Toe Ring Sandal, Men Wearing Toenail Polish ?
The question of men wearing toenail polish is an interesting one for this
newsgroup, as toenail polish is primarily a decoration for BARE feet. I don't
think it falls into the taboo sexual topic area just because it tends primarily
to be worn by men OR women.
Some of the other posters have acknowledged that we as barefooters are a
minority who wish to have others accept us or at least to have the freedom to
act/dress/undress as we please. I think in order to deserve such consideration
(and also to maintain a logically defensible position) we need to extend the
same acceptance to otherpeople whose lifestyle choices are not within the
"mainstream" and hence are "unusual." Men wearing nail polish, at least at
present, definitely falls into this category. Though different, we owe it to
these people to accept their choice, just as we wish our barefooting to be
accepted.
Of course, the other question is whether polished male toenails would present
a "positive" image of us as "barefooters" or make us seem even more "weird." I
think it would increase the shock effect of seeing a person barefoot, as well
as make the bare feet more noticeable. So, it depends on what you want to
accomplish. If you just want to barefoot peacefully and "get by," painted toes
(for men) are probably NOT the way to go. But, if you are more interested in
making a statement and are willing to deal with the stares and comments you
will undoubtedly receive, by all means, GO FOR IT! As another poster noted, it
is only with more frequent occurence that things become "mainstream" and no
long taboo. It takes a few brave souls (soles) to get things started!
Although I myself (a male) think toenail polish on anyone, male or female,
is pretty much a waste of time, that's my belief. True, many of the posts
have dealt more with the issue of *men* wearing toenail polish, but it did
bring up the interesting issue, is it better to be seen while barefooting,
and stand up for it, or to not bring attention to it? That deserves more
attention.
Also, the newsgroup is hardly "full". My judgement would be that the
issue is more on topic than not (it is alt.lifestyle.barefoot after all,
not "101 Stories on how to go barefooted at restaurants, gas stations and
other social situations ONLY").
My .02 - part of the reason I like to go barefoot is that it seems more
natural, that people are meant to get this sort of feedback on their
environment. Painting toenails would seem to just be a vanity,
specifically not natural, an accessory for feet, and not a particularly
interesting one. Similarly, I'm not interested in wearing toe rings or
ankle bracelets, which are more popular than toenail polish and do get
mentioned in this forum more often. Anything I can do to reduce the time
it takes to get dressed and not get arrested is a good thing is my look on
it.
Whether it is natural to "use" bare feet to walk on cement surfaces into
air-conditioned buildings is up for debate.