bare feet or slippers?

@shelagh77 (3643)
February 17, 2007 8:39pm CST
I have been fighting battles with my family ever since I was a child. I simply HATE having anything on my feet. I accept that I have to wear shoes outside the home but once at the doorstep, off they get kicked and there they stay until the next time I have to put them on. I find it easier to prevent falling when I have no shoes, as I can grip with my toes, and I also find shoes uncomfortable full stop. Of course on the other side of the coin, I have broken my toes many times because something has fallen onto my feet but I still can not abide slippers. Do you find bare feet more comfortable, or are you happier wearing an indoor shoe?
19 people like this
90 responses
@mel_87 (856)
18 Feb 07
i like both but mum has found some really comfy cuddly socks that are abit like slippers so i wear them now cos my feet get cold lol and i hate cold feet, slippers i can find annoying but comfy when i was younger i got the big ones with dogs and stuff on them they looked massive on my feet lol
5 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
19 Feb 07
I know the type of socks you mean, I can't remember the brand name for the life of me, but they have a rubberised pattern on the soles which is supposed to stop you slipping. However, as I HAVE to be different, this pattern actually causes me to fall since if my leg drags the soles stick and over I go!
1 person likes this
@shelagh77 (3643)
3 Mar 07
You better get some pdq then! They really are much better tha socks and they do stop you slip sliding. If I have to give in and wear socks because my feet are agonisingly cold, I always wear the socks with the non slip treads as I am just too accident prone to wear ordinary socks.
@mel_87 (856)
20 Feb 07
yes thats the ones but mine havent got the stuff on the bottom to stop me from slipping lol
• United States
18 Feb 07
When I was younger I could not abide shoes in the house for any reason. Now I've found out that I am suceptible to cold and have gotten chilblains on my feet more than once in the winter.So I do were shoes all winter long. But in the summer it's bare feet all day. I just feel more agile, lighter and more free. No shoes for me.
5 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
19 Feb 07
I am sorry to hear about the chilblains. They are caused by bad circulation as well as the cold, so maybe overhauling your diet to make sure you have some good nutrients and giving your feet a work out every few hours might help keep the circulation going and keep the horrible chilblains at bay. I agree you are certainly more agile without shoes static gripping carpets etc!
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
18 Feb 07
I'm the same way, the second I come in the door off goes the shoes. I hate wearing shoes around home, and I'd just as soon skip the slippers too. My family laughs because I usually have a pair of flip-flops or other shoes by each doorway. I'll wear them to go get the mail or something, but I always take them off. My feet are much happier without them.
@shelagh77 (3643)
19 Feb 07
Oh yes, happy feet are shoeless feet, most definitely! I know that they are very useful in protecting my feet outside the home but if I could get away with it I would go barefoot all the time.
@cassidy22 (2974)
• United States
18 Feb 07
When it's cold, I always have socks on. But my feet hate wearing shoes. Seriously. I will wear fuzzy bunny slippers when it's cold. When it is warm, I go barefoot all over the house! I'm with you, my feet want to be FREE!
5 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
19 Feb 07
I agree totally! The fuzzy bunny slippers sound like fun, though. I have to wear socks when it is cold too, but I don't like it and as soon as the feeling comes back into my toes, off come the socks!
• Guam
18 Feb 07
Haha, the infernal battle! Here in Malaysia, as in most Asian countries, it would be extremely disrespectful to wear any shoes or footwear(slippers included) into a persons house, even if it is your own. This is because it would seems to suggest that that persons house is dirty. As such, for me, I love being barefoot!!
3 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
19 Feb 07
Thank you for that piece of local information, it is very interesting to hear of other beliefs, I had not thought about wearing shoes indicating that one feels a house is dirty, and it is a very interesting thought. Yes, barefoot is beautiful!
@shelagh77 (3643)
25 May 07
Well, they don't in the United Kingdom, and if a certain blonde friend of mine happens to read this - on yer bike! (to explain, she is lovely and I love her but she has to take advantage of these tips!. However, I always have guest soaps and towels available so if anyone does want to freshen up they can use these.
@snapthat (95)
• United States
18 Feb 07
I wear socks or go barefoot in the house, usually. Personally, I just can't wear slippers! It feels so awkward! As for wearing shoes indoors, that's an absolute no-no for me.
5 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
19 Feb 07
oh yes! Shoes are bad enough outside! At the door, stop, kick off shoes and hope you can not find them next time you go out lol.
• Philippines
18 Feb 07
In my country people normally wear slippers inside the house because it is always dusty. Even some rich ones who have carpeted homes wear slippers inside the house. It's nice to have bare feet, but I wouldn't want to have really dirty feet at the end of the day.
3 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
24 Apr 07
hmmmm, that could be a problem, I can see that you would not want to track dust into other rooms. However, your feet do not have to get really dirty, you can wash them during the day. I put a comment on earlier on that I use baby wipes, a sort of moistened tissue, to wipe the surface grime from my feet from time to time.
@phayeth (519)
• Philippines
18 Feb 07
i really love to walk on bare foot at home.. but sometimes.. i know really need to wear slippers co'z if i always walk bare foot at home sometimes my feet are so dirty.. i'm comfortable wear slippers in doors..
2 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
24 Apr 07
Yes, that is the down side of not wearing slippers, I have to concede. However, we wash our hands many times a day, so why should it be a problem to wash our feet? I use baby wipes to remove any surface grime during the day and then have a foot soak at night.
• United States
18 Feb 07
Well I don't have carpet in my home so I never go barefoot. I'm always wearing my slippers. Sometimes I even wear them to town and to work! They are so comfy.
2 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
19 Apr 07
Yes, I should agree that slippers are more comfortable than shoes to wear outside the home, provided the ground is not particularly rocky. However, I do not have carpets on all the rooms in my home but even that will not persuade me to wear the dreaded slippers lol.
@marlyse (1056)
• Switzerland
19 Feb 07
lol no way i wear shoes if i dont have to. even in winter, when its cold i wear only the shoes without sockets, outside. i hate shoes. when i was a kid, we where all very poor in our village, and we had only one pair and that where wooden shoes. thank god lol
@shelagh77 (3643)
26 May 07
Well, as you are wheeled everywhere outside you could get a little foot warmer for the worst days. Clogs are thought of as being very romantic in the UK, but I reckon they would be very difficult to walk in. Do you remember if they were difficult to walk in?
@1983tyler (507)
• United States
18 Feb 07
I, too, dislike wearing shoes. I grew up in Southern California and didn't have to wear shoes, or else I wore sandals. I used to get in trouble in school because I would take off my shoes during class and then forget to put them back on before leaving class. I'd get to my next class before I would remember them. Now I live in Montana and shoes outside during the winter are an absolute necessity. But once I get in the house, shoes come off. sometimes I wear socks to keep my feet warm, but shoes come off at the door. It's kind of a rule at my house. When my nieces and nephews come to visit they know that shoes come off at the door.
2 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
24 Apr 07
oh yes! I used to do that too, but we weren't even supposed to slip our shoes off during class, it was considered highly unladylike! I know that Montana can be extremely cold and I would also wear footwear, probably fur lined boots, there. I do hate my feet being enclosed though.
• United States
18 Feb 07
I HATE slippers. I only wear slippers if it is so bitterly cold that I just simply cannot get my tootsies warm. Otherwise, the moment I come in from outside the shoes come off. The same with the rest of my family (mostly because I will fuss at them if they don't). I do wear socks though, both my kids wear neither shoes or socks indoors. Hubby wears socks and slippers in the winter. When I do wear slippers indoors I am usually tripping over my own feet. No broken toes, yet...sheesh...lol
3 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
19 Feb 07
Yup, sisters of the slipper-hating fraternity unite lol. Glad you aren't breaking anything. I am just very clumsy due to my poor balance. The hospital porters joked it would be cheaper to buy me toe tecters (a form of steel toe capped boot) than to keep xraying my toes!
@ashcas (55)
• United States
18 Feb 07
Looks like I am with the majority also. No Shoes For Me! I am always barefoot. Unless I have to go somewhere I have nothing on my feet. Most of the time I will go barefoot in my yard if I am going to be outside for just a minute. Like someone else I also keep flipflops by both doors incase I need to slip some shoes on...that way I can take them on the second I get back in. I understand the fighting with your family thing, my inlaws are always buying me slippers. Their whole family loves slippers! My husband doesn't like that I don't wear shoes very often. Mostly because my feet are so dry and tough!
@shelagh77 (3643)
24 Apr 07
Oh heck! So you have in laws who love slippers, that is tough. Your feet don't have to be though. I haven't seen them, but I can give some tips I use. I keep a chiropody file and lightly dust it over any hard skin, every day, and I bathe my feet in warm water then rub in some moisturising cream. There are special foot creams but I tend to use the same cream for all over lol. Buff up your toenails with and there you go, cutie soft feet. Try telling your husband how much money he is saving through not buy so many shoes, slippers etc and introduce him to your new, cute feet :-)
• United States
18 Feb 07
I hate wearing anything on my feet so i'm like you soon as i come in the door the shoes come off. I go barefoot pretty much everywhere around the house even the back and front yard usually although if theres snow i'll wear a pair of my sandals to take the dog out. Thats a bit too cold even for me most of the time. I rarely ever wear socks either I've found knee highs are much more comfortable and less restricting and luckily i work in retail where their considered dressier. I got some trouser socks for christmas one year and wore those to work for a while and ended up getting bad leg cramps at night while i was sleeping so when i quit wearing those the leg cramps stopped. Bare Feet Rule
3 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
24 Apr 07
Yup, definitely! So far there is an overwhelming majority who like their feet to go wild, and I love that. All those years being browbeaten about slippers and shoes, and now I have lots of people who agree with me. Quite a nice novelty!
@pinklilly (3443)
• Australia
18 Feb 07
Indoors I prefer No shoes and only in winter when it is really cold I will wear slippers. It is more comfortable with No shoes.
2 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
20 Feb 07
Most people who have replied so far prefer not to wear footwear, so I am not so unusual as my Parents thought I was!
@emeraldisle (13139)
• United States
18 Feb 07
If I had my way I wouldn't wear them out of the house either :) I hate shoes. Of course I have a hard time finding ones that fit right so that doesn't help any. Usually I'm barefoot. Now if it's really cold I will put on slipper socks, however I hate doing that. I'm like you, I've broken my toes a few times and my foot for that matter but I don't care. I don't know how much good shoes would have done anyways since I wear very soft sided shoes when I do wear them. Be comfortable and go with what you want. Tell them if they don't like it then they care wear shoes if they want but you aren't going to.
@kathy77 (7486)
• Australia
18 Feb 07
Yes I hate wearing anything on my feet especially in my own home, I also accept that we have to wear shoes outside otherwise something may go into our feet and also the dirt that we would pick up and the germs. Especially in the summer I love to go around barefooted, but in winter I have to wear slippers to keep my feet warm.
2 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
5 Mar 07
I used to go barefoot outside because although there was a garden there were concrete paths which were swept daily, but where I am now unfortunately there are some rather feral personalities. I hope to move later in the year and Other Half will be putting down the paving slabs very quickly so Moanalot (yours truly lol) can get outside barefoot!
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
18 Feb 07
Just as with you, my shoes are off the minute I enter the house and nothing goes on my feet again unitl I leave the house. On a very rare occassion that my feet get cold, I have a big fuzzy pair of socks that I will put on.
2 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
18 Mar 07
oh yes, absolutely! However, do your socks have a sort of "tread" on the sole. Socks can be lethal on linoleum.
• United States
18 Feb 07
I have hot feet. I CANT wear socks to bed it drives me mad! Plus they always fall off. If my feet ARENT cold I dont wear socks in the house that is. Sometimes I wear sandles during the day when its cold out, that gives me cold feet. But I am rather warm person inside so I wear things that arent always great for the weather. Around our house, its all carpets minus the bathrooms, and kitchen. So no slippers is OKAY or no socks that is! Are we talking REAL slippers? Cause if its say slipper socks like I wear, then that would NEVER protect your feet from falling objects! I like slipper socks, sometimes slippers. But most of the time, unless it can be helped I go bare feet. NO questions asked! :)
@shelagh77 (3643)
5 Mar 07
If my feet are agonizingly cold I will give in and wear slipper sox until they are warm, then off they come. I have to have a tread on the sole as I already have a lot of falls due to illness and with socks well . . . just call me an ambulance lol. No, they don't give any protection to the feet but I prefer the odd bump to the constant constriction of footwear.
• Philippines
18 Feb 07
in our home, we wear slippers downstairs..but when you're upstairs, you're free to go without any footwear..my parents don't like getting shoes or any footwear up in the bedrooms because it may dirty up the place [even if you say that your shoes are clean and stuff like that..] well, for me, i'm more comfortable without them..but i usually wear slippers on if i know that the place is not as clean as i know of.
2 people like this
@shelagh77 (3643)
19 Apr 07
Two good points there, yes, many people have light coloured carpets upstairs and I suppose shoes would mark them. However, I think I would have to wash the soles of my feet just to make sure lol. I know what you mean about keeping your shoes on in some places. I really do hate wearing footwear, but yes, it is better than treading on something noxious!