Barefoot is better?

Once upon a time, those who walked around barefoot, grew their hair and preached love and celebration of life in community with nature were derogatorily called tree-huggers, people who counted for nothing, according to 1970s society, except for the great music to which they used to listen. Today, just as the look of that time seems to have returned to the catwalks of fashion week in full swing, the hippie look is back in fashion, barefoot walking included. The first to bring this trend back on track were Shawn Mendes and his Smoothie Squad and Jacob Elordi, both recently photographed barefoot intent on drinking their iced coffee in complete serenity, and then Kanye, photographed in Italy in a smart black suit, without shoes. Some argue that the trend has its roots in that episode of Succession in which Lukas Mattson, the billionaire played by Alexander Skarsgård, gets off his jet barefoot, but judging by the growing interest the internet is finding in content creators like @georgewoodville, who persuade passers-by to try going barefoot in the city, and hashtags like #barefootbenefits, which now has over 26 million views, this new trend seems to have much more to do with health than aesthetics. But just how good does going barefoot do to you?

Shawn Mendes

Etro SS23 menswear

Etro SS23 menswear

Scenes from Succession (2023)

Jacob Elordi

Kanye

Kanye and wife Bianca Censori

Besides being an apparently fashionable look, presented by Etro during the SS23 menswear show and sported by artists and celebrities on stage and in coffee shops, going barefoot represents for many an experience that combines spirituality with physical well-being. The practice of walking barefoot to feel more connected to nature, named grounding or earthing, is shared by various ancient civilisations - the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and even traditional Chinese medicine believed deeply in the healing properties of the earth, and as Clinton Ober explains in Earthing, The most important helth discovery ever (2014), «living in close contact with the earth's natural surface charge naturally discharges and prevents chronic inflammation in the body.»

Despite the exhaustive amount of content posted on TikTok by advocates of this lifestyle illustrating how modern footwear has radically changed the shape of our feet, scientific studies regarding the benefits of walking barefoot are in stark contrast. While several podiatrists interviewed by Time and horrified by this new trend are saying that going barefoot is not a good idea, especially in public spaces such as gyms and swimming pools, The Washington Post explains that sinking one's insoles into the ground improves circulation, reduces inflammation and stress levels - basically, it all depends on the situation. In Dancing Barefoot, Patti Smith uses barefoot dancing as a metaphor for an unparalleled feeling of euphoria. Maybe the time has really come to leave sneakers and mules behind. Summer's not over yet and, unless you're into fakirs,  there's no harm in trying.