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Name: Barefoot living.
Age: Humans have been barefoot since humans have been being. The earliest shoe, a (frankly not very stylish) sagebrush bark sandal, dropped in what’s now Oregon about 10,000 years ago.
Things have been better since their invention, no? I’m thinking broken glass, winter, Lego bricks, etc. Going shoeless is still popular with some.
Who? Why? Enthusiasts talk about how it strengthens their muscles and tendons, and improves their posture. And about the sensory aspect: connecting to nature, the soul via the sole, if you will.
This can’t be a thing in the UK, can it? The UK’s biggest Facebook group dedicated to “barefoot living”, which exists to “offer support, guidance, share stories and generally discuss our passion”, has more than 700 members.
Maybe I’ll sign up to see what it’s all about. It’s actually a private group. My own membership is pending, and I’ll be notified if my request to join is approved.
A waiting list? Now I definitely want to join. It’s not so much about waiting, more about vetting.
Vetting who? Rogue clog merchants? “This is not a foot fetish group,” I was warned on my application. “Nothing against you, but it’s not that kind of group.” No foot pics are allowed.
No feet on a site for barefoot living? No closeups, at least. “Full-length, location shots are permitted,” the group’s administrator, Sian Davis, writes.
Have they been infiltrated by foot fetishists? One member of the group, Ben, who hasn’t worn shoes for a decade and enjoys the sensory aspect of it, told the Times that he and many others – mainly women – in the group had received private messages asking them for foot pictures.
What’s the advice in that situation? Report it, says Ben. “The admins can then have a good look at their profile and see if the evidence says they are there for the right reasons.”
What do the admins say? Back to Davis: “We all know what feet look like! Some people can be very uncomfortable with feet, and we as a group should be here to support those people and help them to be more comfortable being barefoot … Big love to you all.”
Just not that kind of love. Exactly.
Do say: “It’s about that direct connection with Mother Earth.”
Don’t say: “I suppose an ankle shot’s out of the question?”
