Eighth Foot Walk 10.26.2010

 Today, I am a hopeless frazzled mess and I broke the number 1 rule of barefoot walking: look clean. You see, to me there are a certain number of rules that you must obey if you are walking barefoot because you still exist within society and you need to make barefoot walking plausible to the non-barefoot-goers.

My rules are as thus:

1.       Look clean
2.               Don’t put your feet on the table
3.       Dance

That last on is less of a rule than it is a side effect, as going barefoot increases the likelihood of one wanting to dance. Anyways, the first one (“look clean”) is a necessity to barefoot walking – that is, if you don’t want people to think you’re a complete slob. If you have the mindset of not caring at all what people think, then you essentially have no rules for barefoot walking and that would be a different case altogether. However, my purpose is to explore the benefits of barefoot walking and to make it appealing to all the N.B.F.s (non-barefoot-walkers). In barefoot walking, one needs to be clean in order to dispel the myths that walking without shoes is “dirty”. The social stigma of walking barefoot is most likely based in the fact that people can get many infections from walking barefoot. 

Question: Can you still have cute feet if you walk barefoot?

My Instructions for Clean Barefoot Walking:

1.     Shower regularly

2.     Paint and maintain toenails

3.     Use lotion on top of feet

4.     Dress nicely, not slovenly

5.     Wash your hair so it looks nice

6.     Use deodorant so you smell decent

       According to The Dancer's Survival Manual by Marian Horosko and Judith F. Kupersmith, M.D., there is a set of other instructions specifically for dancers who get nasty callused feet:

1.   "Manicures and Pedicures: A weekly manicure can keep your nails trimmed enough not to scratch a partner, and a pedicure can keep your feet relatively soft and pain-free or with the calluses in the right place with sufficient flexibility.

2. "Foot Odor and Fungus Infection: For a foot odor problem caused by... perspiration, use an antibacterial soap.  A fungus infection can be treated orally or externally. Beware of showers in public gyms and even in studios. Infected nails become thick and discolored, break, and fall off easily.
3. "Splinters: Gently open the skin with a cauterized point (such as a sanitized needle) and remove the splinter with tweezers.
4. "Blisters: Puncture the blister with a sterilized needle to drain, but do not remove the blister cap. Apply Neosporin and a loose bandage. Air to heal faster.
5. "Calluses: Rub with a pumice stone, sea salt, or a motorized slough machine. Cut out an adhesive pad to fit around the joint of the big toe to remove pressure along the side and bottom. Bunions are where most calluses occur."(Horosko 80-83.)

Even though the list above was designed specifically for dancers, we as barefoot walkers can take the basics of foot care and treatment and apply it to our own feet. Now, that we've gone over the proper foot care, please remember to always take good care of your feet!




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Works Cited
Horosko, Marian, and Judith R. F. Kupersmith. The Dancer's Survival Manual: Everything You Need to Know from the First Class to Career Change. Gainesville: University of Florida, 2009. Print.