The tale of how I got hooked on barefoot shoes...
Pre-Free-Feet or: The Squeezed Years, in An Ordinary Girl's Foot History
Here we go. As I said in in the previous post, I am a nature lover. I have quite small feet (I'm a short lady with an EU size 34, sometimes 35) - this piece of information is important, it will come back. Before discovering the world of barefoot shoes, I had trouble finding shoes I liked, felt comfortable in, or that were my size. For me, shoe shopping was a painful search that culminated in a not very satisfactory outcome, and there was something about every single pair of shoes I owned that didn't feel quite right.
I have short toes so my foot shape is squareish (a wide toe Egyptian type), which is a very poor match for the current mainstream shoe shapes out there. I am talking about the tight toe box that most shoe companies have been selling us for years. I had two options: get a bigger shoe size that was too long for me but seemed wide enough for my foot, or squeeze my toes into a narrow, triangle shaped shoe that made my toes feel like they were in a restraining jacket. It never felt right.
About two years ago I met my now partner and he had been using exclusively barefoot shoes for at least 10 years (12 now!). I was not hard to convince, my nature-loving brain was quick to "click". I was curious and very interested in the idea that we should probably be wearing shoes that are made for healthy feet, and not squeezing feet into tight shoes - it is unnatural. But what are barefoot shoes exactly?, you ask - see this post.
Walking barefoot on grass or sand feels so good, you know that feeling!, yet we wear shoes that we are RELIEVED to get out of at the end of the day, every day. Why?! I saw how it didn't make sense. So almost two years ago, in January 2022, I got my first taste of (feet) freedom: I got the Xero Shoes DIY FeelTrue Sandal Kit.
Turns out, my feet are not a poor match for anything. They are flexible, strong and extremely capable of supporting me through many hours of hiking in treacherous terrain, with ease. It is the other way around. The mainstream narrow shoe with a tight toe box, that is what is a very poor match. For my feet and yours too, I dare say. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my (cute) short toes and small wide feet. And there is nothing wrong with your feet either, whatever their shape is and however relieved you feel when you take your shoes off when you get home. But if you feel pain, discomfort or any type of unease, and if you feel relieved and free when you take your shoes off, then hear me out because you need to know that there is another way.
Post-Free-Feet: a sneak peek
Barefoot shoes have changed my life for the better. In about two years, have seen my feet change a lot already, which has been interesting to see, I have been learning about my running posture and my capabilities. So far, I have tried two brands of barefoot / minimal / zero-drop shoes. I now have several Wildling and Xero shoes. My feet are curious to try other brands as well, although my bank account is not. By the way, both Wildling and Xero have a vast shoe size range on offer, evident to me since I have absolutely no problem finding shoes I want on their websites - an amusing and financially dangerous situation (just kidding) to be in for the first time in my life. There are so many options!
I have a lot to say about the shoes I already have but first things first, a small disclaimer: I feel like with Xeros,
I am (mostly) set for life. The cat's out of the bag, I know. I am amazed by the incredible feel of the Xero soles and the increasing variety of options they offer. It will be sort of an effort for me to invest in other brands when I already know that it will be extremely hard to beat Xero Shoes. In case you are wondering, I think some Wildling shoes have a lot going for them as well.
Nevertheless, I can't help being curious - to learn new things, I must try different things. There are many different options and brands out there, some more suited for casual/city use, others for athletic use, so I am curious to try other brands and am excited to tell you all about it. :) Stay tuned!
Resources
Curious about the sandals? Check out this blog post I wrote on how to make DIY barefoot sandals!
Want to know more about barefoot shoes? See my Resources page.
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