Hmm, well I guess I've got to take a trip to Bremen in the summertime some day.

The only time I've been to Germany was in Munich in April when it was still somewhat cold, and I didn't even see any women in flip-flops, much less barefoot.

I´ve heard that Munich is great as well in summer...you were probably unlucky if you stayed there during a cold April.

-Hal-

Could you post a little more pics of Janne? Please, this is my favourite barefoot woman I could have ever seen

Hal Heaven,bout the question : Why are there so many barefoot girls in Germany ?

I'm thinking about the reverse question : Why are there so few barefoot girls in Italy ?

I'm full agree with one of your hypothesis,in Italy all girls are obsessed with the latest fashion,that is high heels,uncomfortable sandals,rarely flip flop.
But never barefeet.

The strange things is that there are some actress / singer with barefoot style,but girls do not seems to follow this "good" fashion,but only shoe fashion...

You are probably right. The Feetosopher (who is also from Italy) said the same...he said that there are hardly any barefoot girls in Italy because most women there are obsessed with the latest shoe fashion.
Another reason may also be because going barefoot it a symbol of poverty in certain countries (in Italy as well?)....I think DG once mentioned that argument for the country he comes from (which is Peru). Women tend to wear shoes to show that they are not poor.

Obviously in Germany there are also very many women obsessed with shoes and fashion, and I´m sure that these types of women also frown about going barefoot in public....but luckily we have a strong minority of girls who are proud of being barefooted.

Cheers,
-Hal-

Hal Heaven,you have perfectly right,

in Italy going barefoot it a symbol of poverty,beacause ,until the 60',farmers,
who were the poorest people,work in the field always barefeet (and had very tough soles !).
I had posted some photos about it...

The workers who worked in factories had economic conditions somewhat better,
and wore shoes.

So going barefeet were taken as a poverty symbol...

I think Germany is at the right latitude for barefooters(Not too south).

I travel a lot and warm weather is not necessarily the deciding factor. I notice that in the US most barefooters are in the more northern states. I never see anyone barefoot in Florida. In Texas, the streets are boiling and I never see anyone barefoot there either.

Coastal California is the only exception. The weather is mild even in the summer and the beach culture flows into the cities. I have seen barefoot girls in supermarkets and stores. In Los Angeles, there is a lot of polution. I got a car rental and after only 4 days I wiped my finger on the hood of the car and it was jet black. So when I saw a barefoot girl in LA in Target ( a department store), her soles were so black it was unbelievable.

When springs hits in the northern states, girls love to go barefoot and feel the sensations after a long winter. I notice that girls in Florida wear flip-flops all year round so kicking off the shoes in warm weather is not very novel to them.

As a barefoot girl from Texas, I would agree with your statement that summer surfaces are boiling hot; however, I've managed to build up a tolerance over the years so that I'm able to go barefoot during the hottest months of the year. In addition to old fashioned leathery soles, I rely on the dirt on my soles to provide some protection as well as "mind over matter". I discovered early on that if I expected a surface to be too hot or uncomfortable, it usually was; however, if I started with the assumption that I could handle the heat, I usually could.

Sadly, not everyone has my dedication to going barefoot during the day in extreme summer months, but I see a a good number kick off the flip flops once the sun goes down. I also see a good number of barefooters in the early spring and late fall, when temperatures are moderate.

Take care and keep em bare!

Melissa

I am so glad you are barefoot in Texas Melissa! More will hopefully follow your example. The part I lived in was the Dallas. I guess it can be hard to see barefooters in such a big city. I never saw anyone barefoot in a store there. Perhaps smaller cities are better as well as the countryside.

Hello Melissa,

I'm waiting to see some photos of your old fashioned leathery soles...

You walk over very hot surfaces,but are smoot surface or rough surface,like sharp gravel heated by sun ?

I think this is the case. You almost never see anyone barefoot in New York City, but in smaller college towns with more of a hippie culture, it's more common. I saw more barefoot girls in one night in Asheville, North Carolina than I've seen in years in NYC.

But there are some exceptions....one of Europe`s largest cities (Berlin) is full of barefoot girls in summer
I´v also heard that there are quite a few in Munich, which is also very large.

-Hal-

I too would love to see those "old fashion leathery soles" and how thick is the dirt and grease if it also adds protection? She has some awsome feet.
I think barefoot-hippy-chic needs a new video and some nice stills.
Melissa you're the ultimate. A hardcore extreme barefooter we can actually chat with
I remember when she posted "Glass is also not a concern for me, and I generally have stopped looking where I step when I go barefoot because I no longer have a fear of injury." and lit cigarettes aren't a problem.
Who else would like to a good high quality video with some nice close-ups?

Yeah, I was just talking about the US. We already know how Germany is just so much better than the US when it comes to barefoot girls.

All of you are far too kind. I'm proud of the videos and photos I've shared with the barefooting community over the past 8 years, but the reality of my current situation (working mother of three kids) makes it virtually impossible for me to guarantee a regular flow of new videos or pictures.

To give you some idea of how my "productivity" in this regard has developed over time, I posted about 600 pictures in 2002 and 2003 when my web site was actvie and I had only one child. My hubby also found time to take lots of video of my barefoot evolution, all of which is now on youtube.

In 2004-2006 we decided to mothball my web site because posting new content with regularity was difficult. Instead I opened my barefoot lifestyle group on yahoo and posted new pictures there whenever I went on vacations or road trips. During this period I averaged about 100 new pictures per year.

My twin girls were born in late 2006, and since then I'm averaging a pathetic 50 new pictures per year and zero videos.

Of course, the great irony is that as my ability to post new content has decreased, my love and commitment to barefooting has increased exponentionally. If you had told me eight years ago that I would be screening babysitters based on their willingness to go barefoot, or that I'd freely share the importance of barefooting to my physical, mental and sexual well being to friends, family, and complete strangers without a seond thought...I would have been surprised to say the least.

All that said, I promise that I will do my best to capture some of my hard-core barefooting moments of 2010 in pictures. My hubby is standing next to me as I write this and promises to help in this endeavor. That is of course the least he can do since he awakened this passion in me all those years ago.

Take care and keep em bare and dirty!

Melissa