Scared of transitioning to barefoot? Why?
Podophobia: The fear of feet is a wide spread mental health disorder in our modern society. In order to sustainably transition to barefoot one must overcome this fear.
Do you ever feel judged for going barefoot in public? Are you afraid or embarrassed of the way your naked feet look to the world? All these are mild cases of podophobia, or fear of feet. It’s a basic false self image issue that almost everyone in developed societies deal with. It usually stems from being scolded for taking our shoes off as a child by other adults who were treated similarly when they were children. And thus the problem is passed on from one generation to another.
The funny thing is, society as a whole has forgotten where this tradition stemmed from. To break it down, this aversion to feet stems from a lie society has told us for a hundred years that, “bare feet are ugly.”
Now, you might be thinking: “But they are! My feet stink, and my toes are just - so - gross!” Don't worry, you're not alone in that view point. I'm going to show you why your feet are actually built just right, and even how to adjust yourself to feeling that your feet are normal again.
Back when you were a little kid you probably went around barefoot a lot. Most little children do. And then as you grew older the adults in our lives would plead/beg/force/extort/bribe us to get us to put our shoes and socks on. Parents celebrate when their child learns to tie their shoes.
Pause. Let's humor your inner two year old for a moment. Imagine a time not so long ago, back when bare feet were as normal to us as Squirrel soup and Mastodon Stakes for dinner.
In caveman days, we humans ran everywhere. We evolved out of the aps of the forest standing on two legs, and able to run vast distances at a steady pace with little to no over-heating or fatigue problems. We are never the fastest critters alive, heck, a squirrel has a higher top speed then us!
We, however, take the cake for distance and endurance running. We can sweat and cool ourselves off while running a consistent pace. Most creatures on the great plains can run really fast for a short while, and then have to stop to pant in order to cool off. The ancient zebra would just be catching its breath when it turned to see us humans jogging up the hill, and the critter would have to take off again. Eventually, after many dozen miles and several hours of this, our prey would give up from exhaustion, giving our growing tribe food for another week. African Bushmen in the Kalahari desert still sometimes hunt this way.
We humans would run all this barefoot, no shoes for thousands of years. Our feet evolved beautifully. Our two year old genetics still remember this, then only to be squashed by society.
Why did we put on shoes in the first place? To conquer the world. Especially the bitter cold, or sharp rocky mountains. Our ancestors started tying strips of leather to our feet for protection in these harsh environments. Kind of like a work glove for our feet. It’s hard to run long distances with frostbitten toes or gashes in our soles from rocks. Early native Americans are prime examples. During the summer, most tribes went barefoot, and only in winter’s snow did they wear their moccasins.
It was the Enlightenment through the Victorian-era in Europe that shoe wearing became mainstream. Back then shoes were seen as a status symbol. The ability to wear a frivolous piece of clothing only to destroy it from use, and get another was the height of fashion! Poor people didn’t wear shoes, they couldn’t afford them, and didn’t need them. Rich fashion even went so far as to start cramping their feet into smaller and smaller shoes with higher and higher heels, effectively crippling them for life, just to show that they didn't’ need healthy feet like the peasants.
Pretty dumb fashion, if you ask me!
Unfortunately this fashion trend stuck. With the industrial revolution we learned to mass product footwear cheaply, and the fashion of the rich sells best. Squished toes and high heels became the order of the day.
Interestingly, it was at this same time that “experts” started theorizing that we were not made to run, and that running - even walking - was bad for us pointing to the many running and walking problems of the day as evidence. Note: Athletes of the time still ran barefoot.
The problem was almost fixing itself with runners and athletes switching to wide, thin, and flat track shoes of the 1960s. Up until Nike Co. launched its smashing success the “Nike Cortez” in 1972 with its thick wedge shaped foam sole and stiff “supportive” upper. The track shoe of the 60s almost disappeared, and ever since running based injuries have gone through the roof.
And thus the great marketers and Fashionistas of the past two centuries have convinced us that “your feet are ugly. Hide them in a shoe!”
“So How do I solve this?” you ask.
Start with yourself. Take off your shoes and practice activating your inner two year old! Teach yourself to love your nude feet! There are many resources for new barefooters like you, helping make your transition to a barefoot lifestyle so much easier. One of the best ways to beat any mental health issue (even Podophobia!) is to find a group, clan, or tribe to support and inspire you in your journey. This blog is one of them! You can also check out our FB page where we give helpful tips and recommendations to make a better barefoot life.
Happy Barefooting!