It has been an incredible year so far. Acceptance for barefooting, barefoot
running, and minimalist shoes has grown in ways that we could never have
imagined a year ago. Amidst all this growth society has needed to take in a
whole new vocabulary in order to properly express the exciting new world they
have rediscovered under their feet. Unfortunately not everyone has used the
correct terminology and so there has been some confusion. Let us set the record
straight.
As the world is rediscovering the mechanics of the foot and adopting a more
natural approach to walking and running two distinct groups have formed: Those
that feel minimalist shoes are the answer, and those that feel that no footwear
at all is the answer. Living Barefoot remains very neutral on this topic.
Everyone has a unique situation and there is no definitive “right” answer. Of
paramount importance is that there is a shift from blindly accepting artificial
support and cushioning to a more self-educated approach. The public has learnt
that alternatives to conventional medical advise can make a lot of sense. For
many throwing away supportive shoes or shoes all together is the answer to years
of pain.
So what’s the problem? Well in all of the excitement the word “barefoot”
has become overused. In the same way “HD” and “digital” have lost all meaning
in electronics, so too has the word barefoot when speaking about anything
related to barefooting or minimalist shoes. The word has become so misused
recently that well-intentioned athletes are talking about barefoot running when
they are in fact running in shoes. The use of the word barefoot, barefooting,
and barefoot running is causing confusion. For those of us who work hard to
communicate clearly with the barefoot and minimalist world this is a
problem.
Let us put an end to the confusion before all hope is lost! In the same way
one is not naked if one is wearing one’s undergarments, one is not barefoot
unless the foot is void of all protection.
Let us all draw a clear line in the sand describe our activities and footwear
as accurately as possible. Here is what I’m suggesting:
Barefoot / Barefoot Running / Barefooting should only be
used in situations when there is no foot protection used at all. Barefoot
indicates that skin is in direct contact with the ground.
All other situations should be as specific as possible. Minimalist
Shoe should be used only to describe a shoe that is made of a thin
flexible material, lacking all arch support and stabilization control and having
no heal. Vibram FiveFingeres and Vivo Barefoot Evo’s are good examples of this
type of shoe.
When describing running styles, I propose we agree to speak of the technique
used on conjunction with the footwear. For example, you could describe your
running style as being one using a forefoot strike while wearing Vivo Barefoot
Evo’s, or a mid-foot strike while running barefoot.
By being as accurate as possible we help everyone to understand what we are
doing, and to pass on useful information to the community as a whole. Most of
all, as we communicate with each we can know that we are giving and collecting
accurate information and giving appropriate advice.
Finally I think it is important to bring up the name of our site and our
show. Living Barefoot is indeed not really accurate in this context. It is a
little late for us to change our name. From time to time we receive a comment
about our name vs the prominence of footwear reviews on our site. “Why is it
that you call your site “living barefoot” and have so much information about
shoes on your site?” people ask. Our goal is to get people to think about their
feet in a new way. We believe that the ideal for many would be to walk barefoot
far more often. We argue that in a perfect world we would have a healthy
balance between barefooting and healthy shoes. Sadly we live in a world where
footwear is expected socially and healthy footwear can be difficult to find. We
have already made incredible strides over a very short amount of time, and we
will continue to promote the health of spending time barefoot. Having said this
we have to provide information that is relevant to our audience. While most
people are willing to accept that living barefoot is the ideal, most are not
ready, not willing, or not able to take such a bit step. We feel the best we
can do is to then educate readers and listeners about the healthiest
alternatives to being barefoot – and this is why we have so many reviews. The
difference is that we are reviewing our footwear from the perspective that
barefoot is the ideal. Footwear is therefore reviewed from the perspective of a
barefooter rather than shoe wearer. We feel this is an important perspective.
We will of course continue to provide as much information and as many interviews
about barefooting, barefoot running, and foot health as we can. Should you have
any suggestions for our web site or The Living Barefoot Show, please never
hesitate to drop us a line.
