great variety of footwear, manyfamously including Socratespreferred to go barefoot.The ancient Romans considered the calceus part of their national dress and used footwear to signal class distinctions. Patricians typically wore dyed and ornamented shoes with their togas or armor, while plebeians wore rawhide or hobnail boots and slaves were usually required to be barefoot. The discomfort of Roman shoes and boots, however, typically caused even the wealthy to go barefoot or use slippers at home, despite considering them effeminate, foreign, or lower-class when worn in public. It was considered a notable oddity of Augustus that he continued to wear his calceus at all times.
The Chinese similarly considered their footwear an important mark of civilization, although some Taoist immortals and gods like Xuanwu are usually depicted without shoes. Owing to the importance of reflexology to traditional Chinese medicine, many parks across East Asia have pathways of raised stones that people can walk along barefoot for supposed health benefits. From 1965 to 1981, the People's Republic of China also emphasized the training and provision of "barefoot doctors", so called because the rural doctors of southeast China had usually worked barefoot in the rice paddies with the others in their villages.
In medieval Europe, going barefoot or only wearing sandals was a mark of humility and piety among many mendicant orders of monks and nuns. At the same time, however, it was more generally seen as a mark of poverty, the very lowest social classes, and prisoners of war. In Imperial Japan, subordinates were sometimes required to remove their shoes in the presence of their superior as a mark of humility and respect.
Writing on Suriname in 1779, Brother Riemer remarked that slaves "are, even in their most beautiful suit, obliged to go barefoot. Slaves were forbidden to wear shoes. This was a prime mark of distinction between the free and the bonded and no exceptions were permitted." Similarly, the Cape Town slave code stated that "Slaves must go barefoot and must carry passes". This continues to be practice among the Tuareg in northern Africa.
In contemporary American society, going barefoot outdoors is so uncommon that the phrase "barefoot and pregnant" is generally understood to describe women kept unable to socialize or have a life outside the home. It was first used in the early 20th century.
Religious aspects
Several major religions advocate or mandate the removal of footwear when entering a place considered holy. In the Book of Exodus, Moses is commanded to remove his shoes before approaching the burning bush:Although the Priestly Blessing is still done barefoot to preserve the former practice at the Temple of Solomon, it is not usually required to remove shoes at a Jewish synagogue. However, anyone entering an Islamic mosque or a Hindu temple is expected to remove their footwear. Shoe racks are usually provided near the entrance. In Christianity, most churches and holy sites can be entered wearing shoes but there are some local exceptions, such as the barefoot night ascent of Croagh Patrick in Ireland. The practice sometimes extends to secular respect as well. Raj Ghat, the monument to Mahatma Gandhi, is usually visited barefoot; this was observed by both US president George W. Bush and Pope John Paul II.
Discalceation, the practice of going constantly barefoot or clad only in sandals, is a common feature of Christian mendicant orders, practiced by the Discalced Carmelites, the Feuillant Cistercians, the Trinitarians, the Mercedarians, the Passionists, the Poor Clares and Colettine Poor Clares, and the Descalzas Reales. This is untaken as part of vows of poverty and humility, as well as a remembrance of Moses on Mount Sinai. Hindu gurus go barefoot to allow their followers to demonstrate their love and respect by pranam, the ceremonial touching of a bare foot.
It is customary in Judaism and some Christian denominations to go barefoot while mourning. The ceremonial washing of others' feet is done after the model of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, who washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper.
Barefoot customs by country
Australia
It is common for Australians, particularly young people, to be barefoot in public places, especially during summer.Barefoot walking, known as "earthing", has been used by the Australian cricket team to "capture positive energy coming out of the earth."
Czech Republic
Tourist barefoot hikes are regularly organized. These events are organized by associations such as Bosá turistika.Ecuador
Some Amerindian tribes such as the Huaorani live barefoot.France
There is no law in France on the wearing of footwear for driving. Nevertheless, there are cases of cities that have made municipal by-laws prohibiting access to certain places while being barefoot for hygiene reasons.During the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Paralympics, barefoot runner Alexis Guinet carried the torch to Laon.
Germany
Until the 1980s, it was common, especially in elementary schools, to allow students who had forgotten their sportswear or at least their sneakers to participate in physical education classes barefoot.It is not expressly forbidden to drive barefoot, the German Highway Code simply states that the driver “is responsible for ensuring that his sight and hearing are not impaired by the crew, animals, load, equipment or the condition of the vehicle."
Japan
It is considered rude to wear shoes inside most residential buildings, and sometimes even at the workplace. For this reason, most Japanese houses are fit with a genkan, a small room at the entrance where residents and guests can change into slippers or similar indoor footwear.In Japan, there are public foot baths called ashiyu, which are filled with hot water from geothermal springs.
India
In Indian culture, in many an instance, being barefoot has a cultural significance. For example, it is customary to remove footwear when entering a home or a temple as shoes are considered impure. Indians also traditionally sit on the floor when eating meals as opposed to at a dining table, which would normally entail taking off footwear.New Zealand
It is common in New Zealand to see people walking barefoot in the street.In 2010, an American academic missed a high-level academic post because of a letter she wrote to the New Zealand magazine Listener lamenting New Zealand’s habit of going barefoot in public: she described the practice as “not only backward and uncivilized, but dangerously unhygienic and repugnant to North Americans”.
In 2012, a travel writer for The New York Times wrote the number of New Zealanders barefoot in public, including shops was "striking". In 2014, Air New Zealand was subject of critical attention after allegedly forcing a customer to wear shoes.
Romani
In many branches of Romani culture across the world, it is traditional for women to dance barefoot.Spain
In Spain, driving barefoot or with flip-flops is not illegal, but drivers found to be impaired in their freedom of movement or control of the vehicle by lack of proper footwear may be fined up to €200.South Africa
In South Africa, barefoot walking in public is part of the predominantly white Afrikaans-speaking culture, although English speaking people also often walk barefoot in public, especially in the summer months and in cities such as Cape Town. The National Guidelines on School Uniform list shoes as an optional item while the Draft Guidelines state "Pupils, especially in lower grades, should also be permitted to attend without shoes in hot weather". Most children attend school barefoot. In many schools, the dress codes either encourage children to attend school barefoot or prefer children to attend school barefoot, especially in the summer months.Some South African schools have sport uniforms where bare feet are compulsory, such as primary school rugby. Another sport where bare feet for kids are compulsory is "tou trek" or tug of war, sometimes school play and sports days barefeet are compulsory. Being barefoot in public is generally tolerated. In South African shopping malls, stores, and events, it is not an uncommon sight to see barefoot adults and children.
United States
In some parts of the United States, taboos against barefoot walking are strong. Youngstown, Ohio, actually had an ordinance prohibiting barefooting until it was struck down as unconstitutional. However, in the 18th to the early 20th centuries, many children in rural areas of America often went barefoot due to poverty.It is legal to drive a car barefoot in the United States, but it depends on the state and it is not the case for motorcycles.
Amish women are usually barefooted when at their house and farm.
In some social circles, walking barefoot serves as part of bohemian hippie fashion.