While their have have been studies, the "jury" is still out. But much like the first article eluded to, one of the main issues now is people look for a shoe that "looks good" instead of one that fits their lifestyle and physiology. Some people have even gone further as some historians have noticed through archeological evidence that people walked different. Mainly the theory is when roads began to be a thing, footwear changed thus changing the way we walk. For me I have foot issues that were with me since birth so I have to have a particular show and insert. I to though go barefoot 98% of the time. I have known people that would wear their shoes inside their house....
It's almost a catch 22. Most commercially available footwear is working against your feet and their physiology. 100% of what you'll find in most stores are terrible for your feet. So even if someone wants to, it's almost impossible to get "good" shoes, without going online. Even then, most people don't know what a "good" shoe is and how it should be designed.
A proper shoe should be completely flat, extremely flexible, with a very thin/minimal sole, and a wide toe box. Search "minimalist shoes" on Google. Merrel, Vibram, Zero Shoes are all good options, although they are a bit expensive. It should feel almost like a rubber sock.
Human feet were designed to be bare. Shoes are not necessary 99.9% of the time, even in our modern world of concrete and asphalt. It will be rough at first, because your soles will still be very soft, but pretty quickly the skin starts to thicken up to protect you. Asphalt and concrete feel quite nice to me, but I've built up the tolerance for even gravel, so I'm way past that point where everything hurts. Hot asphalt is still a concern, even for people like myself, I just know I need flip flops or something when it hits a certain temp. Your tolerance for that increases though as well, I wager what most of you would consider scalding hot isn't an issue for me, it's just warm.
What I've been told by other barefooters is 3-4 months is typically when they stopped missing shoes. I'm getting there but not yet, it's only been a bit over two months for me. It doesn't take long at all for feet to adapt to being bare constantly. Your circulation improves too, so cold isn't as big an issue(I'm thinking I should get well into November before it starts getting too cold for me). I'm also starting to develop at least a tiny bit of dexterity as well, being able to pick up some small objects(like small stones or a bottle cap) with my toes, as the muscles continue to develop from use. It's basically like when you break your arm and need a cast for months, your arm atrophies from lack of use and takes some time to build back up. Shoes are foot casts.
My toes spread out and have straightened a little bit too. People don't realize it, but our feet are actually deformed. We don't realize it because the deformities have become universal, so we perceive them as normal. A human foot is supposed to look more like what you'd see on other primates. Widely spread out and straight toes, leather like soles, and tapered into the heel which should be the narrowest point.Look t a newborn's feet, that's the natural shape. Feet of those in habitually shod populations, like Westerners, are generally shaped more like a shoe. This is because our feet conformed to shoes when we were young, growing into that shape. Most people's toes are all squished together, crooked, and bent.
Shoes are tools, you do need them sometimes, like in industrial environments. Running most everyday errands is NOT one of those situations. I haven't been kicked out of anywhere yet. Most of the time nobody says anything. It's completely legal to be barefoot in public, there are no health/safety codes anywhere that cover customer footwear, or lack there of.
I'm not actually trying to convert any of you here. If you're okay wearing shoes then you do you. I'll continue to go barefoot, because that's what works for me.
