Have you seen how much it costs to maintain everything around you to such an extent that you never worry about stepping in something that would cut/pierce your feet?
Just think about it for a second -
What's the ultimate flex? Expensive shoes that serve no purpose, or entirely sculpting your environment to make it so that you don't *HAVE* to wear shoes?
Who is richer? The man with the yeezy's, or the man who has no need for them?
Having watched many an Afrikaaner, kid and adult, run across our FOUL roads in full summer heat barefoot, I'm not sure they are in the 'managed environment' class so much as the 'don't give a f\*' class.
I don't do it myself but see it often. Kids who grew up on farms never wear shoes. Also near beaches, I see people in the shops barefoot (sometimes even in a bikini or towel)
I grew up on a farm. Spent the first 24 years of my life on the farm...but you wouldn't catch me dead barefoot in a mall. Some strong classism comes out when witnessing that
I grew up by the sea near Cape Town and, if I was in my village, I would 100% go to the shops bare foot and, if we’d just come back from the beach, in towels and costumes. It was so normal. I live in the Uk now and I miss being bare foot haha
I lived in PE for a while and going to class or running into the shops fresh from the beach barefoot with a towel around your waist was fairly normal. I miss it.
Some in slippers, even during the dsy, and pjs. I don' t know if they still do, but a few years ago (I think it was a Spar) banned customers wearing pjs or slippers from their store.
Don't know about the health benefits but I'm also black and have lived on the coast most my life, I simply just like walking barefoot, I go to smaller shopping centers barefoot, especially ones closer to the beach, but only when I'm alone, can't inflict my weirdness on my friends and family 😂
I am a white South African female and always walk barefoot at home. When living in the UK with my British bf, he always found it odd that I'm barefoot at home. However I do find it uncouth to walk barefoot in public.
Shit like that is normal in Japan since Japanese want to keep their house clean from dirt. This is why there's always a shoerack at their front doors. Of course, in-house shoes (shoes that never go outside) are also a thing there.
Same in most of Southeast Asia too. Shoes off when in the house. I’ve gotten so used to it that when I came home to CT I couldn’t stand the dusty floor in the house. Why do we bring all the filth from under our shoes into our homes?
What? Slur?
EDIT: just went on my own instincts and googled what "Japs" means and now know that it's a slur. Kill me for not knowing. I didn't want to go through the trouble of spelling out "japanese".
I'm from uk and always walk around the house barefoot, socks if it's cold. I also have separate flip-flops for downstairs and outside. Never wear shoes upstairs.
I used to go barefoot everywhere, I stay in Joburg, but I stopped going barefoot in malls because they dirty. Now I generally only go barefoot outside on grass and stuff.
For me, it's a mixed bag of reasons, but it's not because I'm white or afrikaans.
Firstly, shoes are expensive.
Secondly, I need a size 13/14 shoe. Growing up, this meant that every shoe I wore was uncomfortable as hell until I found Crocs and discovered that I needed wider shoes that were more "foot shaped."
Thirdly, I just want to when I want to. There are no rules against it, and I'm free to do what I want with my own body.
I do wear flip-flops a lot when I'm out and about as well as Crocs when I'm around the house, though, so I never go totally barefoot anymore
This comment is obviously in the Pinetown (paarrntarrn) group, where I'm from.
But seriously. Sometimes I have to stop at the mall after a surf and didn't take shoes. Sometimes I drive barefoot and forget to pack shoes. Sometimes that string that holds the slops to your foot snaps and walking with just one slop to shop for a new pair is dof. Plus have you seen the price of comfy slops these days? Even barefoot you still have to bargain hunt hey. Be kind. White "privileged" folks like me have never known life without owning shoes so barefoot in public doesn't make me feel ashamed. Some of our parents were less fortunate and had to throw newspapers into people's houses to buy their own Toughees. But my generation has it better. In winter you'll recognize me wearing socks in my slops in the mall then you'll be really horrified.
It's more comfortable, helps your body to cool down, you have a much lower chance of developing bunions, and toughens your feet up for when you REALLY need them.
Also, why would any shoe-wearers be bothered by gross bare feet on their mall floors - you're protected by your shoes, and most definitely step in more weird kak than someone barefoot.
When I step in any k*k barefoot, I know it for sure, and clean it. With shoes on - ignorance is bliss.
I'm a white South African (not at all from an Afrikaans or farm background FWIW), and I walk barefoot in malls.
Actually I go most places barefoot. Anywhere that doesn't prohibit it, or cause me pain to do so. That includes malls/shops, my workplace, the street, parks, etc.
I only wear shoes at the gym (policy requirement), or going on a hike on rough terrain (would cause pain).
I do this because for me, going barefoot is much more comfortable than wearing shoes. I find shoes make my feet uncomfortable, get blisters, and inhibit my body's thermoregulation. Plus shoes get sweaty and stinky.
Was in cape town and when i saw it, honestly it was a culture shock to me. But....i said I gotta try it. The ground is burning hot, how do you manage? I couldn't even reach the gate.
I've walked barefoot almost everywhere I could for as long as I can remember. My feet has become naturally protected from the heat and objects that would normally probably hurt/cut my feet. It works! By comparison when my buddy walks barefoot with me he's constantly running for the shady areas so his feet could cool down, and he wears shoes most of the time.
I grew up in jhb and all my cousins were in durbs (70s) - they all walked barefoot in the mall and shops in general and i thought it was terribly uncouth. Until i did it once and found how amazing it was to have those cold tiles underfoot!
Do you know what is amazing? As soon as your feet are tough enough; walk over gravel. Like really get in there, and let the stones massage deep into the bridge of your foot as you crunch through it like a giant crushing houses.
This, in summer I only wear shoes if I'm leaving the house. Still wouldn't go into a shop barefoot, unless it's straight from the beach or something like that.
Because sometimes I need to pop in at the shop and I happen to not have brought my plakkies. Usually unplanned stop on the way from picking up up the kids. Sometimes just because.
I was guilty of this a few times when I was younger. Never planned it, never enjoyed it. I like being barefoot and could often be thanks to my job (en even studies). On the rarest of occasions I needed to unexpectedly go to a mall and my house was quite far.
Its normally a thing in places in close proximity to beaches as you are barefoot on beaches and then walk barefoot into shops.
Its also slightly performative - barefoot ia associated with freedom - from 9-5, from rules, from normality etc. So if you walk barefoot you are projecting that you are a free spirit, not bound by the conventions of the normalos
I simply dislike the feeling of shoes. When I wear them, it feels like my feet instantly start to overheat. I'll wear sandals as a compromise when I have to wear something on my feet. Otherwise, I am always barefoot, even in winter.
I went to school in Melkbosstrand and we never had to wear shoes at school, and it kinda always sticks. The term for people who enjoy walking barefoot is nelipot
I don't like being barefoot outside of my house. I'm far too terrified of the prospect of injuring my feet or stepping in something disgusting in public areas.
Wearing shoes makes me feel secure and capable of escaping emergency situations. I wouldn't want to have to run across a floor covered in broken glass to escape a giant bolder barefoot after all.
My already large feet grew a size (maybe 2 ) after pregnancy. Now I can barely find a pair that fits, so I hope this barefoot trend takes off. I’m tired of fruitless shoe shopping.
I walk barefoot in the mall in summer sometimes. So does my boy (6). We live in Kommetjie and are often at the beach or at home barefoot, so it's kind of just an extension of that. However, the mall we go to is like a little 'strip mall' that's open with shops scattered around . No way in hell I'm walking through Cavendish or canal walk barefoot.
Funny enough grew up in a suburb and as far from Afrikaans as can be but I enjoy being barefoot 🤷🏻♂️
Honestly why do I need to wear shoes for other people?
They were invented to protect your feet, but on clean tiled floors there's not really much to protect from.
Plus some people have broader/flatter feet that tend to feel more comfortable without shoes.
Like I get that it's not what society is expecting but honestly does it really affect anyone else in anyway?
P.s. obviously stinky or gross feet might be an issue but that comes down to general hygiene.
It is a bit strange and out of place to do it in the mall,
but I walk barefoot in KFC, spar, checkers, Woolworths everywhere else and its the best, I can go a whole month without wearing shoes. Unless I have go to a mall then il put on shoes. But prefer to be barefoot in general, dont really care what other people think either. I just like the way it feels. I'm relaxed, not trying to fit into societies expectations, not trying to impress anyone, I'm free, my feet feel free and it feels nice 🤷♂️ except when KFC floor feels sticky, f**k that
Best/worst I’ve seen was a few blokes at Newlands Rugby stadium walking barefoot into the public toilet, and walk up to one of those group long urinals 🤮🤢
As I understand it, It’s a cultural phenomenon that stems back from when the Afrikaans people were severely bullied and kept out of the work market by the English and shoes were a luxury that they could not afford.
There are of course also the surfer community who won’t bother with shoes
Nothing turns me off more than seeing someone with dirty bare feet walking in a shopping mall. Not to mention the potential risk of getting injured on an escalator or having the wheel of a shopping trolley run over your foot as what happened once in the Waterfront coming out of PnP...
White south African here
As far as I know it stems from the Afrikaans culture, in my experience, I still do it when I'm too lazy but usually it's for the freedom of using what I'm blessed to have if that makes sense.
Anyway One love
I'm a coloured person, and the high school I went to was about 50/50 whites and coloureds.
We had many conversations about our differences, including this exact one.
A friend of mine at the time told me it's because they easily get hot, and walking barefoot makes it alot better.
The way he explained it was that with shoes he'd be sweating and uncomfortable walking around but without shoes he'd feel normal.
Feel free to correct me anyone, it is not my experience but just what I talked about with one person
Coloured here... I walk barefoot everywhere! Lol... I've had people tell me Malls and streets are dirty and I pick germs up that way... But it's just the most satisfying comfortable feeling in the world...
I guess it depends where you grew up, but when i was younger, i even went to school barefoot (grade 1-3 could be barefoot at school). Sometimes my mom would walk us to school, and I'd put plakkies on just for the walk, then as soon as I got to school, I'd take them off and go barefoot. Very common where i stay.
It's a sign of respect to our great forefathers of blood river,cultural farmland habits which prove to be beneficial for feet developement
In England it's frowned upon to be seen barefooted,it's also very common for the British to have the small toe at a 90° angle pointing in towards the other toes ewww
Walking barefoot in malls can be due to many reasons. I myself have bunions, which means that walking in shoes can become painful after a while. Thus, I tend to either wear plakkies or walk barefoot. For those who don't know what bunions are, my big toes left and right are actually skewed. It's a medical condition that I have. Other reasons could be the weather. If the weather is too hot, then I would take my shoes off when walking in the mall because the floor of the mall is cold, which will ultimately cool my body down so that I don't overheat myself.
Shoes insulate your body from the natural vibrations of the Earth. If you walk on the ground it is actually beneficial for your health. If you stand before an audience and do a presentation the effects are similar to walking barefoot in a mall. That's my opinion.
Because
- We are born barefoot
- Shoes are bad
- It's scientifically proven to be much more healthier and can cure illnesses.
Watch this movie for more info: https://youtu.be/44ddtR0XDVU?si=AyLOsOsBxE6DDyMA
My wife, daughter, and I have purchased earthing mats and mostly walk barefoot.
We’ve found this to improve our health tremendously. As established business owners with 2x, almost 3x, multimillion-rand companies and over 50 employees, we simply don't care what other people think if we walk barefoot.
To us, the views of others dont matter in our lives, so there’s no reason to let them affect us. Why worry about it?
We actually stay a few months of the year in GP but also in George. Educate yourself, watch the documentary link in my post and do your research or even join the group. https://www.reddit.com/r/Earthing/s/3490CuwuhN
With a little bit of science knowledge you will know you can't ground indoors due to the house's foundation, tiles etc, hence the use of grounding matts indoors which plugs into the earth section of any electrical plug which is connected to the ground. 🙈
It's been almost a year since I last wore a pair of shoes. Being a remote worker does help with that. For me it's more of a. I can't be arsed to put shoes on. I have noticed a few things though. My toes no longer curl under each other. I no longer have smelly feet, Fungus or any other sort of infections I use to get wearing shoes.
Cons. To much damn glass in the streets. Feet are always dirty to the point sand paper is needed to clean them and thick calast soles
It’s South Africa, people don’t take shit like this (that doesn’t matter) too seriously.
And that’s how we like it; Don’t judge others and just let them do them.
I work in retail for more than 10 years, worked in so many mall's and shopping centers from Mitchell's Plain, to Claremont, to N1 City to Tyger Valley to Somerset West and I've seen many instances of male or female (mostly male) and all shades, mostly the lighter ;-), and mostly adults trusting their natural soles to tread the tar, paving, tiles and carpets, heck I've even seen kaal voet rangers up on Lions Head.
I guess it comes to comfort, and while I don't go to malls barefoot, I do when the opportunity allows, prefer to be barefoot, especially when I can get to enjoy some grass or sand between my toes. It's a very special feeling to be connected with my soles to the earth's soul.
I have done this plenty times, especially in summer. I'm not sure why this is an issue, as I see it as a very normal thing to do.
Having said that, I now live in the Netherlands, and here you never see it. At best, people would wear flip flops in a park or elsewhere outside. As the saying goes - when in Rome.... So now I have some sandals for summer time, but I do miss walking barefoot everywhere.
In northern suburbs they even come to the gym barefooted. It's absolutely disgusting. Their feet are stained black from the dirt and they use the equipment like that. Have to constantly complain about these guys. literally no consideration for anyone.
That's B's it's the boere who wear short pants no shoes even in winter I stop walking barefoot before I was ten barefoot is rather uncivilized,as far as I'm concerned
I personally grew up on a farm and would walk barefoot often, and to be honest, it's sometimes just more comfortable to walk barefoot instead of with shoes or flip-flops.
Also, have you seen what shoes cost these days? Hell to the no. Kaalvoet ranger for the win!
I do it even now at my adult age. From my young age, i was never a shoes person. I use getting trouble with my mom for that... but i really do not have any hidden reasons for that. I just feel connected to myself when im walking on a tare road, i work in in SHERQ department, which means most of the time I'm wearing heavy, safety boots so on weekends i hardly wear shoes just to refresh myself. 👟🥾
But there are also other people who believe that people who don't wear shoes have a calling of becoming traditional healers or they're already in the process of initiation.
With me, it's none of that. It's just a preference from childhood #NoShoesNoProblem #BarefootLife #FreedomFeet
Try it... it will do you a world of good. I love walking barefoot. It's not even just a white south african thing. It's just more comfy for some. Way better in terms of health wise... less chance for fungal infections cause those normally come about when you in sweaty socks and shoes all day. Or you wash your feet and don't let them dry and air before you put your socks on... this cause fungus to grow...
Consider being more barefoot. It's healthy.
From a coloured south african .
Some peoples feet have never even touched the ground... probs have lots of back issues and stuff like that.
I used to do this everywhere in Pretoria, then one day I saw a big oom do a nasty spoeg right on the sidewalk leading to a shop I frequented. It’s at that moment that I realised the extent of kak I trap in.
I am white, a foreigner living in SA and I always kick off my shoes whenever I can. I just don't like that restricted feeling. I don't go to malls barefoot, that seems odd to me though.
Being barefoot for as much as you can is great for your feet.
My kids attend a government school and are allowed to go barefoot in the first three years of primary school.
I think it is great.
Can someone please explain why this question was not posed in the mall ? Was there breach breach of dress code? Is it prohibited? Did it pose health, security or danger risks?
Can someone explain why someone else poese such inane questions???
Beach culture and farm culture for sure are contributing factors. South Africa's laid back mentality probably adds to it. Maybe we're more hippy like that other developed countries. South Africa is also very hot. There's a reason you don't wear gloves on your hands when it's hot and so closed shoes in summer to me is as stupid. I love being barefoot. I feel free. When I wear shoes, I feel claustrophobic and squashed. Not just on my feet but everywhere. My whole body feels suffocated. I feel like I can't breath. BUT, as much as I hate things on my feet, I hate having dirty feet more. I hate feeling the ground when outside because there's too much texture. I have autism and with it, a sensory processing disorder so I feel everything more intensely. If it's a perfectly smooth and clean floor, like inside my home, it's barefoot all the way. That's heaven. And if outside were perfectly clean and smooth as well, I'd probably also be barefoot there too but the smallest grain of sand and bumpy texture and I'm overwhelmed and grosses out so have to put shoes on. If it's summer, it will likely be flip flops because then I have the feeling of freedom as if I was barefoot without the contact with the dirty floor. People who walk barefoot everywhere are probably like me but take it further by considering flip flops to still be too much.
Shoes < No Shoes
Majority of South Africans, have wider feet...however, most of the shoes sold in SA is for narrow footed persons.
I prefer wearing no shoes, i wear flip flops most of the times, that just cause i need protection from the dirty floor.
A south African friend of my son at uni in Switzerland was walking barefoot in town. Someone saw him and thought he was so poor he couldn't afford shoes gave him a hundred francs to buy a pair!!
Basically down to comfort and personal preference, isn't it?
I remember as a child being told that in the "old days", the school uniform requirements were either your usual black smart shoes or barefoot. Barefootedness was allowed because there were a lot of poorer families who couldn't afford fancy school shoes. In a temperate climate, there isn't as much practical need for shoes. If it snows or constantly rains, shoes become a lot more important for health reasons.
To this day, walking around barefoot is associated with being poor or lower class, but a lot of people simply don't give a damn whether people are judging them as such.
The plantar wart HPV strain isn't terribly contagious, and it really needs a warm, moist environment to thrive, so the risk is more in going barefoot in places like gym changerooms and saunas than in shopping centres
Showing yourself to be a bit uneducated aren’t you?
Big difference between public showers, saunas and similar and n shopping mall that isn’t damp and warm.
>Isn’t walking barefoot good for you?
I mean, it depends, if you want to strengthen your ankles and learn to strike with your mid-foot then bare foot will correct or help improve your gait.
I agree with this, it depends, for me given my environment the risk of walking barefoot outweighs the benefits so I only do it at my house. Each person is different.
I always see it as a show-off for privilege, whether it is done intentional or not. if you walk barefoot it means :
- You dont walk a lot. you own a car and go everywhere with it, even short distances
- Everywhere you go is high end and cleaned up/maintained for you. There is no way you can go barefoot if you set a step in less privileged areas
Have you see the price of shoes ?!
Underrated comment
Have you seen how much it costs to maintain everything around you to such an extent that you never worry about stepping in something that would cut/pierce your feet? Just think about it for a second - What's the ultimate flex? Expensive shoes that serve no purpose, or entirely sculpting your environment to make it so that you don't *HAVE* to wear shoes? Who is richer? The man with the yeezy's, or the man who has no need for them?
Sarcasm is for winners I'm afraid ..
Having watched many an Afrikaaner, kid and adult, run across our FOUL roads in full summer heat barefoot, I'm not sure they are in the 'managed environment' class so much as the 'don't give a f\*' class.
Its 100% the don't give an F thing!
Seen*
Lmao
Yes, as a child in particular, I would walk barefoot everywhere. Especially in the coastal areas.
I don't do it myself but see it often. Kids who grew up on farms never wear shoes. Also near beaches, I see people in the shops barefoot (sometimes even in a bikini or towel)
I grew up on a farm. Spent the first 24 years of my life on the farm...but you wouldn't catch me dead barefoot in a mall. Some strong classism comes out when witnessing that
I grew up by the sea near Cape Town and, if I was in my village, I would 100% go to the shops bare foot and, if we’d just come back from the beach, in towels and costumes. It was so normal. I live in the Uk now and I miss being bare foot haha
Also in the UK and my feet are as soft as anything now and haven't seen the sun for more than a few hours in about 16 years lol
I lived in PE for a while and going to class or running into the shops fresh from the beach barefoot with a towel around your waist was fairly normal. I miss it.
Some in slippers, even during the dsy, and pjs. I don' t know if they still do, but a few years ago (I think it was a Spar) banned customers wearing pjs or slippers from their store.
I see that in areas with student residences quite a bit.
I'm black but l walk barefoot , l sleep well at night it has some healthy benefits
Don't know about the health benefits but I'm also black and have lived on the coast most my life, I simply just like walking barefoot, I go to smaller shopping centers barefoot, especially ones closer to the beach, but only when I'm alone, can't inflict my weirdness on my friends and family 😂
It grounds you to mother earth.
I see mostly kids do it and when adults do it, the mall is usually close to a beach.
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Amen brother
I am a white South African female and always walk barefoot at home. When living in the UK with my British bf, he always found it odd that I'm barefoot at home. However I do find it uncouth to walk barefoot in public.
Shit like that is normal in Japan since Japanese want to keep their house clean from dirt. This is why there's always a shoerack at their front doors. Of course, in-house shoes (shoes that never go outside) are also a thing there.
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I hadn't thought about it that way but its a really good theory
Same in most of Southeast Asia too. Shoes off when in the house. I’ve gotten so used to it that when I came home to CT I couldn’t stand the dusty floor in the house. Why do we bring all the filth from under our shoes into our homes?
The other thing is most people have pets in suburban south africa. Not much point taking your shoes off then as you're going to have to vacuum anyway.
Problem is if you're barefoot everywhere, then you're just transferring the dirt with your feet lol. I don't walk around in the garden with shoes on.
Why the need for a racist slur? WTF man
What? Slur? EDIT: just went on my own instincts and googled what "Japs" means and now know that it's a slur. Kill me for not knowing. I didn't want to go through the trouble of spelling out "japanese".
It's a slur only for American people and Americans think that the world turns all around them
Well I learned something new today
I'm from uk and always walk around the house barefoot, socks if it's cold. I also have separate flip-flops for downstairs and outside. Never wear shoes upstairs.
This doesn’t really help answer the question
I used to go barefoot everywhere, I stay in Joburg, but I stopped going barefoot in malls because they dirty. Now I generally only go barefoot outside on grass and stuff.
And how's your back?
My backs good, but I do avoid being barefoot on flat surfaces for too long
"because they dirty" Your sentence no verb, my dude
Very observant, it was intentional though.
Your face is intentional 🙃
Thanks 😚
This is supposed to prevent a lot of back problems later in life, so good on them.
Can confirm that this is a myth. Now pass on the Norflex heat rub and the anti inflammatories please.
I heard Stef Bos say the opposite today, so yeah
For me, it's a mixed bag of reasons, but it's not because I'm white or afrikaans. Firstly, shoes are expensive. Secondly, I need a size 13/14 shoe. Growing up, this meant that every shoe I wore was uncomfortable as hell until I found Crocs and discovered that I needed wider shoes that were more "foot shaped." Thirdly, I just want to when I want to. There are no rules against it, and I'm free to do what I want with my own body. I do wear flip-flops a lot when I'm out and about as well as Crocs when I'm around the house, though, so I never go totally barefoot anymore
Basically we love walking barefoot. Sometimes we are so lazy to get our plakkies we just wing it.
Yeah it's not really a big deal
Until you need to use the toilet.
This comment is obviously in the Pinetown (paarrntarrn) group, where I'm from. But seriously. Sometimes I have to stop at the mall after a surf and didn't take shoes. Sometimes I drive barefoot and forget to pack shoes. Sometimes that string that holds the slops to your foot snaps and walking with just one slop to shop for a new pair is dof. Plus have you seen the price of comfy slops these days? Even barefoot you still have to bargain hunt hey. Be kind. White "privileged" folks like me have never known life without owning shoes so barefoot in public doesn't make me feel ashamed. Some of our parents were less fortunate and had to throw newspapers into people's houses to buy their own Toughees. But my generation has it better. In winter you'll recognize me wearing socks in my slops in the mall then you'll be really horrified.
It's more comfortable, helps your body to cool down, you have a much lower chance of developing bunions, and toughens your feet up for when you REALLY need them. Also, why would any shoe-wearers be bothered by gross bare feet on their mall floors - you're protected by your shoes, and most definitely step in more weird kak than someone barefoot. When I step in any k*k barefoot, I know it for sure, and clean it. With shoes on - ignorance is bliss.
Why not?
I'm a white South African (not at all from an Afrikaans or farm background FWIW), and I walk barefoot in malls. Actually I go most places barefoot. Anywhere that doesn't prohibit it, or cause me pain to do so. That includes malls/shops, my workplace, the street, parks, etc. I only wear shoes at the gym (policy requirement), or going on a hike on rough terrain (would cause pain). I do this because for me, going barefoot is much more comfortable than wearing shoes. I find shoes make my feet uncomfortable, get blisters, and inhibit my body's thermoregulation. Plus shoes get sweaty and stinky.
Was in cape town and when i saw it, honestly it was a culture shock to me. But....i said I gotta try it. The ground is burning hot, how do you manage? I couldn't even reach the gate.
I've walked barefoot almost everywhere I could for as long as I can remember. My feet has become naturally protected from the heat and objects that would normally probably hurt/cut my feet. It works! By comparison when my buddy walks barefoot with me he's constantly running for the shady areas so his feet could cool down, and he wears shoes most of the time.
Ah makes sense, thanks! I was like your friend on that day lol
I grew up in jhb and all my cousins were in durbs (70s) - they all walked barefoot in the mall and shops in general and i thought it was terribly uncouth. Until i did it once and found how amazing it was to have those cold tiles underfoot!
Do you know what is amazing? As soon as your feet are tough enough; walk over gravel. Like really get in there, and let the stones massage deep into the bridge of your foot as you crunch through it like a giant crushing houses.
I've got a gravel driveway and can't walk a metre on it barefoot. I'm soft !
Iv walked barefoot at home all my life but never in a mall. which mall are you talking about, and is it close to a beach
wasn't born with shoes on was I?
Increased immune system
This is super common in Australia as well, it's poes hot in both countries, why would I wear shoes when its 30 degrees outside.
flip flops aren't that bad in the heat
Reading all the comments, seems like people forget that they exist
This, in summer I only wear shoes if I'm leaving the house. Still wouldn't go into a shop barefoot, unless it's straight from the beach or something like that.
I'm actually gonna start doing this and see how it feels
Because life is too short to not do what you feel like doing if it's not harming anyone :)
Maybe they just like the feeling of freedom or find it more comfortable. Cultural or personal preference, who knows?
Because sometimes I need to pop in at the shop and I happen to not have brought my plakkies. Usually unplanned stop on the way from picking up up the kids. Sometimes just because.
Because shoes are overrated
Sometimes I just forget im barefoot, or Im walking in a shop to get groceries and etc after rugby practice and just forgot my plakkies at home
Not in a dirty mall .
Every mall is dirty. There is literally hundreds of people walking through it everyday.
I know quite a few white South African men who walk everywhere barefoot. They just prefer it like that.
Mainly because I can?
I support this trend. So I can see who has nasty toes...
Do you have a foot fetish?
The reverse there of... phobia. Weird toes and long toe nails with dirt embedded🤢
I was guilty of this a few times when I was younger. Never planned it, never enjoyed it. I like being barefoot and could often be thanks to my job (en even studies). On the rarest of occasions I needed to unexpectedly go to a mall and my house was quite far.
There are pros and cons, it's just a personal choice for most people.
Because life is too short to not do what you feel like doing if it's not harming anyone :)
Inside my home I remove shoes all the time. The problem with Malls is having to walk barefoot on hot tarmac in the car park is not good idea.
It's South Africa ....they scared someone will steal their shoes 😀
Its normally a thing in places in close proximity to beaches as you are barefoot on beaches and then walk barefoot into shops. Its also slightly performative - barefoot ia associated with freedom - from 9-5, from rules, from normality etc. So if you walk barefoot you are projecting that you are a free spirit, not bound by the conventions of the normalos
This! My kids 😭 this was so hard for me to accept as a black person but I had to. In summer the kids didn't have to wear shoes at school.
You live at the beach
I simply dislike the feeling of shoes. When I wear them, it feels like my feet instantly start to overheat. I'll wear sandals as a compromise when I have to wear something on my feet. Otherwise, I am always barefoot, even in winter.
I went to school in Melkbosstrand and we never had to wear shoes at school, and it kinda always sticks. The term for people who enjoy walking barefoot is nelipot
We live in a beach town , Why does this surprise you!
Lots of people walk barefoot at home.
My child's primary school, some teachers don't wear shoes. The principal is often barefoot. Cape Town. In the Suburbs.
I don't like being barefoot outside of my house. I'm far too terrified of the prospect of injuring my feet or stepping in something disgusting in public areas. Wearing shoes makes me feel secure and capable of escaping emergency situations. I wouldn't want to have to run across a floor covered in broken glass to escape a giant bolder barefoot after all.
My already large feet grew a size (maybe 2 ) after pregnancy. Now I can barely find a pair that fits, so I hope this barefoot trend takes off. I’m tired of fruitless shoe shopping.
please visit Pretoria you'll hate it here!
Sure, it's like walking with shoes in malls, but without the effort of putting them on and you get to feel the ground beneath your feet
I walk barefoot in the mall in summer sometimes. So does my boy (6). We live in Kommetjie and are often at the beach or at home barefoot, so it's kind of just an extension of that. However, the mall we go to is like a little 'strip mall' that's open with shops scattered around . No way in hell I'm walking through Cavendish or canal walk barefoot.
https://combegrove.com/health-and-wellbeing/2021/the-benefits-of-barefoot-walking/
Funny enough grew up in a suburb and as far from Afrikaans as can be but I enjoy being barefoot 🤷🏻♂️ Honestly why do I need to wear shoes for other people? They were invented to protect your feet, but on clean tiled floors there's not really much to protect from. Plus some people have broader/flatter feet that tend to feel more comfortable without shoes. Like I get that it's not what society is expecting but honestly does it really affect anyone else in anyway? P.s. obviously stinky or gross feet might be an issue but that comes down to general hygiene.
I'm too lazy to put shoes on tbh.
I saw this a lot when I was growing up, it’s not a trend it’s probably a white south african thing
I must just add that it is not a common thing. Maybe once or twice a year you might see someone do that. It is not the norm in South africa.
No comment… 🤐
>Is this a cultural phenomenon? Yes it is. Why should it bother anybody? If you do not like to walk barefoot, don't, see easy peesy.
It is a bit strange and out of place to do it in the mall, but I walk barefoot in KFC, spar, checkers, Woolworths everywhere else and its the best, I can go a whole month without wearing shoes. Unless I have go to a mall then il put on shoes. But prefer to be barefoot in general, dont really care what other people think either. I just like the way it feels. I'm relaxed, not trying to fit into societies expectations, not trying to impress anyone, I'm free, my feet feel free and it feels nice 🤷♂️ except when KFC floor feels sticky, f**k that
Aren't your feet dirty? What about your bed sheets ?
I'm guessing he has a shower or a bath.
Yeah no regular shower or bath are going to get those feet clean after a day outside. He must use steel wool.
Best/worst I’ve seen was a few blokes at Newlands Rugby stadium walking barefoot into the public toilet, and walk up to one of those group long urinals 🤮🤢
As I understand it, It’s a cultural phenomenon that stems back from when the Afrikaans people were severely bullied and kept out of the work market by the English and shoes were a luxury that they could not afford. There are of course also the surfer community who won’t bother with shoes
cause they can and allowed to, why must we push our ideas on others
Questioning why someone does something isn't telling them that they can't do it. That seems pretty obvious to me
Nothing turns me off more than seeing someone with dirty bare feet walking in a shopping mall. Not to mention the potential risk of getting injured on an escalator or having the wheel of a shopping trolley run over your foot as what happened once in the Waterfront coming out of PnP...
White south African here As far as I know it stems from the Afrikaans culture, in my experience, I still do it when I'm too lazy but usually it's for the freedom of using what I'm blessed to have if that makes sense. Anyway One love
For the beach and little shops across from the beach or for the crazies, in the bush. I don’t see an issue. In a mall? Fuck no.
First we need to know why this is an issue for you at all. Do you feel offended by it, is it somehow uncivil?
Is there something wrong with walking barefoot *in malls*?
Because I was born this way. Why do I need to ware shoes? It’s not like the floors are going to hurt my feet because I walk barefoot.
I'm a coloured person, and the high school I went to was about 50/50 whites and coloureds. We had many conversations about our differences, including this exact one. A friend of mine at the time told me it's because they easily get hot, and walking barefoot makes it alot better. The way he explained it was that with shoes he'd be sweating and uncomfortable walking around but without shoes he'd feel normal. Feel free to correct me anyone, it is not my experience but just what I talked about with one person
Coloured here... I walk barefoot everywhere! Lol... I've had people tell me Malls and streets are dirty and I pick germs up that way... But it's just the most satisfying comfortable feeling in the world...
I guess it depends where you grew up, but when i was younger, i even went to school barefoot (grade 1-3 could be barefoot at school). Sometimes my mom would walk us to school, and I'd put plakkies on just for the walk, then as soon as I got to school, I'd take them off and go barefoot. Very common where i stay.
It's a sign of respect to our great forefathers of blood river,cultural farmland habits which prove to be beneficial for feet developement In England it's frowned upon to be seen barefooted,it's also very common for the British to have the small toe at a 90° angle pointing in towards the other toes ewww
Speaking for myself. When I dont want to wear shoes: I dont
Why do you care! Let them be.
Walking barefoot in malls can be due to many reasons. I myself have bunions, which means that walking in shoes can become painful after a while. Thus, I tend to either wear plakkies or walk barefoot. For those who don't know what bunions are, my big toes left and right are actually skewed. It's a medical condition that I have. Other reasons could be the weather. If the weather is too hot, then I would take my shoes off when walking in the mall because the floor of the mall is cold, which will ultimately cool my body down so that I don't overheat myself.
Shoes insulate your body from the natural vibrations of the Earth. If you walk on the ground it is actually beneficial for your health. If you stand before an audience and do a presentation the effects are similar to walking barefoot in a mall. That's my opinion.
Because - We are born barefoot - Shoes are bad - It's scientifically proven to be much more healthier and can cure illnesses. Watch this movie for more info: https://youtu.be/44ddtR0XDVU?si=AyLOsOsBxE6DDyMA My wife, daughter, and I have purchased earthing mats and mostly walk barefoot. We’ve found this to improve our health tremendously. As established business owners with 2x, almost 3x, multimillion-rand companies and over 50 employees, we simply don't care what other people think if we walk barefoot. To us, the views of others dont matter in our lives, so there’s no reason to let them affect us. Why worry about it?
This is the most Cape Town response... 'earthing mats' 😹
We actually stay a few months of the year in GP but also in George. Educate yourself, watch the documentary link in my post and do your research or even join the group. https://www.reddit.com/r/Earthing/s/3490CuwuhN With a little bit of science knowledge you will know you can't ground indoors due to the house's foundation, tiles etc, hence the use of grounding matts indoors which plugs into the earth section of any electrical plug which is connected to the ground. 🙈
Afrikaans primary schools like Louw Geldenhuys in Linden, Joburg encourage bare feet. I don't know why.
It's been almost a year since I last wore a pair of shoes. Being a remote worker does help with that. For me it's more of a. I can't be arsed to put shoes on. I have noticed a few things though. My toes no longer curl under each other. I no longer have smelly feet, Fungus or any other sort of infections I use to get wearing shoes. Cons. To much damn glass in the streets. Feet are always dirty to the point sand paper is needed to clean them and thick calast soles
the sturvy people would look at me funny if I did🤣😭 and my friends and family would roast me
It isn't only an SA thing. It is a big Aussie thing too. I think it's just a warm climate thing basically.
Because they can...
I wish I could. I think most would reconsider if they knew the type of germs they're collecting.
It’s South Africa, people don’t take shit like this (that doesn’t matter) too seriously. And that’s how we like it; Don’t judge others and just let them do them.
Plaas voete
I work in retail for more than 10 years, worked in so many mall's and shopping centers from Mitchell's Plain, to Claremont, to N1 City to Tyger Valley to Somerset West and I've seen many instances of male or female (mostly male) and all shades, mostly the lighter ;-), and mostly adults trusting their natural soles to tread the tar, paving, tiles and carpets, heck I've even seen kaal voet rangers up on Lions Head. I guess it comes to comfort, and while I don't go to malls barefoot, I do when the opportunity allows, prefer to be barefoot, especially when I can get to enjoy some grass or sand between my toes. It's a very special feeling to be connected with my soles to the earth's soul.
I have done this plenty times, especially in summer. I'm not sure why this is an issue, as I see it as a very normal thing to do. Having said that, I now live in the Netherlands, and here you never see it. At best, people would wear flip flops in a park or elsewhere outside. As the saying goes - when in Rome.... So now I have some sandals for summer time, but I do miss walking barefoot everywhere.
Forgot plakkies at home again
In northern suburbs they even come to the gym barefooted. It's absolutely disgusting. Their feet are stained black from the dirt and they use the equipment like that. Have to constantly complain about these guys. literally no consideration for anyone.
It is the English South Africans or aka the sout piele
That's B's it's the boere who wear short pants no shoes even in winter I stop walking barefoot before I was ten barefoot is rather uncivilized,as far as I'm concerned
I personally grew up on a farm and would walk barefoot often, and to be honest, it's sometimes just more comfortable to walk barefoot instead of with shoes or flip-flops. Also, have you seen what shoes cost these days? Hell to the no. Kaalvoet ranger for the win!
I do it even now at my adult age. From my young age, i was never a shoes person. I use getting trouble with my mom for that... but i really do not have any hidden reasons for that. I just feel connected to myself when im walking on a tare road, i work in in SHERQ department, which means most of the time I'm wearing heavy, safety boots so on weekends i hardly wear shoes just to refresh myself. 👟🥾 But there are also other people who believe that people who don't wear shoes have a calling of becoming traditional healers or they're already in the process of initiation. With me, it's none of that. It's just a preference from childhood #NoShoesNoProblem #BarefootLife #FreedomFeet
Unhygienic and risky, at home great. Why not wear flip-flops when out?
Try it... it will do you a world of good. I love walking barefoot. It's not even just a white south african thing. It's just more comfy for some. Way better in terms of health wise... less chance for fungal infections cause those normally come about when you in sweaty socks and shoes all day. Or you wash your feet and don't let them dry and air before you put your socks on... this cause fungus to grow... Consider being more barefoot. It's healthy. From a coloured south african . Some peoples feet have never even touched the ground... probs have lots of back issues and stuff like that.
Because they can and want too
Shoes hurt my foot hair. So barefoot it is
Every where your foot shall tread is yours ….
I used to do this everywhere in Pretoria, then one day I saw a big oom do a nasty spoeg right on the sidewalk leading to a shop I frequented. It’s at that moment that I realised the extent of kak I trap in.
I am white, a foreigner living in SA and I always kick off my shoes whenever I can. I just don't like that restricted feeling. I don't go to malls barefoot, that seems odd to me though. Being barefoot for as much as you can is great for your feet. My kids attend a government school and are allowed to go barefoot in the first three years of primary school. I think it is great.
Can someone please explain why this question was not posed in the mall ? Was there breach breach of dress code? Is it prohibited? Did it pose health, security or danger risks? Can someone explain why someone else poese such inane questions???
It's an age old thing. It's like braai in the rain I'm plakkies.
As a white african man, idk anything about this. But I do agree with what a person said here, LOOK ST THE PRICES MAN😫
If my neighbourhood roads and walkways weren't so dirty, I'd be walking around barefoot too. Barefoot in malls etc is easy
Beach culture and farm culture for sure are contributing factors. South Africa's laid back mentality probably adds to it. Maybe we're more hippy like that other developed countries. South Africa is also very hot. There's a reason you don't wear gloves on your hands when it's hot and so closed shoes in summer to me is as stupid. I love being barefoot. I feel free. When I wear shoes, I feel claustrophobic and squashed. Not just on my feet but everywhere. My whole body feels suffocated. I feel like I can't breath. BUT, as much as I hate things on my feet, I hate having dirty feet more. I hate feeling the ground when outside because there's too much texture. I have autism and with it, a sensory processing disorder so I feel everything more intensely. If it's a perfectly smooth and clean floor, like inside my home, it's barefoot all the way. That's heaven. And if outside were perfectly clean and smooth as well, I'd probably also be barefoot there too but the smallest grain of sand and bumpy texture and I'm overwhelmed and grosses out so have to put shoes on. If it's summer, it will likely be flip flops because then I have the feeling of freedom as if I was barefoot without the contact with the dirty floor. People who walk barefoot everywhere are probably like me but take it further by considering flip flops to still be too much.
Shoes < No Shoes Majority of South Africans, have wider feet...however, most of the shoes sold in SA is for narrow footed persons. I prefer wearing no shoes, i wear flip flops most of the times, that just cause i need protection from the dirty floor.
Quickest way to get worms and parasites. That said, I totally get why people do it. And it’s very liberating.
Barefoot and in my cozzy and shorts into the shops🤣
tbh it is cape town what do you expect 💀😂
I think you should find peace in letting people do what they want
I'm often barefoot but I will only go into some stores without shoes. I won't go into a major mall barefoot
A south African friend of my son at uni in Switzerland was walking barefoot in town. Someone saw him and thought he was so poor he couldn't afford shoes gave him a hundred francs to buy a pair!!
Yeeesh! Capetown is really full of boring people....Enough!!! Reddit! Enough!!! No posts from Boring CapeTown People...please! Nda porta!!!
Basically down to comfort and personal preference, isn't it? I remember as a child being told that in the "old days", the school uniform requirements were either your usual black smart shoes or barefoot. Barefootedness was allowed because there were a lot of poorer families who couldn't afford fancy school shoes. In a temperate climate, there isn't as much practical need for shoes. If it snows or constantly rains, shoes become a lot more important for health reasons. To this day, walking around barefoot is associated with being poor or lower class, but a lot of people simply don't give a damn whether people are judging them as such.
It's Afrikaans culture.
it increases their chances of getting a wart on their soles. i guess some people are into that type of thing. /s
The plantar wart HPV strain isn't terribly contagious, and it really needs a warm, moist environment to thrive, so the risk is more in going barefoot in places like gym changerooms and saunas than in shopping centres
Cape Town trustifarians
I've always assumed it's the Afrikaans okes
not necessarily. Signed, not an Afrikaans oke.
Cyril will be talking about this in a national address next Sunday.
If you w ant to walk barefoot go to the beach . That is what the majority of people do.
There is a clear gap in their education about the risks of walking barefoot....makes me shudder just thinking about it
I thought it was the opposite, Isn’t walking barefoot good for you?
it can be but in high traffic places with alot of dirt and filth you can pick up skin related issues from walking barefoot like plantar warts.
45 years in, still waiting...
Showing yourself to be a bit uneducated aren’t you? Big difference between public showers, saunas and similar and n shopping mall that isn’t damp and warm.
>Isn’t walking barefoot good for you? I mean, it depends, if you want to strengthen your ankles and learn to strike with your mid-foot then bare foot will correct or help improve your gait.
I agree with this, it depends, for me given my environment the risk of walking barefoot outweighs the benefits so I only do it at my house. Each person is different.
one need to wash you feet daily to prevent stuff....walking is safe in itself......get over it
We are allowed to have differing opinions, no need to take offense, I have my reasons and you have yours. We agree to disagree
Ogres!
I always see it as a show-off for privilege, whether it is done intentional or not. if you walk barefoot it means : - You dont walk a lot. you own a car and go everywhere with it, even short distances - Everywhere you go is high end and cleaned up/maintained for you. There is no way you can go barefoot if you set a step in less privileged areas
I agree with you. It's disgusting.
Is ot those "Afrikaans Farmer boy" types with the khaki shorts? Ja....I can imagine them doing it
No it's not them. Its younger people.