My pulse accelerated when my eyes feasted upon “Your Feet Are Killing Me,” an 8.2 N.Y. Times story by Guy Trebay.
Finally, I excitedly presumed, a Times writer might actually be standing up and saying publicly what I’ve been saying for decades and have known in my soul and bones since I was ten, which is that most human feet, visually, are somewhere between vaguely unsightly and flat-out repulsive.
97% of man-feet should be hidden from view (we all know this) and the same regretfully applies to roughly 85% of female peds. And no one ever admits this.
Alas, Trebay pulls his punches and and opts for a delicate, circumspect tone…wimps out.
From “Unspoken Taboo,” posted on 8.12.18 but originally written 16 years earlier:
“90% if not 95% of human feet are strange and alienating. But it goes farther than that. For me, bare feet are a contemporary pestilence that no culture since the sandal-wearing Greeks and Romans has had to deal with. Once upon a time sandled feet were a subject for light mockery, something that only eccentric beatniks went for. Exposed digits have been ubiquitous, of course, in warm weather months since the mid ’60s. I for one regret it.
“Is it allowable to acknowledge how unfortunate it is these days that virtually every American woman walks around these days in open-toed shoes or sandals, and that a good 70% should probably consider alternatives? I’ve seen some women’s feet that are drop-dead beautiful, but these are the exception. Most of the female feet I see are so-so or okay, at best. Some are dreadful. Most men over the age of 35 or 40 should just forget about going barefoot or wearing sandals, period.
“Every time I see a friend or acquaintance approach on a street or in a mall and I notice they’re wearing sandals, a little part of me dies inside. Or at the very least grims up and prepares.”
Excerpt from Trebay piece: “What is it about a display of digits in the city that people find unfortunate, if not quite egregious? Is it the feet themselves? (And here we are not speaking of those who wear sandals for cultural reasons or for ease of religious observance.) Or is it a creeping sensation that the line between what constitutes public and private spaces has become indistinguishable?
“I have never, ever worn slippers or sandals outside my house,” said Prasan Shah, a co-founder of the cult men’s wear label Original Madras Trading Company. He meant since coming to live in the United States. “I feel childish using this word, but it’s icky,” he said.
“Until Mr. Shah came to this country at 16, he lived mainly in the steamy tropical South Indian city of Chennai, where sandals are worn in almost every setting. He said: “When my father sees me now in sneakers and socks, he’s like: ‘What’s wrong with you? Aren’t you hot?’”
Worse yet, the nattily suited designer said last week, wearing sandals in the city is like giving up your urban cred.
“If I was living in New Jersey, I’d be happy wearing my flip-flops to Target,” Mr. Shah says. “But when I see flip-flops on the streets of New York City, am I rolling my eyes a little bit?”
