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TRULife
Thursday, November 29, 2012
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Walk a mile in no shoes
Truman State students walk without shoes to express individuality
BY EMILY WICHMER, Staff Reporter
T
wo Truman students face
one less decision in the
morning; they don’t bother putting on shoes.
Freshman Joshua Ellermann
hardly ever wears shoes, but
he does it as a way to show his
individuality. He said he thinks
fashion is a form of expression
and he doesn’t think anyone
should have to wear shoes if
they don’t want to.
Ellermann said he can’t remember when he started going without
shoes, but the journey was a gradual one. He said a lot of his friends
in Kansas City don’t wear shoes, so
he never thought people choosing
not to wear shoes was unusual. Ellermann said to passers-by, it was a
different story. He said he got his
fair share of weird stares for his
bare feet.
Going without shoes sometimes is considered extreme
and strange, Ellermann said.
He said at his high school, he
wasn’t allowed to go without
socks, much less shoes.
Since coming to college, Ellermann said he thinks more
people have accepted his decision to go without shoes. He
said he gets strange looks here
and he expects there always
will be negative attitudes.
“Many people think it is disrespectful to walk around without shoes, because you aren’t
looking ‘well-dressed,’” Ellermann said. “But that’s something I just don’t understand.
‘Well-dressed’ is a relative
concept, and the idea of abiding by ‘unwritten laws’ and ‘social norms’ are just ridiculous
to me. People should do what
makes them happy.”
Freshman Michael Ziemniak
also goes without shoes. He said
he does it because he thinks
walking without shoes has
health benefits. He said it gives
him good hip alignment and is
more comfortable for his feet.
There are certain places he will
wear shoes, Ziemniak said, including restaurants, gas stations and
other places that require shoes.
Ziemniak said it was painful to
go shoeless at �irst, but after about
a month, his feet adjusted to it.
While his feet have become
accustomed to it, Ziemniak said
many people still aren’t used
to the fact that he doesn’t wear
shoes. He said people constantly
ask him why he doesn’t wear
shoes, so much so that the topic
Calli Lowry/Index
Freshmen Joshua Ellermann, left, and Michael Ziemniak, right, sit Tuesday on The Quad. Ellermann and Ziemniak go barefoot most of
the year for the health benefits and to express their individual personalities.
has become a kind of ice breaker.
“Usually when people approach me about it, they’re
pretty cool about it,” Ziemniak
said. “I do sometimes get called
a ‘dirty hippie’, but I tell those
people I’m not doing it to fit
their idea of what a hippie is
like. I’m doing this for myself.
Going without shoes is part of
expressing individuality, but I
don’t do it to make a statement,
I do it for myself. And it might
send a message to some people,
and if it does, that’s great.”
Ziemniak said he thinks college is a good time to express
individuality, but he said it can
be expressed in a lot of different ways. He said he’s going
shoeless for comfort and health
benefits, but going without
shoes has the added benefit of
showing that he’s not going to
be part of the crowd.
Ziemniak said he has convinced others to try going without shoes. He said he tells them
to try going for a week without
shoes to see if they like it.
Russell D. Luke, a Kirksville
podiatrist, said he has a few
patients who come to his office without shoes. He said the
benefit of not wearing shoes is
mainly comfort. Luke also said
if someone has longer toenails,
going without shoes can be less
painful than wearing shoes.
Luke said while going barefoot
usually is more comfortable, shoes
provide more bene�its than going
barefoot. He said the shoes we wear
provide protection against stepping
on sharp objects and can keep a person’s feet dry and protected. If a person has bad arches, a shoe also can
give added support and strengthen
their arches, he said.
Whether going shoeless for
comfort or not, Ziemniak said
going barefoot can be a way to
express yourself. He said he encourages people to �ind their own
way to show who they really are,
in whatever way they think best.
Benefit: Shoes with good arch support prevent muscle strain and
twisted ankles, but people who don't wear shoes develop
stronger arches and are less likely to injure themselves
without paying for pricey shoes.
Bummer: Many shops won't provide service to
people who aren't wearing shoes, so those who go
shoeless have to cary a pair to slip on before they
go into some establishments.
The
enefits
and
Benefit: Toes are designed to help people
adapt to the ground below them and keep
them from falling, but in shoes, toes
become obsolete. Going barefoot
helps people get this ability back.
Bummer: After going shoeless,
feet will become less attractive —
they will get dirty and develop
calluses. It will also take some
time for feet to adjust. They
will hurt until those calluses
are developed.
ummers
of going
arefoot
*according to www.healthguidance.org
Volume 104, Issue 13
Copyright 2012