A big dream of mine is to go to Australia one year to get to experience a summer birthday and swim in the ocean there. I never feel more spiritually grounded and supported than when I’m bobbing along with the waves, and my gosh their waters look gorgeous. So bright, so clear! And much warmer than the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans I’ve always lived near. So that’s my fantasy, but one aspect of Aussie culture, particularly beach Aussie culture, that I wasn’t aware of until now is that some people walk around barefoot? Not just on the beach, but everywhere. And I am not alone in just learning this. A video has gone viral on TikTok that shows Aussies doing everything from food shopping to walking their dogs at indoor and outdoor venues, all sans shoes. Naturally, people online have very strong opinions both for and against barefoot living:
Barefoot in the park… and store, and beach, and supermarket: For many down under, going barefoot is a way of life. When we’re not getting around in thongs (flip flops, for the dirty-minded), we often forgo shoes when going for a quick trip to the supermarket, the petrol station or Maccas. But now, the rest of the world has discovered our collective shoelessness, leaving many stunned and even horrified. A video montage of Sydney locals walking around barefoot has gone viral on TikTok, racking up over 4.4 million views, 200,000 reactions and 7,000 comments. … The video exposed our dirty habit, with the poster saying: “POV: You’re in Australia” with a crying emoji.
The world reacts: Even though we pride ourselves on being a clean country, people still seem to take issue with our nonchalant attitude towards the hygiene and safety of our feet. “But why?? So many insects, broken glass, urine etc.,” one comment, with 1,500 likes, read. …Even our fellow countrymen chimed in, with one saying, “I’m from Melbourne and can’t think of anything filthier than being barefoot on public floors.” … Other international commenters thought it was a joke. “Can someone please confirm if this is real?” one confused viewer asked. “What?! Do people not have shoes??” another shocked man wrote. “Aren’t there bugs, snakes and weird plants everywhere?” someone else replied.
Australia responds: “As a born and raised Aussie, this is true, but only in beachside suburbs, more people wear shoes than not but definitely have memories of hot days barefoot in the supermarket getting ice cream,” one said. “It’s only acceptable if you’re close to the beach,” someone wrote. Others went so far as to specify the exact radius from the beach it’s acceptable to go sans shoes. “10km or less,” one said. “Nah, it’s 5km,” a second quipped. Others couldn’t see the issue and even argued that it was our “natural state of being.” “We weren’t born with shoes, why is this so strange to some people?” one questioned. “It’s ‘grounding’,” another joked. … There isn’t a clear reason why it’s so common to go barefoot in Australia. Some have put it down to the influence of our Indigenous culture. Others see it as a reflection of our casual, laid-back society.
What do we think? I am all over the place on this issue! My gut reaction was nope, not happening, I don’t care how clean you think your country is. But then I wondered if I was just recoiling thanks to my frame of reference for the past 10+ years: the mean streets of New York City. I would sooner remove my shirt, split it in two, wrap my feet in the strips, and go around topless than walk these streets barefoot. But hygiene isn’t the only consideration here. What about temperature? I’ve had times where we left our flip flops at the beach entrance, thinking we’d frolic freely, only to have to make a mad, desperate dash back when the sand was burning our feet. I can’t imagine the sidewalk being any cooler! And speaking of flip flops, I only ever wear them in beach or pool situations, because despite their being ubiquitous, I have never found them comfortable. Is going around all day barefoot comfortable? I need support! As I’ve opined before, I don’t f–k with fashion stilts (aka high heels), instead proudly wearing the cloudlike footwear that are Hoka sneakers. After living with that level of buoyancy, am I a lost cause for trying out barefeet?
Clearly I have a lot of sole-searching to do (see what I did there?!) before I’m ready to book my trip down under. Wait for me, Bondi Beach… I’ll make it someday!
Is going barefoot acceptable? #barefoot #australia #onlyinaustralia #barefootlife #barefooting pic.twitter.com/rQFVoXmMFB
— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) December 12, 2024
Note by CB: I found this BBC news report about Australians going barefoot!
Photo note by CB: These photos of Chris Hemsworth, Matt Damon, Elsa Pataky and Luciana Damon are from 2018 and were taken in Sydney! Bonus pics of Hugh Jackman on Bondi Beach in 2019. Credit: Diimex/Backgrid. Photo of Chris Hemsworth at the Transformers One premiere in September credit: James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon
Since Australia is the country with the most venomous snakes, I would probably wear boots even on the beach.
We might have the highest number of the technically most poisonous snakes; but several of those have poor injection systems, and most of them are scaredy cat snakes that slither away from you in fear.
Our snakes can’t sense our body heat, as pit vipers and rattlesnakes do with their heat-sensing pits. Unlike vipers or rattlesnakes (which you have!), which hold their ground and can be easily trodden on, our snakes bolt from loud noises.
Our most venomous / dangerous snakes live in super remote areas (like giant deserts).
Australia has barely any fatal snake bites per year. Usually 1-2. We have snakes that don’t bite much, that mostly aren’t aggressive, and some of which have poor injection systems, as well as an excellent treatment system and great anti-venom.
Our snakes don’t have the type of venom that leads to limb amputation.
Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America have much more dangerous snakes. Their venom might not technically be as potent; but the snakes are more aggressive types, they have better injection systems, venoms that often lead to amputations, and they are in more highly populated areas. Encounter rates and bites are common in agricultural lands.
In India alone, about 10,000 people die every year from snake bites. In Sri Lanka, about 80,000 people get bitten by snakes annually, of which about 400 lose their lives every year. South Africa has 476 snakebite deaths on average every year. Nigeria has almost 2,400 amputations per year from snake bites.
As for our dangerous spiders, there have been no deaths in Australia from a confirmed spider bite since 1979. We have anti-venoms for all of our spiders. They’re just not a big risk.
I find the general hysteria about our snakes and spiders to be pretty far removed from the actual lived reality.
Most Australians rarely see snakes because we live in cities for the most part. Sydney has over 100 beaches and you’re unlikely to see snakes at any of the ones that aren’t part of national parks.
Fascinating!
Excellent analysis Beanie! Australian wildlife really isn’t scary and out to get us! I’m 48, born and bred in Australia, and just saw my first ever sighting of a snake in the wild. I was driving down my street and an enormous red-bellied black snake slithered across the road in front of my car, and straight down the drain. They move on, and are not interested in humans.
It’s also worth noting that most snake bites in Australia occur because people try to kill snakes. A snake will not go out of its way to “attack” but if you try to hurt one, it will understandably get defensive and retaliate. Most snakes are passing through, so if you see one, give it a wide berth, don’t move quickly, and call a snake catcher if its location is a threat to humans or pets.
The thing to to worry about going barefoot is bindis (spiky little weeds in the grass) and burning hot asphalt
I live in a beachside suburb of Adelaide and during summer, there are brown snakes (one of the most venomous in the world) spotted around the sand dunes. I remember last year, a huge one was seen near a kids’ playground. There is no way people are walking around barefoot on asphalt and concrete in the summer heat. You can’t even let your dog walk on that. As for grass, there are three corner jacks to contend with. Even just off the beach you don’t see many people walking around barefoot, and let’s face it, the thong is the great Australian shoe.
Is “no shoes, no shirt, no service” just an American thing?
Business started putting those signs up in the 60’s to keep the hippies out. So yeah, mostly American.
I remember walking all over town in the 70’s while barefoot (I was pre-teen/teen). But then I stepped on a hot cigarette butt in a grocery store and burned my foot, that put an end to that.
Same. Spent all my summers (in SoCal) barefoot; first day of school, where I had to wear shoes, was killer.
I feel like dropping cigarette butts in the grocery store is a far more serious social transgression than bare feet.
I’ve seen that in Spain and Italy, too – mostly in touristy areas, probably because of bad behaving and likely drunk tourists.
As a beach adjacent Aussie (within 5km), I spent summers growing up with bare feet. It was the way of life for us. Thongs (flip flops) for really hot days or if you had bindi’s in your grass). You washed your feet with the garden hose before going inside, had showers at both ends of the day to get clean. It was so freeing. Just writing about it brings back the smell of frangipani, coconut oil, sunscreen and BBQ’s.
Sorry, ignorant American here. What’s a bindi? In my defense, I did try to Google it, but I assume Bindi Irwin is not the right answer. Unless she hides in random people’s lawns in her off hours.
It’s a kind of weed that has really sharp seeds.
The beach where I grew up in NZ had dark grey greywacke sand, and it would get so hot in summer. Either you were organised and had your jandals (thongs) stashed near the water, or had to run over it to your towel going OW OW OW OW OW.
Ah.. that perhaps explains the no sox with Ugg boots that I was taught by surfers in CA in the 60s without context.
As a child I grew up on the water on Long Island – NY and we were shoeless most of the summer as I remember.
Hm .. fun story – thanks!
When I was a kid, growing up in an L.A., we *always* ran around barefoot in the summer. Yes, you had to wash your feet off before coming in the house, but it was just considered one of the “rules” of playing outside barefoot. I remember my grandmother telling us our feet would “spread” from “no support”, but the only foot problems I’ve had as an adult is neuromas from wearing too high, too pointy heels for waaaay to long into my far-gone young adulthood 😄
I am a big fan of barefoot and even have switched to barefoot shoes. It’s been so much better for my back and knees over 40. Also my balance improved so much.
That being said you have to adjust to it. It took me about six months to transition, including using toe spreaders to get my toes back to their natural state.
But I would not go barefoot anywhere that wasn’t natural or somewhere I don’t know who cleaned it.
We have to require shoes in our establishments or else the foot injury lawsuits would go through the roof.
Setting differing personal standards of foot hygeine and my persistent plantar fascitis aside, I would be more worried about surprise sharp things on the ground than anything else. Walking barefoot into a store isn’t any more dirty than wearing your shoes that touch the same ground and are never washed into a store.
Memories of first visit to Auz & my Aunt & cousin driving barefoot too
Which in fact makes more sense for control & safety ,oh manual cars of course !
Forgot so many US love their automatic gear cars
Athlete’s foot galore, I bet.
I think that’s more likely in closed toe shoes. Fungus thrives in damp and sweaty shoes.
I love this and don’t get why people are grossed out. I loved being barefoot until plantar fasciitis made me wear shoes all the time. And I still love flip flops and will wear them until it’s crazy cold out.
I feel like Birkenstocks are taking over in Australia now and have been for a while. Much better for your feet and overall posture!
When i was in my 20s i was barefoot everywhere allowable.
Certainly not shops and restaurants and grocery stores.
(that’s just against local custom and etiquette and, also requirements.
But at school, and wandering the (not clean) streets of New Orleans.
I Loved it.
Now i’m over 50 and my feet are always in shoes.
I live in Melbourne. I am barefoot when pool, home or beach adjacent but would never dream of walking around the streets or shops barefoot. It isn’t done here. Too many fabulous shoes to wear. But Melbourne is a tad more arty and ‘European’ than other cities.
Everyone should come to Australia. Lots to see and experience. The dangerous critters mostly stay to themselves so you likely wont see any at all. Come to Melbourne for art, sport (we LOVE our sport) and amazing food … and shoes.
I’ve heard you have great food there! Like you can go to the gas station and get a meat pie and it’s amazing?
Nope! Aussie service station meat pies are a disgusting mess of gloopy brown stuff, best avoided. That goes for all food at a service station; it’s been sitting there for who knows how long?
I remember going into stores barefoot in the 70’s in Georgia. We even used the phrase ‘grocery store feet’ to describe really dirty feet in other situations as in “I’ll be there in a few. I need to wash these grocery store feet”.
This seems totally fine, especially in warm beachy communities. Unless you never washed your feet, idk why this would be unhygienic; it’s not like flip-flops are protecting your feet from dirt.
@Kismet: FitFlops are very supportive (not the best looking though), and Crocs (I know, I know) have a very supportive flip flop. FitFlops are more supportive than Crocs, but Crocs are more steamline, more flip flop looking. I live in both all year round, but once I’m inside my office or at home I’m barefoot.
Chiming in to add OluKai sandals to @SpankyB’s list of awesome supportive sandals, along with Birkenstocks.
Idk why Americans have feelings about cleanliness, nowhere else do people wear their shoes indoors like Americans do. So gross watching American TV shows and seeing characters wear shoes ON THE BED. Barf. Take your shoes off at the door! Then you can have opinions about people barefoot outside.
I’m an American and I do not get this AT ALL. When I see characters in a TV show or movie with shoes on while they’re on their bed or couch, it immediately takes me out of it. I know some people who do keep slippers or “house shoes” which are usually soft-soled and more appropriate for wearing indoors — and never worn outdoors so you don’t track doo-doo inside. But sneakers? BARF.
also american – this freaks me out when I watch tv/movies too
no one is wearing shoes inside my house and I always offer when I go to someone else’s house.
I grew up barefoot, but when we moved to a different climate we were a shoes in the house family. I don’t get the ‘ew’ feeling y’all have. Our dogs always walked in the house from outside. Our home was cleaned regularly (my mom saw to that). We had door mats for wiping your shoes on before coming in. You don’t eat on the floor so the idea of needing/wanting/having sterile, hygienic floors makes no sense to me. It’s a floor! Meant to be walked on. 🤷♀️
And now, as a person with a disability, if you want me to take my shoes off before coming in your house, provide something to sit on!
No. I can’t imagine going into a grocery store barefoot. I would be too concerned on stepping on something.
Feet are … just feet. If you take care of them and make sure they’re fit for public consumption, I don’t really have an issue. But if you’ve got wonky toe fungus or feet that look like they’ve been kicking rocks, keep them covered please! Otherwise, I’m fine.
To be such a buff Alpha male, Chris Hemsworth actually has pretty feet.
(Aussie) here to say a big Nope! to the no shoes thing. Except at the beach. We have a shoe-free house though. What’s on the ground is generally filthy. I get the ick seeing people out in public sans shoes.
We call bare feet summer shoes and at the start of summer you have to break in your summer shoes – they become more heat and sharp things resistant, like hobbit feet, over the summer. It’s just… why bother with shoes if you don’t have to? For those worried about snakes, just don’t step on them. Hope that helps!
Wait until everyone finds out we also get around in our cozzies….
🙂. I now live in Waikiki, so there’s lots of folks walking around in their ‘cozzies’ (I had to look that up, great word!). And barefoot or wearing beach slippers (aka flip flops). As for ‘just don’t step on snakes’, eh, well, that doesn’t work around rattlers. They don’t want you even near them (I used to live on the mainland).
I’m, Americans don’t get to have this opinion heard. They’re so nasty. They wear shoes inside their homes!!
Wow stereotype much? This American wears these amazing things in my house called ” house shoes” which are by definition not designed to be worn out of the house. I also wear regular shoes OUTSIDE the house. See the difference? Maybe don’t believe everything you see on tv. You do get that its not safe on a film set to wander around barefoot and that’s why people wear regular shoes in films and tv right?
I honestly think this is a thing that must come from movies, where American characters are constantly wearing shoes indoors. I don’t know anyone that wears shoes inside in real life.
Pretty much everyone I know kicks off their shoes upon coming into the house just for comfort! Inside, at home, I’m always in my slippers (cozy!) or socks (because my feet are always cold!). And THIS American would NEVER wear shoes on a bed or when sitting/laying on the sofas or chairs! YUCK!
Aussie here. I don’t care how close you are to the beach, you wear footwear as soon as you leave the sand. Too many prickles in grass, and risk of glass/steel fragments on the road & in carparks. Plenty of people wander around barefoot near the beach, but it is not for me.
Also water temperature is dependant on where you are, ocean temp off Broome WA is lovely, off lorne VIC is cold af.
Yeah, I feel like people are constantly forgetting that we are a whole continent, similar in size to the US (minus its extra bits Hawaii and Alaska) and weather is highly variable depending on where on the continent you are, and that includes water temperatures.
Sigh.
No, Americans. We do not all do this, in the same way you don’t all have southern accents and run around with guns on your hip. How completely and utterly ridiculous. This is a pretty specific regional thing in Australian beach towns and suburbs. In the city I live in, anyone wandering around barefoot would very much be looked at sideways – literally maybe girls carrying their heels after a big night out and that’s it. Definitely not in the country town where I grew up, either, unless you wanted feet full of prickles.
I’m Australian, living in metro Melbourne since the age of seven, and, no, this is not widely done where I live. Maybe 1% of the population do it where I live. It’s not common at all. Most people will tell you it’s gross to walk around barefoot if you ask them. You won’t be admitted to certain venues without shoes.
There was an eastern brown snake sunning itself in my backyard last week.
New Zealand’s even more barefoot-normalised, I suppose because not as hot and fewer dangerous creepy-crawlies. I regard it as my birthright as a Kiwi to go barefoot anywhere without safety issues, even though I don’t, because I have really sensitive feet. Very much the way we grew up, walking to and from school in bare feet until the weather got cold, and running rather than walking over lawns so you don’t get prickles.
Saw a hilarious AI-generated picture of a New Zealand supermarket. Trolley full of feijoas, everybody in bare feet. Checks out.
Bahahahha you are so right, currently barefoot , have been all weekend.
You could do a full days shopping at the mall in west Auckland , bare foot, no one would give a damn. And I love that about us.
We are carefree AF and imo Americans could chill TF out
American here. I associate bare feet in America with poor Southerners who feel going anywhere bare-footed is an acceptable option. In my opinion, it is not. Only on the beach is my limit.
This tik tok made me smile. It is an Australian tradition that is, sadly, dying out. When I was a child a big part of getting ready for summer was walking around barefoot to toughen up your feet ready for the hot pavements and sand of summer. Good times. There are a few die hards still holding out – as soon as my husband walks out of the office in the summer it is shoes off and a barefoot dash in the car to the nearest beach. He’ll call after his surf to ask if i want anything from the supermarket and will happily pick up dinner makings in dripping board shorts and no shoes. I think its kind of endearing honestly. I do remember, however, that when we lived in Hong Kong it did NOT go down well with the British. They seemed genuinely repulsed by feet. Perhaps because it is so cold they always wear shoes and thus don’t really see feet all that often? Just a theory.
I love walking barefoot. I’m an aussie living in Ireland for 20years. My physio knows I walk barefoot everywhere when possible. Nothing better than sand and some salty water to improve health.. green grass between the toes.. connect with the earth.. I used to go to mass in barefoot as a child.. not poor, just made sense!