Barefoot
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{{Original research|date=September 2007}}
:''For people with the name Barefoot, see [[Barefoot (surname)]]''
{{Unreferencedsection|date=July 2008}}
[[Image:Healthy feet.JPG|Walking barefoot|right|thumb]]
Going '''barefoot''' (also '''barefoot''ed''''') means for a person not to use, or to go without, any type of foot covering. It is traditional to go barefoot in many [[Developing country|developing countries]], but less common in [[Developed country|industrialized countries]] due to greater societal [[taboos]], [[fashion]]s, or [[peer pressure]] against going barefoot. A '''barefooter''' is someone who prefers to go barefoot occasionally, often, or at all times. Calling oneself a barefooter implies that being barefoot is a voluntary choice (as opposed to, for example, not being able to afford shoes), or whenever use of footwear is decided to be unnecessary. Reasons for choosing to go barefoot include the sensation of one’s [[Foot|feet]] in direct contact with the ground, and to confirm many perceived spiritual or natural health benefits one may experience.
== Religious and cultural aspects ==
=== Acts of devotion ===
Many religious traditions consider removing shoes as a pious gesture of respect, especially appropriate when approaching holy places{{Fact|date=July 2008}}.
* In ''[[Exodus]]'', [[Moses]] had to take off his shoes before approaching the burning bush<ref>""Put off the shoes from off they feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground (King James version, Exodus 3:5)</ref>
* [[Muslim]]s are usually unshod for [[salaat|prayer]] (commonly on a [[prayer mat]]) or to attend services in a mosque, though [[sock]]s are permissible{{Fact|date=July 2008}}.
* Some [[Christianity|Christian]] [[church]]es practice barefoot [[pilgrimage]] traditions—an example being the ascent of [[Croagh Patrick]] in [[Ireland]]{{Fact|date=July 2008}}.
* In the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] religions, shoes are removed before entering temples{{Fact|date=July 2008}}.
* A [[Jain]] monk or nun wanders bare-foot from place to place (except for the four months of the rainy season), said to help him or her avoid killing insects and small animals{{Fact|date=July 2008}}.
* Among many [[neopagan]] reconstructionists, bare feet are considered an ideal way to remain in touch with the elements{{Fact|date=July 2008}}.
* During her 730-day tree-sit, [[Julia Butterfly Hill]] remained barefoot—even in winter—"because she has to have the connection" with [[Luna (Redwood Tree)|Luna]], the tree in which she lived.<ref name="barefoodhikers.org">{{cite web| url=http://www.barefoothikers.org/links.html | title = Berefoot Hikers of PA (NJ-DE-MD) Barefoot links | accessdate = 2008-03-30}}</ref>
*In [[Maori culture]], shoes must be taken off before entering marae as a sign of respect{{Fact|date=July 2008}}.
Going barefoot is also a common form of [[mortification]], often combined with others such as pilgrimage, either as [[penance]] or [[asceticism]]. [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] [[religious order]]s that permanently restrict the ability of members to wear footwear are known as "[[discalced]]", though in reference to certain religious orders the term means wearing only [[Sandal (footwear)|sandals]] on the feet. Barefoot orders include the [[Camaldolese]] and the Teresian{{Fact|date=July 2008}}.
Many [[Pagans]], [[Neopagans]], and [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] go barefoot so as to feel connected to Mother Earth{{Fact|date=July 2008}}.
=== Artists renowned for performing barefoot ===
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Some artists and entertainers perform or appear in their bare feet so frequently that their customary barefoot look has become a "signature" of sorts for them. Their normal absence of footwear is often cited in publicity photos, [[Pies Descalzos, Sueños Blancos|album titles]], interviews and even (in the case of [[Genevieve Gorder]]) parodies. These performers often cite comfort or relieving nervousness for their preference. Others, such as Michael Franti, go barefoot to express political statements, while performers including [[Isadora Duncan]] have challenged significant social obstacles in order to do so.
=== Barefoot on stage ===
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In [[dance|dancing]], [[theatre]], and [[opera]] performances, bare feet often express emotions, courage, fears, strength, vulnerability, a down-to-earth attitude, and/or familiarity. It may often alleviate a performer's sense of nervousness or anxiety in such situations, as being barefoot tends to promote physical, and by implication mental, comfort.
=== Regional traditions ===
{{Unreferencedsection|date=July 2008}}
[[Image:Udaipur girl.jpg|thumb|It is more common to go barefoot in developing countries, but less common in industrialized countries due to greater availability of footwear and societal taboos against going barefoot.]]
In many cultures it is considered inappropriate, even rude, to wear shoes indoors. It may be acceptable to wear shoes in public places (e.g. museums or libraries), but people are usually expected to go barefoot, or wear socks, inside dwellings. This is usually true for countries where inclement weather is frequent, such as Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam, Norway, or Canada, and serves the purpose of minimizing the amount of dirt and mud brought in from the outside.
The ceremony or ordeal of [[firewalking]] entails walking barefooted through fire, over a bed of embers, or over hot stones.
=== Sign of poverty or mourning ===
{{Unreferencedsection|date=July 2008}}
The tradition of bare feet denoting status dates to [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times, when it was traditional for prosperous Roman citizens to wear elaborate clothing, including footwear, while [[slaves]] and lower-class citizens went barefoot. In [[Medieval]] times, leather shoes and boots were expensive, so poorer people often either went barefoot or wrapped their feet in cloth. In art and literature, bare feet often symbolize [[poverty]]. In [[Jewish]] tradition, shoes are not worn by mourners during the ritual [[Shiva (Judaism)|Shiva]] mourning period. Just as 'sack cloth and ashes' or even full nudity, it was also a sign of mourning in Antiquity.
=== Symbol of innocence ===
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Bare feet also denotes innocence in American literary tradition, commonly seen in work from the 18th and 19th centuries. Going barefoot was a standard part of childhood play, especially in rural areas. It features prominently in the novels of [[Mark Twain]] and the poetry of [[John Greenleaf Whittier]]. Barefoot children and young women are also common in the paintings and sketches of [[Norman Rockwell]], [[William-Adolphe Bouguereau]], and the artists affiliated with the [[Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood]].
=== Symbol of peace ===
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One way to commemorate [[Mahatma Gandhi]] is to walk barefoot around his monument. Even [[Pope John Paul II]] and [[George W. Bush]] paid him this honor, as shoes are banned within Gandhi's memorial site, [[Raj Ghat]].
== Myths ==
There are many myths and popular misconceptions regarding regulations against bare feet.
=== Driving barefoot ===
Regulations concerning driving barefoot vary from one jurisdiction to another:
*In the [[United States]], widespread belief in the existence of laws against driving automobiles barefoot has been debunked as an urban legend. However, driving a motorcycle barefoot is prohibited in Alabama.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/codeofalabama/1975/32-5A-245.htm | title = Code of Alabama}}</ref>
*In the [[UK]], The Highway code merely states that footwear should not interfere with the operation of the controls of the vehicle. So driving barefoot is not expressly forbidden.
*In [[Germany]], traffic laws do not forbid driving barefoot, although causing an accident driving barefoot may bring insurance companies to deny payments. <ref>{{cite web | title = Verkehrsportal | url = http://www.verkehrsportal.de/gesetze/gesetze.php | language = German | format = php}}</ref>
*In [[Belgium]], the driving code does not explicitly ban barefoot driving, but article 8.3 requires drivers to be "constantly able to perform any maneuver". According to the federal police, this implicitly bans barefoot driving.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}
*In [[Hong Kong]], there is no law prohibiting or proscribing the type or lack of footwear while driving, though it is illegal to be dressed in a manner that interferes with an individual's ability to drive.
*In [[Italy]], driving barefoot is allowed.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nati-scalzi.org/INFO/guidascalza.pdf | title = Guida scalza | language = Italian | format = pdf |date=2006-09-01 | accessdate = 2007-10-19 }}</ref>
*In [[New Zealand]], traffic laws do not forbid driving barefoot. {{Fact|date=October 2007}}
*In [[Australia]], there are no laws to prohibit barefoot driving.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}
*In [[Brazil]], CTB Article 252, IV prohibits, "Driving the car...using footwear that does not hold firm to the feet or that compromises the use of the pedals." <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.pr.gov.br/mtm/legislacao/ctb/cap_xv.htm | format = html | accessdate = 2008-03-11 | title = CAPÍTULO - XV DAS INFRAÇÕES }}</ref> Popular advice is that driving barefoot is recommended over driving with inappropriate [[Flip-flop|footwear]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www2.correioweb.com.br/cw/EDICAO_20030417/sup_vei_170403_42.htm | format = html | accessdate = 2007-10-17 |date=2003-04-17 | title = Mitos e verdades | last = de Morais | first = Paulo}}</ref>
==No shoes, no shirt, no service==
Many in the [[United States]] believe that [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration|OSHA]] regulations prevent people from going to stores, restaurants, and the like without shoes (or a shirt){{Fact|date=July 2008}}. OSHA regulations refer specifically to employees, not customers. There are no state health codes that ban customers from going barefoot in establishments, as is demonstrated by a project undertaken by The Society for Barefoot Living.[http://www.barefooters.org/health-dept/] Individual businesses, however, are free to refuse to serve customers without the footwear they deem appropriate. Individual cities and towns may also require certain footwear in public places.
==Health issues==
===Risks===
Consistent practice, caution, and instinctive awareness are essential to safely going barefoot. Hazards to the foot may include sharp objects that can [[Laceration|cut]] the foot and extreme [[temperature]]s. Poisonous plants, animals or [[parasite]]s can enter the body through the cuts on an injured bare foot, and the occasional use of footwear can be valuable in protecting them.<ref name = review>{{cite journal |author=Staheli LT |title=Shoes for children: a review |journal=Pediatrics |volume=88 |issue=2 |pages=371–5 |year=1991 |pmid=1861942 |doi=}}</ref> In addition, individuals with [[diabetes]] or other conditions which affect sensation within the feet are at greater risk of injury while barefoot, so they must compensate safety with greater awareness of the ground's environment.
===Benefits===
A 2006 study found that shoes may increase stresses on the [[knee]] and [[ankle]], and suggested that adults with [[osteoarthritis]] may benefit from walking barefoot,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Shakoor N, Block JA |title=Walking barefoot decreases loading on the lower extremity joints in knee osteoarthritis |journal=Arthritis Rheum. |volume=54 |issue=9 |pages=2923–7 |year=2006 |pmid=16947448 |doi=10.1002/art.22123}}</ref> though more study is required to elucidate the factors that distribute loads in with-shoe and barefoot walking. A 1992 [[correlation]]al study also found that children who wore shoes were three times more likely to have [[flat feet]] than those who did not, and suggested that wearing shoes in early childhood can be detrimental to the longitudinal arch of the foot.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Rao UB, Joseph B |title=The influence of footwear on the prevalence of flat foot. A survey of 2300 children |journal=The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume |volume=74 |issue=4 |pages=525–7 |year=1992 |pmid=1624509 |doi=}}</ref> A 1991 review article found that barefoot walking supported optimum foot development, and the best use of shoes are to protect the foot from injury rather than for correction of problems.<ref name = review/> Other doctors believe shoes have use in correcting mild deformities such as flat feet.<ref>{{cite news | publisher = The New York Times |date=1991-08-14 | last = Angier | first = Natalie | title = Which Shoes Are Best For Children? Maybe None | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEFDF1230F937A2575BC0A967958260 | accessdate = 2007-10-19}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[Barefoot and pregnant]]
*[[Barefoot doctor]]
*[[Barefoot park]]
*[[Barefoot running]]
*[[Social aspects of clothing]]
*[[Barefoot skiing]]
== Notes ==
{{reflist}}
== References ==
*French language: B.F., [http://www.dhnet.be/dhinfos/article.phtml?id=78001 ''Tongs au volant : gare !''] in ''La Dernière Heure'', [[August 6]], [[2003]]
* ''The Barefoot Hiker'' by Richard Frazine. ISBN 0-89815-525-8
==External links==
{{Commons|Category:Barefoot|barefoot}}
{{Wiktionary}}
*[http://www.barefooting.eu European Barefooting Resource Center]
*[http://world.std.com/~rice/plain/bf/ The Barefoot Path in the Western Contemplative Tradition]
*[http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/travel/escapes/22hike.html Footloose and Boot Free: Barefoot Hiking] (<em>The New York Times</em>, September 22, 2006)
*[http://www.barefooters.org/ barefooters.org]
*[http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/ You Walk Wrong] New York Magazine
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