Numerous other defects of our costumes interfere with bodily freedom.
Take our tight and ungainly shoes. Here is an abominable instance of
our slavery to style. In most instances the foot is made to fit the
shoe, and the suffering that is endured by many so-called stylish people
for the purpose of making the foot fit the shoe would be difficult to
describe. A shoe should fit the foot. The more nearly you approximate
the same freedom when walking in a shoe as you do when barefooted the
more perfect the shoe. The toes should not be squeezed out of shape. The
great toe should follow the straight line of the inside of the foot
instead of being bent over to the position normally occupied by the
middle toe. All the toes should be allowed to spread out in the shoe,
at least to a reasonable extent. Furthermore, a shoe that really
fits should feel comfortable the first time it is put on. There should
be no necessity for "breaking in" a shoe.
The artificial heel added to the ordinary shoe is another curious freak
of fashion. If the Almighty in perfecting the human foot had found a
high heel necessary it would have been provided. The artificial heel,
especially the very high heel commonly used on shoes worn by women, is
an insult to Nature, to the Creator. Some day, when we are really
civilized, high heels will be unknown. I am convinced that the
Omnipotent Creator knew his business thoroughly when he created the
human foot, that the sole of the human foot, heel included, was made for
locomotion, and that it is impossible for human ingenuity to improve
upon the foot. In other words, if you can secure footwear that will
enable you to walk with the same freedom that you can enjoy when
barefooted, you will then have attained perfection in foot covering.
Sandals and moccasins allow the feet the same freedom as one enjoys
when barefooted. The sole of these forms of footwear has the same
freedom in gripping the ground and adapting itself to the
requirements of every step as the bare foot, and it is a curious and yet
significant fact that whereas more or less foot trouble is the rule
rather than the exception among civilized peoples, yet those races who
wear moccasins or sandals, or go barefooted, never have flatfoot,
broken arches, bunions or other defects of this type.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account