Yesterday The Dispatch had yet another photo with bare feet in it (not that I am complaining).
Their feature of photos around town really does have quite a high percentage of barefoot people in it.
This one was a lady doing yoga at the wedding pavilion in Whetstone Park.
Her Happy Place | Turiya Gearheart of Clintonville goes through her Ashtanga yoga routine in Whetstone Park’s wedding pavilion near the Park of Roses. Yesterday’s visit was her second this week. Ashtanga, or “eight-limbed,” yoga is considered a modern form of classical yoga.
(Photo credit to Kyle Robertson of the Dispatch. Click on the picture for a larger version.)
I don’t know if it is deliberate or not, but you’d have to think that all these photos are going to affect people’s perceptions so that they might think bare feet are more acceptable.
Bob, the vast majority of people have no problem seeing bare feet in socially acceptable places or situations, such as this lady doing yoga in a park. However, most people are distrurbed when they see bare feet in “socially unacceptable” places like stores, restaurants, movie theatres, etc. So, if this lady were to go to a store barefoot, all of a sudden her feet become disturbing and offensive. Same feet go back to the park and her feet are now seen no differently than bare hands. Quite irrational, isn’t it?
Seeing lots of bare feet in public places where going barefoot is socially acceptable is not going to change peoples negative attitudes of bare feet in socially unacceptable places. What we need to see is lots of people going barefoot in the “unacceptable” places until people get used to seeing this – only then will the unacceptable become acceptable.
Jim,
I agree with what you say. However, I’m thinking that there is yet another class of people who are absolutely terrified that anybody going barefoot will hurt themselves. So, while these pictures will not help the “socially unacceptable” crowd, as you point out, they may help the podanoid.
I think the both of you have good points. The media is a good way to point out to all people that going barefoot won’t kill you and tell the squeamish it’s really OK to be barefoot. I’m starting to see more people barefoot lately, mostly young people which is great. But still not much in stores, I’m still the only one that does that. I was in Wal-mart the other day and these little kids (maybe 4 or 5 Yo) were telling their mom over and over, that man has no shoes on, so that the whole store could hear them. I just had to laugh because the mom was trying to get them to be quiet.