A video showing people in Australia walking barefoot on the streets to run errands has gone insanely viral on social media and has both intrigued and baffled netizens. “Is this a normal thing in Australia?” read the caption of the clip shared by a page called Censored Men on X. It has clocked in over six million views and still continues to gain traction.
So, what is the reason behind such a phenomenon? Well, according to a report in The New York Times, Australians and New Zealanders don’t mind in ditching their footwear while going on about their regular routines. They will rather go barefoot than opt for covering their feet for errands like a run to the grocery store or even a visit to the pub.
“People walk around barefoot. On the street. In supermarkets. All over. It’s not everyone, but it’s a significant enough minority to be quite striking and a bit disconcerting. Sure, city sidewalks are clean. But they’re still city sidewalks,” Seth Kugel, a writer for The New York Times, noted while on a visit to New Zealand in 2012.
Its not only normal for adults but school children as well. In Perth, at least one elementary school has a “shoes optional” policy. The reason? According to administrators, going barefoot helped children improve posture, develop sensory awareness and strengthen their feet and body. However, podiatrists are less convinced about this fact, The New York Times reported.
In addition, the Australian cricket team also made headlines while on tour in England in 2019. They preferred to walk barefoot around the pitch and cited capturing “positive energy coming out of the earth”.
Meanwhile, there is no apparent reason behind the trend. While some attribute the Indigenous cultures of the two countries, others literally find it comforting.
Jordana Gray, a British expat living in The Land Down Under, claimed that going barefoot made her feet healthier. "I like to drive with my gorilla toes gripping the pedals. Feels so freeing to be barefoot, and my feet are so much healthier," she said.
According to Gray, Aussies even leave their shoes at the entryway while heading to the beach. She deemed it a "culture shock" at first but was happy to do the same in the name of comfort and embracing an informal lifestyle.
A number of people from Australia or who have lived in the country at some point confirmed the claims in the comments section of the viral post. They credited the casual barefoot fashion to clean roads sans nails or broken glass.
"It’s good for your feet legs and circulation and we don’t have broken glass or nails laying on the ground. It’s a clean country," one user wrote.
Another user commented, "Yeah I'm an Australian and this is actually rather normal in Australia."
"Only people from dirty or cold places think this is weird. Australia is WAY cleaner than the USA in comparison (I’ve lived in both for a long time) I happily walked bare foot in Australia, I wouldn’t do the same in the USA," a third user remarked.
Some people, however, were repulsed by the idea of walking barefoot despite the cleanliness. "The bottom of your feet, no matter how clean, must still be dirty black by end of day. Feet perspire, it's just going to happen no matter where you are," a person added.
"It's embarrassing," a user chimed in.
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