While in California I knew a couple people who went barefoot all the time. I was always surprised how much attention it drew, and grew weary of discussions about whether businesses could or should insist on people wearing shoes. I'm a shoe person, and notice that even on hot days in the summer if I go barefoot for a while my feet just feel cold. I'm sure I could get used to it, but by now at my age I figure I have other tasks to conquer.
Fair enough! I have good-circulation privilege, so I never get cold feet. (That sounds metaphoric, but I actually mean that literally.) If going barefoot is unpleasant, it makes sense to put your energies elsewhere!
Responding late to this because I had a cold. We are a shoeless household. Also, since Covid I’ve been working out with my trainer over FaceTime, in bare feet, and my balance has definitely improved!
My house is mostly shoeless but not because we enforce it but more because it's more comfortable. That said neither my husband nor I usually go completely barefoot, we usually wear socks or slippers or something like that. But we usually take our outdoor shoes off either just outside the door or just inside, unless we're working and have to go in and out a lot. That does leave more of a mess to clean up afterwards though.
As for guests, which aren't very often here, I don't say anything either way. If they want to take their shoes off they sit down and they take them off or they don't and that's fine by me. It's actually surprising how many of them do take their shoes off when they get in the house though 🙂
Yes! The easiest thing of all is just to let guests decide. When I am a guest somewhere, I always remove my shoes--and then have to contend with extremely hospitable European hosts who are worried that I, as an American, would actually prefer to leave my shoes on, and who start insisting that it's ok to wear them.
We have a mixed home. I'm very much a barefoot person and consider it a triumph when I'm folding my laundry and find it contains no socks (a more frequent occurrence now that I'm working from home). That said, I'm fairly flexible and probably default to wearing shoes at other people's homes (once my shoes are on, I'm too lazy to take them off).
On the other hand, my wife is very much a shoes-on person. She wears slippers around the house something approaching 100% of the time and it's wierd to see her bare feet. A large part of this is because she has nerve damage that makes it painful for her to walk barefoot. For this reason, she gets quite upset when people insist she take her shoes off (and she would appreciate your nod towards flexibility). She has also pointed out that her mother, whose leg was paralyzed from polio, wore a leg brace attached to her shoe, and so literally couldn't walk or stand without her shoes on.
When we have guests over, we make it very clear that they are welcome to do whatever they want.
I think this is the best way to host. There are many reasons people--of all ages, as you note--need to wear shoes. I’m very sorry that your wife has nerve damage in her feet. Going barefoot is a great pleasure and very good for us, but only if there are no medical contraindications.
I am currently suffering from a barefoot-related problem and figured I'd see if you or any of your readers have an answer:
If my pants (particularly jeans) are the right length for when I'm wearing shoes, they will fall under my heal when I'm barefoot, meaning that, because I am always barefoot, the bottom of my pant legs get torn to shreds pretty quickly. Is this a universal problem, or am I doing something wrong
While in California I knew a couple people who went barefoot all the time. I was always surprised how much attention it drew, and grew weary of discussions about whether businesses could or should insist on people wearing shoes. I'm a shoe person, and notice that even on hot days in the summer if I go barefoot for a while my feet just feel cold. I'm sure I could get used to it, but by now at my age I figure I have other tasks to conquer.
Fair enough! I have good-circulation privilege, so I never get cold feet. (That sounds metaphoric, but I actually mean that literally.) If going barefoot is unpleasant, it makes sense to put your energies elsewhere!
Responding late to this because I had a cold. We are a shoeless household. Also, since Covid I’ve been working out with my trainer over FaceTime, in bare feet, and my balance has definitely improved!
Yes! Going barefoot really works! Hope your cold is better.
It is! Thanks.
My house is mostly shoeless but not because we enforce it but more because it's more comfortable. That said neither my husband nor I usually go completely barefoot, we usually wear socks or slippers or something like that. But we usually take our outdoor shoes off either just outside the door or just inside, unless we're working and have to go in and out a lot. That does leave more of a mess to clean up afterwards though.
As for guests, which aren't very often here, I don't say anything either way. If they want to take their shoes off they sit down and they take them off or they don't and that's fine by me. It's actually surprising how many of them do take their shoes off when they get in the house though 🙂
Yes! The easiest thing of all is just to let guests decide. When I am a guest somewhere, I always remove my shoes--and then have to contend with extremely hospitable European hosts who are worried that I, as an American, would actually prefer to leave my shoes on, and who start insisting that it's ok to wear them.
We have a mixed home. I'm very much a barefoot person and consider it a triumph when I'm folding my laundry and find it contains no socks (a more frequent occurrence now that I'm working from home). That said, I'm fairly flexible and probably default to wearing shoes at other people's homes (once my shoes are on, I'm too lazy to take them off).
On the other hand, my wife is very much a shoes-on person. She wears slippers around the house something approaching 100% of the time and it's wierd to see her bare feet. A large part of this is because she has nerve damage that makes it painful for her to walk barefoot. For this reason, she gets quite upset when people insist she take her shoes off (and she would appreciate your nod towards flexibility). She has also pointed out that her mother, whose leg was paralyzed from polio, wore a leg brace attached to her shoe, and so literally couldn't walk or stand without her shoes on.
When we have guests over, we make it very clear that they are welcome to do whatever they want.
I think this is the best way to host. There are many reasons people--of all ages, as you note--need to wear shoes. I’m very sorry that your wife has nerve damage in her feet. Going barefoot is a great pleasure and very good for us, but only if there are no medical contraindications.
I am currently suffering from a barefoot-related problem and figured I'd see if you or any of your readers have an answer:
If my pants (particularly jeans) are the right length for when I'm wearing shoes, they will fall under my heal when I'm barefoot, meaning that, because I am always barefoot, the bottom of my pant legs get torn to shreds pretty quickly. Is this a universal problem, or am I doing something wrong
Well, my solution is shorts--or cuffing them! But my jeans are all torn to shreds near the hems too.
Shorts work, but the turn in the weather has caused this problem to once again rear it's ugly head. I've tried cuffing, but laziness always wins out.