Tag: shoes

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Jimmy Kimmel Josh Johnson New York City shoes

Josh Johnson: New York ‘is not a sandal city, stop wearing Crocs’

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As we’ve noted, Jimmy Kimmel has been taping his show from Brooklyn this week, and he’s really made the effort to showcase his NYC-based comedy colleagues. We discussed the great double feature he and Stephen Colbert did on Tuesday, each host appearing as the guest on the other’s show on the same night. But for his first show on Monday, Kimmel welcomed comedian Josh Johnson. Most folks know Johnson from The Daily Show, where he’s been on a swift trajectory from staff writer to on-air correspondent to one of the rotational hosts. Though Johnson was born and raised in Louisiana, he recently marked 10 years of living in New York — the length of time someone once told me you must serve in order to call yourself a New Yorker — so Kimmel asked Johnson what he’d say/advise to people visiting the Big Apple. Johnson’s response? “Stop wearing Crocs!”

There are certain things that happen here that don’t happen anywhere else and you have to protect yourself. When you go out, please wear real footwear. I’m begging you to wear shoes. This is not a sandal city.

You have to worry about threats on the ground and threats from above. The threats from above are like the mystery drip. You get the drip and you look up and you pray it’s a air conditioner. Cuz it’s too sunny to be raining and then you see nothing and you’re like, “All right, I’mma carry that with me the rest of my life.”

I have friends who I have begged, “Stop wearing Crocs… you’re not safe.” I understand they’re breathable. They’re comfortable, but it’s not the place for that.

I was walking with my friend. He’s in the middle of defending his Crocs. He’s like, “Look, look at you all tight. I can see laces pulled tight and everything. I’m comfortable. My feet breathable. You’re going to take off those shoes, it’s going to stink. I don’t have that problem. I got the Crocs on.”

And because this is New York, a rat ran across our path and you could tell the rat had like hesitation. You know what I mean? It was almost like a deer in the road where it was like “I think I’m a go.” And then it finally just sprinted across, but we had met its path by then. And so it ran over both my feet, but I had on shoes, you know, I was under protection.

My buddy had Crocs and he was walking right alongside me. And so as the rat tried to run over his feet, you know, you know, like when football players are in spring training, they do that with those tires.

And so the rat is over here putting in work trying to get through each hole. And then first two holes it clears. No problem. Third hole, rat trip. And the rat trips and falls and actually falls into another hole. And the rat, you can hear the rat freaking out. It’s trying to get up. All of this took place over the course of like half of a second, but it might as well have been his entire day cuz we both watched the rat fight to get out as best as possible. It finally like unplugged one foot, unplugged the other foot, and then ran away.

And then my friend is standing next to me like [makes horrified face].

Yeah, that’s what happens when you wear these Swiss cheese shoes.

[From Jimmy Kimmel Live! via YouTube]

I have laughed several times reading through the transcript, but I heartily recommend watching the clip in motion. For one thing, Johnson walks on stage donning a gorgeous suit. No really, it’s so arresting that even Kimmel has to comment on it. Then once Johnson settles into his set and gets to this incident, it’s the kind of story that is enhanced by the delivery. Johnson’s delivery is calm and understated, and it works as a great juxtaposition to the absurdity of the scene he’s describing. He does a terrific job with it, and it was also nice to watch Kimmel just sit back and let Johnson own the moment. Like I said, I was laughing a lot… even though I’m a New Yorker who wears sandals!!! In fact I’m still wearing sandals in October! And not flat sandals with no support, but platform ones that give me a bounce as I barrel along the filthy streets of NYC. I hear your argument, Josh, and I do not deny you speak the truth. But I just want my feet to be comfy, and my gosh Crocs are comfy, school bans and podiatrist warnings be damned! Plus let’s face it, NYC rats could easily tear through a closed-toe shoe if they really wanted to. Our safety from them is but an illusion.

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Fashion Podcast shoes Tyler The Creator

Tyler, the Creator on podcasters: we give dumb people platforms to be loud & incorrect

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This question is about two months too late, but why wasn’t Tyler, the Creator at the Met Gala this year?!? The theme was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” with an emphasis on Black Dandyism. He’s totally a fashion dandy! Remember his retro bellhop couture at the Grammys five years ago? As one person put it, “he’s like the prince of dapper.” Tyler has a new collaboration with Converse — he previously redesigned the Chuck 70 and One Star, now he’s put his touch on the 1908 Jogger and Naut-1 — and the pastel-colored, flower-embroidered designs had me thinking about his inexplicable absence from the Met. Though not gonna lie, if he was trying to convey that he’s too cool for Anna Wintour, I respect the flex. The Cut just interviewed Tyler to tout his Converse collection, and Tyler had some fabulously strong opinions on style, substance, and podcasts:

You’re a pretty big collector of watches, cars, and Louis Vuitton trunks. Is there anything special in your collection that was hard to get? Do you have a favorite?


No, it all finds me. All the cool sh-t I got, it finds me. I walk in a random store and it’s like, look at this random cool thing that I just happened to find, in this city or country, and bam, I get it. I’m a magnet for sh-t I love because I’m just so pure about it. I found an F40; that car is sweet. It’s all f–king cool as sh-t. This is how parents are when people ask if they have a favorite child. Well, people have a favorite child; they’re lying if they say they don’t.

Back to style: You don’t seem to be interested in fashion rules, but do you have your own fashion rule?


I hate brown, purple, and red together. It makes my body itch. The only time I think it worked was on Dru Hill’s first album cover; outside of that, purple, red, and brown together is f–king disgusting. But that’s not a rule, that’s just me hating that colorway, but I let people do what they love. I hate when women wear boots with shorts, the tall, long boots with shorts. There’s something so dusty about that to me, that Coachella look. … I want people to do what they’re going to do. That proportion just seems crazy to me, but what I’m saying is now law, dude, there’s probably some sh-t I wear that people hate and that’s okay. I love individualism so much. There are people who hate how I dress, but I don’t ever want to look like them because they’re dusty to me. So what they say does not matter, and I’m happy they have their opinion.

You’ve talked a lot about wanting to ban podcasts; are there any you listen to?


I think we give a lot of people who aren’t smart and just want attention platforms to be loud and incorrect, and other stupid people follow them. Where are the people with skills? We need electricians, we need more drummers, painters, teachers. Everybody with a mic is crazy. I just think that sh-t is gross. Deante Kyle is sick, and The Cutting Room Floor is sick. Those are two podcasts that are in the right direction.

What’s the last meal you cooked for yourself?


I’m gonna tell you something right now. If my house had paint chipping all over it and needed painting, do you think I’d get on the roof and start painting? No. You know why? Because I’m not the best option. So why the f–k would I cook for myself if I don’t have to? If I want Italian food, let me go to a place where they’re going to do it the best with love, with expertise. I’m not in my house cooking, are you crazy?

[From The Cut]

“I think we give a lot of people who aren’t smart and just want attention platforms to be loud and incorrect, and other stupid people follow them.” Welcome to America!! We were gonna put that slogan on our money, but it was too long so “In God We Trust” snuck in. In practice, though, we definitely trust loud, attention-seeking, dumb people (present company excluded!) over the guy from the other motto. Tyler, on the other hand, is such a breath of fresh air! Even when I didn’t agree with his take on something, I was completely enthralled with his conviction. To answer the fashion rule question with “brown, purple and red do NOT go together!” was sublime. But where he truly captured my heart, was the cooking question. “I’m not in my house cooking, are you crazy?” is so good, I’m tempted to make it my email signature. Because like Tyler, I am not the best option! Unlike Tyler, I only pretend to have the funds to back up this stance.

Photos credit: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon, Getty Images for Netflix, Nicky Nelson/Wenn/Avalon, Faye’s Vision/Cover Images

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Helen Hunt shoes

Helen Hunt: there has to be a new ethos about women and shoes

helen-hunt:-there-has-to-be-a-new-ethos-about-women-and-shoes




I made a comment once before about feeling like Helen Hunt was in everything for a stretch there after she won her Oscar. Well, she certainly pulled one over on me, because now I’m the idiot who had no idea she’s been on Hacks since season three! Hacks has been on my list of shows to start for a while, but somehow keeps getting bumped for other things. I will be rectifying that now, I swear! So Helen appears on the June cover of Flow Space to promote the fourth season, and the interview is full of intelligence and charm. And also a bit of pain; it seems Helen is unaware that the comfortable shoes on the red carpet revolution is already underfoot! The full article is worth a read, but I’ve excerpted a few highlights, including the opening where she talks about having to break out of her heels at a 2024 Oscars party:

She had to take her heels off at the 2024 VF Oscars party: “I was like, ‘This had to be done. I have to be done now—I can’t walk!,’” she recalls. “I cannot walk. I cannot walk to get my drink at the bar or my In-N-Out Burger, which they serve. There has to be a new ethos about women and shoes. I want them to invent a new way to do it without hurting your feet!”

Her career exploding in the 90s led her to meditation: “I was just, like, pushing myself with no thought of, ‘Well, maybe it’s too much,’” she recalls. “My body went, ‘It’s too much.’” That’s when a friend first suggested she try meditation. “I went, ‘Oh, right.’ I took a class when I was 18 and thought it would change my life and then blew it off,” she says. “But pain is a really good motivator.” She has now maintained a daily, 20-minute practice for more than three decades. “Just showing up and doing it, over time, I think it matters,” she says. “For me, it’s not even like I want to do it to feel good. Now I have to do it to not feel bad!”

On dealing with body shaming tabloids when she was younger: “It felt impossible not to internalize the way you’re supposed to look,” Hunt reveals. “And [there was] a certain amount of misery and shame around not looking exactly that way.” At some point, however, “I realized, ‘This could quietly ruin your whole life,’” Hunt says, adding that she rarely talks about this aspect of her Hollywood experience. “I made a decision: I’m not playing. Not gonna [let it] take up a lot of space in my mind.” Notes her longtime friend and Mad About You co-star Paul Reiser, “She has always been terrifically centered and forthright about setting up boundaries.”

How she got into surfing: “I saw a woman in Hawaii who, like, jumped out of the water, picked up her baby, pulled her bathing suit down, nursed, gave her baby back to, presumably, the baby’s dad, and went back to the water,” Hunt recalls. “I was like, I want to be her.”

She’s a college student! She also still has aspirations of being a college graduate, a rite of passage she missed out on to pursue her career. “It was always an unchecked box,” she says, explaining her decision to sign up for college-level English courses. “I’m checking it very slowly.” Which is a pace that helps keep her moving steadily forward—the direction she prefers to focus on.

[From Flow Space]

I love that Helen’s taking college classes! I have a friend doing a similarly protracted march towards his graduate degree, a method I call the “low and slow” approach to higher education. In addition to checking off that graduation box, Helen says she views the courses as “an antidote to Instagram strolling.” (Hey kids, reading works for that, too!) I’m not surprised to hear Helen meditates daily, because she really does sound so clear and centered. Part of that is just living and growing and aging, I know. Helen’s now an empty-nester (her daughter Makena is 22 and in a band), and enjoying a once-and-again relationship with Jeffrey Nordling, after they first dated in 1988. (Jeffrey played Laura Dern’s husband in Big Little Lies, and longtime fans will know him from Once and Again, hence the earlier wordplay.) It seems like she’s in a really good head and heart space — she just needs to liberate her feet! My word of advice: don’t settle for merely “bearable” like her fellow Helen, Ms. Mirren. Aim higher! By lowering the heel.

PS — I also want to be that surfing, nursing Hawaiian mama.

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Photos credit: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon, Getty and via Instagram

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Fashion Helen Mirren shoes

Helen Mirren: Your shoes have to be bearable, not necessarily comfortable

helen-mirren:-your-shoes-have-to-be-bearable,-not-necessarily-comfortable




Helen Mirren is a regular at Cannes, as part of her ambassador gig with L’Oréal Paris. Helen turned up to the Lights on Women’s Worth Awards this year in a Badgley Mischka black column gown with teal sash, fascinator, and 400 carats of gemstones on a single necklace. It kind of read to me as “Tiffany’s Widow Attends Her Husband’s Funeral,” which I appreciate from a camp factor, but overall it wasn’t my favorite Cannes ensemble from Helen (it’s pretty hard to top dying your hair periwinkle to match your Del Core gown). But one thing we do know about Helen’s look this year, is that she was comfortable in it. Well, not necessarily comfortable, but bearable. She recently waxed to People Mag about her ethos of dressing for the red carpet in something “bearable,” and that starts with the shoes:

The Queen actress, 79, tells PEOPLE that when she sets foot onto a red carpet, she’s going to be glamorous her way — whether it’s the Oscars or the Cannes Film Festival. And these days, that means making up her own definition of comfort.

“I’ve learned over the years, your shoes have to be bearable,” Mirren tells PEOPLE from the Cannes Film Festival. “They don’t necessarily have to be comfortable. And in fact, comfortable sometimes is a bit boring and you want cool shoes. But they have to be bearable because if you’re in unbearable pain, that is going to reflect on your face and your posture and everything. So you start with the shoes, and just make sure that you’re secure in them and they’re bearable.”

She says that once she’s figured out her “bearable” shoes, she goes for maximum comfort with her outfit, because she has been in a place where she hasn’t been comfortable on carpets, and she doesn’t mess around with that anymore.

And she’s also witnessed other stars on carpets — everywhere from the massive steps at the Cannes Film Festival to the grand stage at the Academy Awards — fiddling with their clothes or a poorly fit dress, and she simply doesn’t have the time or energy for that anymore.

“I’ve come to a point where I just want [my red carpet outfit] to be comfortable as well,” she admits. “Beauty knows no pain. I have been there more than once, you know, sucking up the pain for my vanity. But again, it reflects on your face if you’re comfortable. [A red carpet is] a performance. It is like going on stage, really, and I treat it as such. It’s a sort of wonderful, fun, silly performance. It’s not going to last forever. It has huge meaning for a second or two, and then the meaning is gone and we’re onto something else.”

[From People]

Preach! If something isn’t working with your outfit — one bit is too tight, a strap keeps falling down, etc — I find that invariably you, the wearer, always end up drawing more attention to the problem. And if y’all know me by now, you know that I am all about horizontal, not vertical footwear. Though I guess I take it a step further than Helen, because these days I DO demand absolute comfort from my shoes! Just bearable doesn’t cut it for my tootsies. Wearing a bra all day is bearable. But hauling my ass up the four flights of stairs to the train for my daily morning commute? It’s like Sisyphus rolling the rock up the hill, only in this metaphor I’m somehow both Sisyphus and the rock. So my kicks better be comfortable, if not downright rocket powered, to launch me into the world.

But maybe Helen had the word “bearable” on her mind because she thinks about her 2021 encounter with a black bear as often as I do. Remember that video? Scary big bear approaching her house? Not to Helen! She told that “naughty bear!” who the REAL apex predator of that property was! And I bet she was wearing comfortable shoes when she did it, too.

Photos credit: Olivier Huitel/Avalon, James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Robin Platzer/Twin Images/Avalon, IMAGO/Avalon

Categories
Fashion Kathy Bates SAGs shoes

Kathy Bates has worn Sneex sneaker heels to every awards show this year

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People love Kathy Bates in the Matlock reboot! She won the Critics Choice Award for the role earlier this month, and it was one of her two nominations at this weekend’s SAG Awards (the other was for The Great Lillian Hall). After watching the clips for both performances, I think the SAGs could easily create a new category: Kathy Bates Loses Her Sh-t. The nominees could be Kathy, plus all the scene partners she yells at! Anyway, I’m thrilled Kathy is getting her flowers. And now that I’ve established my admiration for Ms. Bates, I must begin a difficult conversation. It has been brought to my attention that Kathy has attended every award show in 2025 wearing… SNEEX! The (demonic) brainchild of Spanx founder Sara Blakely, Sneex are a sneaker–high heel hybrid, in which you get the toe of a sneaker bolstered by a three-inch heel. I’ve been against them since they debuted six months ago, but seeing Kathy embrace them whole-heartedly is throwing me off balance — and I’m not even wearing fashion stilts!

Kathy Bates is looking her best in her signature shoe at the SAG Awards 2025.

The star, 76, arrived at the star-studded ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 23, wearing a classically tailored look featuring a cinched shiny black blazer with matching pants.

She ditched traditional heels in favor of Sneex, the mesh heel-sneaker hybrid that she’s been wearing all awards season. This time, she rocked a pair of The Icon heels, which retail for $395, in a black and white colorway, which she also did for the Critics Choice Awards on Feb. 7.

Bates’ Sneex streak first started at the Golden Globes, where she turned heads in a monochromatic black ensemble and a pair of the sporty heels in navy.

Though her look was minimalist, Bates made sure to pile on the bling. Her accessories included Pomellato interlocking earrings made of 18K rose gold, a matching Pomellato rose gold necklace with diamonds and a ring adorned with a large black gemstone.

Bates is a double nominee at this year’s ceremony. She is nominated for outstanding performance by a female actor in a TV movie or limited series for her role in The Great Lillian Hall and for outstanding performance in a drama series for playing the titular character in Matlock.

Bates’ latest look adds to her stylish — yet comfy — award show fashion.

At the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, the Misery star wore a simple yet chic black moto-style jacket and black undershirt. She showed off the entirety of her rock-and-roll inspired outfit when she was named best actress in a drama series for Matlock.

In January, Bates wore a beautifully beaded dinner jacket that cinched at her waist to the 2025 Golden Globes. Adding to the look were black tuxedo pants and a sparkling evening bag. She styled her hair in a retro half-up style with lots of bounce.

[From People]

I agree with People Mag’s sartorial verdict that Kathy has been looking resplendent this year. She has a bounce in her step, and it’s not just from sporting this identity crisis of a shoe. Kathy’s lost a dramatic amount of weight — 100 pounds since she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2017. Around the time of the Emmys last year, Kathy talked about how exciting it was for her to fit into clothes differently. So I definitely think we’re seeing that rekindled sense of joy and fun play out on the red carpet. But… but… must that include Sneex?! Despite my protestations, these kicks have been an unmitigated business success story. I guess I’m just a die-hard anti-heel girl. Also, if it were up to me to engineer the unicorn hybrid heaker/sneel, I would want the toe part that peeks out from underneath the skirt or pants to emulate a fancy high heel, and then have comfort in the back of the shoe (ie, no heel). So a fashiony front in an overall supportive, level frame — what would that look like? Oh yeah, FLATS.

Look, if the day ever comes that my feet find themselves ensconced, happily, in one of these things, I will be the first to admit my flip flop on the issue. But as long as they’re still running $400-$600 a pair (which they are), I’ll remain comfortable in my indignation. I mean sneakers!

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photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, screenshot from YouTube/Critics Choice Awards and Getty

Categories
health Hygiene shoes

Should you go barefoot at home or wear socks or slippers?

should-you-go-barefoot-at-home-or-wear-socks-or-slippers?




Last month we talked about the common habit in Australia of walking around barefoot. Everyone had strong opinions in the comments and I loved it! Some Aussies weighed in saying, “What’s the big deal, mate?” while other of their countrywomen were like, “How dare you, I wouldn’t be caught dead!” Elsewhere there were Americans voicing fright over Australian snakes and spiders, which was rebutted with assertions that though Aussie snakes are some of the most poisonous, many of them have poor injection mechanisms, and anyway they don’t have the type of venom that leads to limb amputation, so there! And one of the biggest counter-arguments was, “But what about Americans wearing shoes indoors?!?!” So in the name of science (and my anarchistic drive to incite heated yet friendly debate), let’s dig into that, shall we? HuffPost has helpfully consulted with doctors who were largely in favor of going barefoot indoors, over wearing socks and slippers:

A podiatrist on the pros: “I’m a big advocate for going barefoot at home,” [clinical podiatrist Dr. Robert] Conenello said. “[The practice] increases intrinsic muscular strength within the feet.” He explained that the primary benefit of walking barefoot is the reinforcement of the muscles in the feet, which tend to weaken “as we age and wear shoes.” These muscles are closely linked to our overall mobility, so their deterioration can contribute to reduced movement as we get older.

A dermatologist on the pros: Dermatologist Dr. Hannah Kopelman … also mentioned that going barefoot at home can have some unexpected benefits for the skin on your feet. “Walking barefoot at home … allows your skin to breathe, which can help prevent moisture buildup and reduce the risk of fungal infections like athlete’s foot,” she explained. … “Feeling the texture of different surfaces underfoot can be grounding and relaxing, almost like a mini reflexology session,” Kopelman said. “For those without underlying skin or foot conditions, this can be a natural way to connect with your environment and promote mindfulness.”

Barefoot living requires clean floors: One potential downside of walking barefoot indoors is the increased exposure to irritants or allergens on the floor, such as dust, pet dander or cleaning chemicals, as Kopelman pointed out. For individuals with sensitive skin or chronic conditions like contact dermatitis or eczema, this could be a significant concern. While Conenello acknowledges similar risks — such as stepping on pathogens like fungi in moist environments — he is quick to emphasize that “proper hygiene can help mitigate these risks… Wash your feet frequently, dry them thoroughly and moisturize,” he advised.

Accidents can happen: Other painful risks associated with going barefoot include the potential for slipping on slick or wet surfaces, or stepping on something hard and sharp that could cause injury. As anyone who has ever stubbed a toe or accidentally stepped on a Lego can attest, such incidents can be excruciating. Kopelman points out that individuals with diabetes or poor circulation are more vulnerable to severe consequences, as “even a minor foot injury can lead to serious health issues.”

There is a risk of muscle & joint issues: Kopelman also noted that, while walking barefoot can help strengthen muscles, the repeated practice of doing so on hard surfaces could potentially lead to foot fatigue or plantar fasciitis, a condition where the tissue connecting the heel bone to the toes becomes inflamed. “Over time, the lack of cushioning can put stress on the joints, especially in those who already have foot or joint issues,” she explained.

What about socks? According to Conenello, “there is nothing wrong with wearing socks.” They’ll simply decrease the benefits associated with being barefoot. “There is now a filter between the ground and the foot,” he said. Kopelman added that socks can offer “minimal protection from minor abrasions or allergens while still allowing your feet to feel relatively free.” Direct contact with surfaces that may harbor bacteria or irritants is also minimized when wearing socks.

[From HuffPost via Yahoo]

As an adult in my own home, I’ve always taken my shoes off at the door and changed into house slippers that never leave the confines of the apartment. But I don’t wear the slippers when lying in repose sitting on my sofa. And sometimes I do pop up and move around barefoot, but in my head I always think, “Drat, I should’ve put my slippers on!” So maybe I should just let that voice go? And yes, staying on top of personal and environmental hygiene is the foundation for good health. As for socks, I’m usually too hot to bother with them — the sandal-free Northeastern winter months are a real struggle! But in a strange twist of fate, this holiday season I was gifted no fewer than four pairs of fuzzy socks. One pair is even meant to be worn instead of slippers, with grips on the bottom. Getting one pair of socks as a gift was, well, disappointing. Two was kind of funny, in an ironic way. But with four I have to wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something…

In any event, let the discourse commence!

Photos credit: Antoni Shkraba, Mikhail Nilov, PNW Production, Alena Darmel on Pexels

Categories
Hygiene shoes TikTok

It’s socially acceptable in Australia to walk around barefoot & Americans have thoughts

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A big dream of mine is to go to Australia one year to get to experience a summer birthday and swim in the ocean there. I never feel more spiritually grounded and supported than when I’m bobbing along with the waves, and my gosh their waters look gorgeous. So bright, so clear! And much warmer than the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans I’ve always lived near. So that’s my fantasy, but one aspect of Aussie culture, particularly beach Aussie culture, that I wasn’t aware of until now is that some people walk around barefoot? Not just on the beach, but everywhere. And I am not alone in just learning this. A video has gone viral on TikTok that shows Aussies doing everything from food shopping to walking their dogs at indoor and outdoor venues, all sans shoes. Naturally, people online have very strong opinions both for and against barefoot living:

Barefoot in the park… and store, and beach, and supermarket: For many down under, going barefoot is a way of life. When we’re not getting around in thongs (flip flops, for the dirty-minded), we often forgo shoes when going for a quick trip to the supermarket, the petrol station or Maccas. But now, the rest of the world has discovered our collective shoelessness, leaving many stunned and even horrified. A video montage of Sydney locals walking around barefoot has gone viral on TikTok, racking up over 4.4 million views, 200,000 reactions and 7,000 comments. … The video exposed our dirty habit, with the poster saying: “POV: You’re in Australia” with a crying emoji.

The world reacts: Even though we pride ourselves on being a clean country, people still seem to take issue with our nonchalant attitude towards the hygiene and safety of our feet. “But why?? So many insects, broken glass, urine etc.,” one comment, with 1,500 likes, read. …Even our fellow countrymen chimed in, with one saying, “I’m from Melbourne and can’t think of anything filthier than being barefoot on public floors.” … Other international commenters thought it was a joke. “Can someone please confirm if this is real?” one confused viewer asked. “What?! Do people not have shoes??” another shocked man wrote. “Aren’t there bugs, snakes and weird plants everywhere?” someone else replied.

Australia responds: “As a born and raised Aussie, this is true, but only in beachside suburbs, more people wear shoes than not but definitely have memories of hot days barefoot in the supermarket getting ice cream,” one said. “It’s only acceptable if you’re close to the beach,” someone wrote. Others went so far as to specify the exact radius from the beach it’s acceptable to go sans shoes. “10km or less,” one said. “Nah, it’s 5km,” a second quipped. Others couldn’t see the issue and even argued that it was our “natural state of being.” “We weren’t born with shoes, why is this so strange to some people?” one questioned. “It’s ‘grounding’,” another joked. … There isn’t a clear reason why it’s so common to go barefoot in Australia. Some have put it down to the influence of our Indigenous culture. Others see it as a reflection of our casual, laid-back society.

[From NY Post]

What do we think? I am all over the place on this issue! My gut reaction was nope, not happening, I don’t care how clean you think your country is. But then I wondered if I was just recoiling thanks to my frame of reference for the past 10 years: the mean streets of New York City. I would sooner remove my shirt, split it in two, wrap my feet in the strips, and go around topless than walk these streets barefoot. But hygiene isn’t the only consideration here. What about temperature? I’ve had times where we left our flip flops at the beach entrance, thinking we’d frolic freely, only to have to make a mad, desperate dash back when the sand was burning our feet. I can’t imagine the sidewalk being any cooler! And speaking of flip flops, I only ever wear them in beach or pool situations, because despite their being ubiquitous, I have never found them comfortable. Is going around all day barefoot comfortable? I need support! As I’ve opined before, I don’t f–k with fashion stilts (aka high heels), instead proudly wearing the cloudlike footwear that are Hoka sneakers. After living with that level of buoyancy, am I a lost cause for trying out barefeet?

Clearly I have a lot of sole-searching to do (see what I did there?!) before I’m ready to book my trip down under. Wait for me, Bondi Beach… I’ll make it someday!

Is going barefoot acceptable? #barefoot #australia #onlyinaustralia #barefootlife #barefooting pic.twitter.com/rQFVoXmMFB

— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) December 12, 2024

Note by CB: I found this BBC news report about Australians going barefoot!


Photo note by CB: These photos of Chris Hemsworth, Matt Damon, Elsa Pataky and Luciana Damon are from 2018 and were taken in Sydney! Bonus pics of Hugh Jackman on Bondi Beach in 2019. Credit: Diimex/Backgrid. Photo of Chris Hemsworth at the Transformers One premiere in September credit: James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon