Trend to "no shoes"

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I've noticed that people's footwear seems to be trending to minimalist. At our church's outdoor Easter sunrise service I saw people wearing flip-flops and it was pretty cold, in the low 30s and with the wind felt even colder. It just struck me as odd that they wore parkas and mittens and had nearly bare feet. When I go in other people's homes, they are either barefoot or wearing socks or slippers. Even in stores I see slippers and flip-flops on feet. Why this trending away from wearing good substantial shoes?
 

I don't know but I hardly ever wear shoes in my own apartment. It's more comfortable to me. I don't know why others do it.
 
I am one of those minimalists myself and I can tell you I do it for comfort although I would never wear slippers outside. In the house I wear flip flops as slippers.
 

I had to check where you live, debodun .. still darned cold where you live. Laziness? Can't be bothered to stuff their feet into boots, with Spring around the corner? I don't know what the answer is. I go barefoot at home in summer, but wear little footies in winter because I lotion up my feet every day, otherwise they get so dry.
 
Maybe it's a trend along the lines of the Elie Wiesel quote in the dog-fighting thread: the opposite of caring about things is indifference. I'm not trying to be flippant at all. I think that more and more, people are caring less and less, maybe in this case about style or appearance. Maybe more about comfort.

I don't wear flip-flips even at the beach anymore. No arch support! Slippers too.
 
Shoes have been used as a statement since the days of King Louis, right? I remember buying good sneakers for under $20, then suddenly had a hard time finding them for less that $100. Even water shoes - up from $30 for real good ones, to as much as $300.

So maybe those people are making a statement: Who the hell has 200 bucks for a pair of shoes....except kings?
 
Guitarist said:
Maybe it's a trend along the lines of the Elie Wiesel quote in the dog-fighting thread: the opposite of caring about things is indifference. I'm not trying to be flippant at all. I think that more and more, people are caring less and less, maybe in this case about style or appearance. Maybe more about comfort.

I don't wear flip-flips even at the beach anymore. No arch support! Slippers too.
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Sounds right.
 
I think the more sloppy some of the younger generation can look the better they like it. I love comfortable clothes and shoes but flip flops at Easter service? To me it shows disrespect.Yes, I know, God doesn't care about the clothes you are wearing and this isn't the thread to discuss this. I use to wear flip flops all summer long in my own yard and always slippers in my house and I admit it was so comfortable, then I developed tendinitis and a host of other problems with my feet. I even had to go for physical therapy. Now I wear sneakers all the time. Just recently,for some reason, I was cleaning the house in slippers. By the end of the day my feet ached then I realized I hadn't worn my sneakers.
 
I spent a lot of my formative years in martial arts dojos and studios, and the traditional footwear was - nothing. Barefoot.

After a while it seemed natural. I drove barefoot, I played Frisbee outside in the parks barefoot (got stung by yellow-jackets many times) and lived in my apartments barefooted.

I hated going out in public because I had to wear shoes. I usually wore the Chinese slippers with cotton soles - soft as clouds, no support but as comfortable as wearing socks.

Plus I save on the insane costs of those new shoes.

I went on a bender at one point of wearing cowboy boots - in NYC, of all places. I liked them for my bouncing jobs, especially since they had steel soles and I had chains and heavy metal boot tips on them. Took a while to learn to walk in them - I guess like high heels - but after a short while I was clumping around with the best of them.
 
I wear slip on Birkenstocks around the house, but when I go out I wear my hiking/walking shoes and socks. I don't wear dainty lady shoes with heels anymore either, those got thrown out long ago with the panty hose and cross your heart bras.

I agree its time to care less about pleasing the conventional crowd and more about taking care of our feet and comfort.
 
I know the Chinese slippers you speak of Phil, we called them kung fu slippers, I used to love taking excursions to Chinatown where I got them and lots of other neat stuff. I think they cost about $5 a pair back then. Its true they have absolutely no arch support or cushioning for walking on cement. I practically lived in mine.

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Cookie said:
I know the Chinese slippers you speak of Phil, we called them kung fu slippers, I used to love taking excursions to Chinatown where I got them and lots of other neat stuff. I wore them years ago, but its true they have absolutely no arch support or cushioning for walking on cement. I practically lived in mine.

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Those are the ones! I always liked the soft-soled ones (in a man's style of course! LOL) and wore them even on the streets. I'd go through a pair of month, but luckily I had a wholesale account with a martial arts store where I could buy my kung-fu slippers for like $3 a pair.

They are probably why I have no arch today. :(
 
I can't go around barefoot because of arch issues. When I had my hip replacements, my ortho surgeon said NEVER NEVER wear flip flops because they are responsible for a lot of falls, or failure to be able to correct before a fall. I wear Nike running shoes most of the time now.
 
Because I matured while part of the California surfer scene, I spent most of the time barefoot. When I had to wear something it was water booties or sandals. Mom made me wear shoes at home, though....sneakers. But when we went to church it had to be brown leather dress shoes. Only one of the reasons I hated going to church.

Anyway, I think going barefoot on sand so much back then is why I don't have any foot problems now.
 
I kick off my shoes as soon as I get home, if I'm in my house I'm either in socks or barefoot. Bit of a tenderfoot outside, could never be on that show Naked and Afraid. :p

I do go out for the mail barefoot or in my back yard on the porch or grassy areas. In the sections with pine needles/cones and other stuff, I have to have something on my feet. I do keep a pair of thongs in my garage that I slip into during summer, but I really hate to wear them, good to slide sideways on slopes, especially when the grass is wet from watering, etc.

When I'm out and about I always wear sneakers or hiking shoes. I have one pair of sandals, but never felt comfortable wearing sandals.
 
I guess I'm projecting my own discomfort in seeing people barefooted (on the beach or at a pool are the exceptions). My mom always had cold feet so she made herself feel comfortable my making everyone wear substantial shoes. This became a habit. I am always afraid of stepping in something sharp, even indoors. The only place I don't wear shoes is to bed or in the bathtub. Many people say it's healthier for your feet to not cram them into shoes, but I do, and never had athlete's foot and my toes aren't squashed together like people that wear shoes from an early age (like in photo). In the 50s when I was a kid, it was scandalous to be seen with bare feet.

shoe toe.jpg
 
Never wore pointy shoes Deb, and rarely wear high heels at all (x-ray).

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SifuPhil said:
Those are the ones! I always liked the soft-soled ones (in a man's style of course! LOL) and wore them even on the streets. I'd go through a pair of month, but luckily I had a wholesale account with a martial arts store where I could buy my kung-fu slippers for like $3 a pair.

They are probably why I have no arch today. :(
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Cookie, I was just looking online for a place I could buy those, because we had our first tai chi class today .. duh, forgot all the moves already. Some had on slippers, but most had on sneakers, so I'll stick with my Nikes.

The one's with the pretty flower might look good on ya, Phil. Tee Hee!
 
I developed a bunion, just like the one in the image .. even though I didn't wear narrow pointed shoes. The worst thing I had, was an ingrown nail on my big toe. I spent a very painful year or two trying to take care of it myself, but as soon as it was sliced on both sides, the pain disappeared. I'm not sure, but I think I banged that big toe really badly in the past. Don't know if that pushed the nail in, or what :(
 
When I was youngg,I had a shoe thing.

Now,always barefoot inn the house and when I go out I'm usually dressed like a tomboy,hair up,sneakers hoody.comfort is my thing now.
 
I think a lot of it has to do with the type of foot one has. I have narrow feet, with a long, extremely high arch, and short toes. Much narrower at the heel than at the front. I never have any problems with them, unless I stand all day on concrete floors. A rigid foot has little give to it, and the tiny bones on the top of my foot ache. I wear flip flops outside in the summer, indoors barefoot or slippers, otherwise I wear my black leather sketcher trainers when I go to town. They caress my arches beautifully! Lol.
 
Pinky, those slippers can still be bought here in town, for sure in one of the Spadina/Dundas Chinese emporiums or maybe even in a Chinese shop closer to where you live. I would find them very comfy for Tai Chi as they are less cumbersome than many sports shoes.
 
Cookie said:
Pinky, those slippers can still be bought here in town, for sure in one of the Spadina/Dundas Chinese emporiums or maybe even in a Chinese shop closer to where you live. I would find them very comfy for Tai Chi as they are less cumbersome than many sports shoes.
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I'll look for them in the little Korean shops along Yonge up near where I live. Possibly, they might have them in the little shops in the subways. I think they would be better than my Nikes, even though they have the mesh tops. Rarely get down to Dundas/Spadina anymore, but yeah, they would definitely have them.
 
Good luck, I hope you find some, I know you'll love them. :)
 

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