I drove to a store about half an hour away and didn't bring any flip flops with me. I won't lie I was really nervous about going in but after a few minutes of everyone taking no notice of me being barefoot I was able to relax and go about my business without worry.

This may be child's play compared to the seasoned barefooters on here but I'm quite proud of myself.

Good morning all.

I'm currently barefooting on the London Underground, and I haven't met amy hostility as of yet.

It feels nice being able to be myself, without having to apologise for it.

Heading up to Covent Garden to see a friend.

Edit: was a fantastic day :3 Not a single comment :3 Jumping on the West Kensington train now

I've been wishing I could go barefoot in public for the better part of a decade now, and I'd occasionally do things like wear flip-flops, and take them off in an aisle in the grocery store, or walk barefoot to the mail, but I never built up the courage to just be fully barefoot. Finally this past weekend, something come over me, and I just went for it. I wore a flowy maxi dress, and went to target without even bringing a pair of safety shoes!

Target was super busy, so I was anxious that I'd be seen and kicked out immediately, but not only did no one say anything, I don't know if anyone even noticed. I walked by employees stocking the shelves, some of them several times, I walked down the food section, I walked through the clothing department... Not a single side glance or comment under anyone's breath. I saw myself in the mirror in the clothing department, and it was pretty obvious I was barefoot, so I think it's the that no one cared.

I went back last night this time it was nearly empty, and I was worried that maybe since there were less people, I'd be more noticeable, but I had the same experience. On my way out, I got stopped by an employee, and I thought she was gonna tell me I needed to put on shoes next time, but she was really nice andjust needed to check my receipt and let me go! I pushed it a little further after that and went into Panera Bread to get my partner some soup for dinner, and again, no one said anything or gave me looks. Again, my feet couldn't have been missed, an employee locked eyes with me the moment I walked in the door, but she just smiled and took my order. Other customers waiting for their food also didn't say anything.

The one negative is that one of my heels \*hurts\* afterwards. I'm being careful to step with the balls of my feet, so I don't think it bruising. I assume it's just muscles/tendons not used to being active, and it'll start subsiding once my feet get stronger?

Overall, it was an incredible experience, and I'll be looking for (or creating) more opportunities to go barefoot in the future! I might even build up the courage to go out barefoot while my partner is with me (who has no interest in going barefoot, but has been super supportive of me trying it). I'm also curious if my experience would be any different in pants, shorts, or a shorter dress (even just knee-length).

I really want to go barefoot more, especially outside of my home, but my ankles are really weak due to hypermobility syndrome, and trying to walk on anything uneven without boots of some kind becomes painful and unsteady quite quickly; I realise this might only be because I don't exercise my ankle muscles enough, but, at the same time, I don't want to have to go barefoot with sore ankles for a long time before I can get to the point of comfortable barefooting.

Is there any way I could have some degree of ankle support whilst still keeping my soles bare?

I’ve had a bad case of intermetatarsal bursitis and am getting cortisone in both feet next week in hopes of healing it, I’ve had it in my right for over 2 months and in my left for about 1.5 years on and off.

Whaf can I do to make sure it never comes back besides just wearing good footwear?