This is kinda dumb for a barefoot forum, I guess, but has anyone else here experienced being foot shy in their life? When I was about 8yo a female relative told me I had "pretty feet" which I thought was weird for a boy. I started to notice other kids' feet and they were all pretty cool, but I thought mine might not be pretty enough. I became very shy about anyone seeing my bare feet and toes. When I was 10 I went to a summer camp for two weeks, and our camp outfits included those Hoy "salt water" sandals with open toes - girls and boys. When we were not wearing sneakers, we wore those sandals. I almost had a freakin panic attack when I felt that my bare toes were the center of attention. Of course, everyone wore the same, and I got over it and really liked those sandals. Now I go barefoot and wear sandals as long into the winter as I can. No big deal, I just wonder if anyone else had similar experience.
I too battled foot syness for years, I know the kind of feelings you are talking about. Don't feel dumb discussing it, I thought there was something wrong with me because I was too embarrassed for anyone, especially females to see my feet uncovered. As in the same with your case, I've always had nice feet, nothing really to feel ashamed about. Since the introduction of internet forums, I am surprised on the amount of people who have suffered with this unique type of shyness! Let's say I've been in good company! It's a mystery why there is practically no information available on this subject outside this kind of forum, beings how commom it really is! I can relate to your "freakin panic attacks" as in the case when I failed to wear my sneakers to gym class one day back in grade school. That time I was lucky because I did'nt get into trouble when I refused to get barefoot in front of the other classmates. I would have been sooooo embarrassed!!!!!!!
I was always shy, with anything including going barefoot in public or where anyone might see me even in my own yard. I don't know what happened, one day I finally got to the point that I figured that what I was doing didn't hurt or endanger anyone and it wasn't really anyones business anyway. I remember the first time I wore flipflops in a public store, I felt so wierd, now keep in mind I am self conscious to a point so it was to be expected I suppose. Now I don't care. I still usually avoid going barefoot in stores and such since I don't want the hassle/attention. I would do it more easilly if I was in a group and not around my town. I hope to travel somewhere where barefeet are more common and go barefoot everywhere for a week. I know I should try it here at home but I know the crap I would get because you can't go anywhere around here without running into someone you know. People think I am wierd for wearing flipflops when its 50 out and that I deal with. I almost always go barefoot in public when its warm out and its a park or walking around the neighborhood or something like that. So no I don't think its strange that you have that shyness what I think is strange is that the general public is so shocked by barefeet, I swear sometimes the looks I get while hiking its like my barefeet while hiking is the most shocking thing they have ever seen in thier whole entire life, and I figure if thats the most shocking thing they have ever seen that they must be living too easy of a life and its thier problem, however the most awesome thing happened last year while hiking barefoot, a lady gave me a nice comment after asking many questing and though what I was doing was great. That did alot to boost my barefoot proudness. Keep at it, keep em bare!
I was incredibly shy until my early 20s. Up till then, I wore socks or shoes all the time. Now you can't get me to wear shoes unless I have to. I've had many female airport screeners comment on my feet. Those comments outweigh the funny looks I get. Just this trip, I had an elderly woman get on the escalator behind me and she immediately commented "I see they took you shoes." I replied, "No, I prefer to carry them than wear them". She said in all the years of traveling she's done as a salesperson, I'm the first barefoot person she's seen in an airport. Kind of cool to be a first, at least in someone else's eyes. I'm really getting funny looks this trip. I've been to Salt Lake City where the temps were never above 10F, now I'm in Oklahoma City where they recently had a winter storm. The temps here are around 27F. 15 years ago, I never would have dreamed of barefooting an airport, let alone anywhere but a lake or pool. Now I don't even think about it. I actually look forward to each trip just to see if I can stir up a comment. The funny thing is, I've been in several airports so many times, the employees are starting to recognize me for my bare feet.
I felt the same way. I lived in a small town about 14,000 people, at least to me that's small. Anyway I went into this drug store to buy some medicine for a wart that I had on my finger. Now I'm ready to pay for the item. So i'm walking down the isle that happend to be directly in front of the cashiier's view while wearing my flip flops. The cashier was some girl I went to high school with, she looked at me, then I saw her eyes scroll down to my feet and back up to my face. I was busted!!! Back then it was uncommom to see a guy in flop flops. Who knows what she thought about it.
Yeah, I can empathize with the feelings of shyness you're talking about. I was shy in general anyway, but then discovering that I had an interest in feet pulled me even deeper into my shell. It wasn't until i moved out on my own at 19 that I began to express my desire to be barefoot, and even then I would never be seen in public in bare feet. I was too afraid of being seen and having people make comments about my feet. I can still remember the first tentative steps I took - going into the video store under my apartment building barefoot for the first time...I picked one out, paid and got out of there before anyone saw my feet! And the breakthrough for me was when I went to the 7-11 across the street from that same apartment, and stood in line for a Slurpee for about 5 minutes barefoot. People gave me looks, but no comments - once I realized that it was possible that people wouldn't even think anything of it, I started becoming more and more bold about being out barefoot. Now I can't even believe it even used to bother me.
Well, maybe I'm the exception here, I guess. I was never shy about showing my bare feet. From childhood I loved going barefoot, and my parents, though not barefooters themselves never condemned it or anything, so maybe that's why I've never been self-conscious in any way about being barefoot in public. Of course I'm aware that some people stare at me and probably wonder why I'm barefoot. And I'm totally aware that some people now and then think it's inappropriate or illegal or whatever they may want to conjure up in their minds as a negative response to something they're not used to seeing. But I figure that's their problem, because I'm not doing anything wrong by being barefoot. In fact, I'm doing everything right by being barefoot.
