Trends

Sometimes it is easy to despair that things will never change. Getting kicked out of some store, or overhearing some nasty comment can make us think that the current attitudes will just continue forever.

Yet, there are bright spots indicating positive change.

The obvious ones are things like media attention (various mostly positive stories about barefooters), the trend towards and media coverage of barefoot running, and books such as Daniel Howell’s The Barefoot Book. But there are also more subtle changes, and I was reminded of that by a photo in yesterday’s Columbus Dispatch:

"Send Ministries" Flag Football

It was accompanied by a short blurb about a group of young men and women training for overseas ministry work, and the photo was of them taking a break to play some flag football.

I count at least 3 guys and 2 gals who are playing barefoot.

I suspect they are barefoot because the only footwear they had on them were flip-flops or soccer sandals, so they played barefoot instead. Twenty (or even ten) years ago, you’d rarely seen guys wearing such easy-on/easy-off footwear. It wasn’t part of society’s expectations. But these days they seem to be ubiquitous and accepted in all sorts of situations. (And they seem to be accepted by younger folks much more that old fogeys, as the flap a few years back from the Northwestern women’s lacrosse team’s visit to the White House attests.)

No, flip-flops and soccer sandals are not barefoot. But I think that they do demonstrate a trend away from the old standard that the only times feet could be shown were either at the beach, or if they were women’s feet in trendy high-heels.

Additionally, since they are so easy to take off, it is much more likely that they will will taken off, particularly in such situations as the sporting situation above. And in those situations folks will come to realize just how well bare feet really do work.

There may be some hope after all.