This isn’t a new trend or habit, in fact, many consider it “fashionable” to wear any form of footwear without socks these days; and by footwear, we’re referring to anything that covers your toes including sneakers, flats, loafers, slip-ons, and the list goes on.
Do you relate to this? Are you someone who enjoys letting your feet go commando as well? Maybe because it looks cool or it just feels more comfy, or perhaps you were just too lazy to get a pair of socks from your wardrobe? Well, you might want to rethink your decision the next time you leave your socks behind, here’s why!
1. Your feet will become more stinky
Source: TokyoJapan2013
Similar to how damp clothes tend to stink, so do our feet! The dark and damp surfaces make it easy for bacteria to thrive and this is what leads to the awful stench. Without socks to absorb the sweat and keep your feet dry, you can expect a pretty nasty odour when you remove your shoes especially after a long day.
You better hope you’re not visiting any relatives or friends at their homes!
2. Going commando on your feet can give you health complications
To be more specific, it could lead to you getting Athlete’s Foot! No, it won’t make you an athlete but it will give you feet like one, and that’s not a good thing! The Athlete’s Foot basically results in red, itchy, scaly, and cracked skin, especially between your toes.
Source: eMedicineHealth
Athlete’s Foot is caused by a type of fungus which causes ringworm and is commonly found in dark, warm and moist places (like our feet when we’re wearing shoes). Without our trusty socks, there is nothing on our feet to help absorb the moisture and keep our feet dry. In case you didn’t know, our feet have over 250,000 sweat glands, making it the perfect breeding ground for germs and bacteria.
In fact, a podiatrist–someone who specializes in foot, ankle and lower extremity disorders–named Dr. Emma Stevenson states that our feet generally releases half a pint of sweat daily. That’s a lot of sweat soaking up your shoes!
3. The ringworm that causes Athlete’s Foot can travel to other parts of your body
Source: Fugacil
From your head to your groin, it can go anywhere and infect any part of your body especially if you don’t rectify the problem asap!
Known as the Jock Itch, some of the common locations this ringworm tends to infect–besides our feet–include the scalp, genitals, inner thighs, even buttocks! So if you don’t want to suffer from itchy, scaly, red skin in any of those areas, make sure you keep your feet in tip top condition, or risk getting this itch all over your body!
4. You can easily contract fungal infections from other people when trying on new shoes
Source: Liebscher&Bracht
That’s right! Even if you don’t suffer from stinky feet or other fungal infections, you can still contract them from other people, especially if you don’t wear socks while trying on shoes at your favourite shoe stores. Similar to how face masks are a form of protection from airborne bacteria, your socks are a form of protection for your feet too! Without them, you’ll have zero defense against all that nasty fungal bacteria lurking in your shoes and on your feet. Ewww!
5. Without socks, your shoes will likely become stained and moldy much quicker
Source: Bustle
You probably spent at least a hundred ringgit on that new pair of sneakers or flats! It would be a shame to watch the insides of it get moldy and stained with sweat. What’s more, if you wear that same pair often, it might even feel moist every time you put them as shoes also tend to take roughly 48 hours to completely dry out after you’ve worn them.
Evidently, the moral of the story is, always remember to put on your socks before you grab those shoes! If you really want to go for that no-socks look, you can opt for ankle length socks or slip-ons–the kind that only covers the back, sides and toes of your feet. Your feet will thank you in the long-run plus, you won’t have to worry about friends smelling your stinky feet either!
Also Read: Plane Forced to Make Emergency Landing Because Man Couldn’t Stop Farting
