If people were asked to typify aspects of Australian culture, barefoot would be in there. It's been called one of the 'weirdest', 'perplexing', 'odd', 'unexplainable' Australian cultural habits.
It's a strain that runs through Australian culture. You can go barefoot and say: "In so doing, I am living out Australian culture." Now, this might seem like an ordinary habit to everyday Australians, but actually, it's not so normal to other people around the world. There isn't a shoe shortage in Australia, and it doesn't take much effort to put on a pair of shoes. So do Australians really love their land so much they don't need any layers between it and their feet? Feet are a funny thing. And most people don't like feet. And I think that it's just something that we shouldn't be promoting or drawing attention to. The truth is for most of human existence, everyone was barefoot. Humans started wearing shoes about 40,000 years ago.
So why did Australians begin to take them off? Australia marketed itself to the migrants it needed. There was a need for workers and inhabitants. So how do you attract someone from a cold damp tenement building in Glasgow, or in Manchester or in London? Well, you show them images of life down under. And that involves the privilege, if you like, of going barefoot. You can leave your miserable life behind. Come and make a new life in the new world.
"The whole year-round, you may surf and swim and sunbake. Cool Pacific breezes temper our summer. While bright sunny days mark our incomparable winters."
Then the culture developed of removing your shoes as a sign that you've left the northern hemisphere behind. This is a new country, sun-loving, fun-loving place, you can cast off footwear and embrace the land. And not only have Australians cast off their footwear and embraced the land, they've embraced the leisure lifestyle. There isn't a lot of everyday activities, you can't do barefoot. You can go into stores and supermarkets. You can buy your fruit and vegetables. You can even go into liquor stores. In fact, you can go just about anywhere in public, unless there's a dress code.
And the Australian dress code is very casual. Well, we are a rather relaxed country and I think that's just due to the wonderful climate that we have. However, I think some of our relaxed ideals have become a little sloppy. Even just walking around the streets or into shopping centers, you know, I just think wearing shoes is appropriate. Some of the places where I have seen terrible barefooted-ness is, you know, obviously on aircrafts, in a cinema, the library, cafes, restaurants, places that you should never see your feet. But Australian feet have also taken the world stage. Our cricketers participate in 'earthing'. We've pioneered barefoot bowls, barefoot water ski jumping, and we even have a world-famous children's entertainer from the Wiggles. And if that's not enough, the founder of the Barefoot Movement is also Australian. Some of the benefits of being barefoot are increased power output, better alignment, better muscle activation.
We have over 200,000 nerve endings in our feet and being out of shoes, lets those nerve endings give our brain feedback. Getting back to a natural state and using our body how it was meant to be used, is really beneficial and it s really started to get some traction. There's a lot more research now going into barefootedness is growing in Australia, it's growing all around the world. Okay, so is it true there are barefooters everywhere in Australia? Australia is a highly urbanised society, one of the most urban societies in the world. And one myth is the idea that everyone in Australia will kick off their shoes at the first opportunity. Most people choose to live in large cities. So there's a fantasy first about the bush. The Bush is celebrated even though most people don't want to live there. And there's also the idea of the beach - the beach as the kind of paradise. So let's break this down.
Despite being a beach and bush loving culture. 90% of Australians live in urban cities. While not entirely uncommon to see barefooters in these cities, most barefooting happens around beaches, parks, or indoors. In Australia, there's a trade between work and leisure. You work hard, and then you're free. Going barefoot is more associated with being closer to nature. Very different from the original colonial culture of Britain, people are freer, much less protocol. And a symbol of that is to decide not to wear shoes because you're having fun, you're at leisure, and Australia is a leisure culture. So whether you love or loathe going barefoot, when you're in Australia, you can kick off your shoes and your feet can enjoy a little freedom. I don't even not wear shoes at home. You know, I just don't - do you not wear shoes? Yeah, Yep, I'm barefoot right now.
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