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I only get regular polish on my toes, but I see some women that get gel on they toes. Maybe if you going on a tropical vacation with lots of walking in sand. You could start slow with a tint instead of pure color. Or you could go all out with glow-in-the-dark polish for Halloween.

I’m obviously gonna encourage you to at least give color a try. If it’s not your cup of tea, it’s simple enough to undo. And a tip - even wearing openly in the summer, I don’t get gel or acrylic on my toes, and the color holds up nicely through my nominal one month pedi cycles.

In the days before vacuum assisted brakes, I could see an argument for requiring footwear while driving, but even that is a bit of a thin argument. Unless there was something actually wrong with the brakes, they didn't require that much pedal effort. @Shyheels, I look forward to reports of your 12 cm adventures outside the boat.

Yes but proving it would be another matter - virtually impossible and I can’t see a public prosecutor being interested in pursuing a comp,I aged and likely unprovable case … for what?

I think we agree that walking on pillows is not the way to go, probably for anybody. Beyond that, yes, I also agree that each person has his own physiology, and therefore has a different solution to each issue. Not unlike the crafts and the trades. Each person has her own way of building something or fixing something. As far as the barefoot thing goes, I enjoy wearing heels too much to worry about going barefoot so much. I have had to walk home barefoot a couple of times when I experienced catastrophic shoe failure. I can remember wishing for a sign I could carry, saying "My shoe broke." I wouldn't feel that awkward if I were carrying tennis shoes or something, but carrying heels has a stigma to it.

There is no specific UK law that prohibits driving barefoot, or in any particular type of footwear such as stilettos or flip-flops. But it would not be difficult to frame a charge on the blanket basis of 'failing to control' a vehicle properly if, following a collision or other motor accident, it is alleged that particular footwear (or the lack of it) caused or contributed to the lack of control. There have certainly been instances where individual drivers have been challenged by the police when wearing e.g. skimpy mules, high heels, heavy boots or wellies. Let's be honest, all of those footwear choices can prevent full pedal sensitivity and control, especially if wet or muddy.

Thank you! I’m quietly excited. You and @mlroseplant have both been huge helps and great influences

The rumor that driving barefoot is illegal also goes around in Germany, I don't know why. @Shyheels Great! Seems the day of wearing them to the cafe is getting closer and closer.

Back to the high heels challenge: I've been continuing to make good progress in my 12cm boots. It's even more fun now to drop down to the 10cm ones, which I can handle - at least in my indoors practice area, with something close to aplomb. With an eye to one day soon trying out my 12cm stilettos my venturing to a cafe, I rather boldly ordered myself a very nice pair of chocolate-brown leather trousers. They were boot cut and so would have obscured the shafts of my boots but they looked smart in the photo so I ordered them. They arrived yesterday, and while I liked them, they were also really baggy in the lower leg, well beyond what I thought boot-cut should be, especially with slender calves like mine. So sadly they'll have to go back

Just as a follow-up, I did finish that novel and was able to rework some of the high-heel elements to it. It was not that hard. Having written 18 novels, one thing I do in all of them is have easter eggs. That is a literary term where a writer plants obscure hidden elements in a novel for readers to discover. All my novels have five easter eggs in them with one being a cheesy line. This harkens to the 1980’s where all movies had one, like: “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight”, “I’ll be back”. “Go ahead, make my day”. For this novel, being a real estate novel, it was, “hey, I close deals in heels”. Ultimately the story between the real estate agent and the code enforcement officer ended up being a convoluted one where the two had a relationship seven years prior. The result of that was a child together that was killed with the novel actually dealing with how the two dealt so differently from the grief of that loss. High heels did not play a huge role in this novel, but it had its place. A hobby aviator as well as a real estate agent, the main character’s brand… her way of differentiating herself from other realtors was in always wearing high heels and a fascinator, gleaning the look from her great-grandmother, and aviatrix from the 1920’s. A few times, because she always wore high heels things did not go smoothly for her, but then a few times, wearing them certainly did. Currently on this site there is a discussion about driving in high heels, well in this novel she was flying a helicopter in them!! Focusing here on the high heels aspect of it, it may not sound like it, but it is one of my best novels. Out of 18 novels written so far, I would put it at number four. Thanks for everyone's help on this site in letting me achieve that!!

I realize some of your notations and questions quoted are rhetorical in nature, and rightfully so. I am just not convinced there is an exact fit for all people and all types of feet. I am in no way being argumentative with you here as it seems for me harder insoles… whether added or are part of the original shoe itself, works better for me too. It’s counterintuitive I know, but harder insoles are more comfortable for many of us it seems. That is why it is frustrating to see the latest insole mindset by shoe manufacturers to be in having built-in pillows on everything. Well... maybe for some types of people and types of feet, but certainly not all. Being an online chatroom where we talk about shoes, I am probably not alone in this, but I am just NOT a barefoot guy, at least not outside. My ex-wife would and could work in a broken glass factory barefoot all day and not be uncomfortable, and was forever barefoot, while I could not walk across a mattress warehouse without wincing. But nonetheless my house is a shoeless house. There are other reasons for that, but my podiatrist said it is best to have proper foot support even at home and to wear supportive slippers, so I bought some but can’t seem to get used to wearing them in the house. I am not sure if that is detrimental to me or not, but at our house shoes come off at the door and its either socks or bare feet after that.

My story with pedicure’s began similar to @Logjam with the exception that my ingrown toenail was caught early enough so no surgery was needed, just needed to be dealt with properly. Her prescription was literally to go to a nail salon and have them take care of the issue. As a convincer for me she told me that her boyfriend went with her every six weeks and that she thought all men should have it done. So I went, because I literally had too, but found other benefits while there. I found out I had been cutting my toenails all wrong like for all of my life which prevents another ingrown toenail, but the nail salon where my wife and I now go does a hot rock calf massage with hot towel wrap along with the pedicure. This really helps with the problems in my right achilles tenon, but certainly that helps my left one too. For us, it is now a six-week husband and wife thing that has massage built in along with other practical benefits. I just don’t have color applied as she does, but maybe the next time I will.

I started pedicures about 20 years ago. My wrist/hand was in and out of cast for 6 months followed by surgery. I was complaining to a cosmetologist that I couldn't cut my toe nails and she suggest I get a pedicure. The first year I only got clear., then tints. I started colors around 2011, first simple. Now almost anything but pink or red. Since I am diabetic, foot care is important. My fingernails started in 2015 when my thumb nail started to split from the tip to the bed. Tried everything, but nothing worked. Finally someone suggest getting it covered with acrylic and they put a layer of gel over that. A year later I tried to see what would happen if I stopped doing the acrylic nail. It split in 3 days...back to acrylic. Then another nail had issues, so it got acrylic too. But my hand looked funny with two differently shaped nails. .... Anyway I get a complete set of acrylics every month and a pedi at the same time. The place I go to has only three independent nail techs. They each have their on set of clients and they can't take any new clients. I have interactions with the other customers. A few of the women customers sent their husbands in. Most don't get color. My fingernails have had almost very type of technique, chrome, metalic/magnetica - fish eyes, to plain color, to ombres, to art... My tech love do my nails because I allow her to be more creative. The place was once called Nails to Envy As far as complements, many women have told me my nails are fantastic, they wish theirs were so nice. I get complement from men as well, and I said before I here the "I wish I could do it too".

I don’t at all mind telling the story, in fact, I kinda enjoy doing so. As mentioned, I got started something over 10 years ago. the genesis was when I went to a podiatrist for a chronically ingrown toenail. The doc happened to be a woman (middle age, but very attractive, not that that matters.) She examined the errant digit, then told me that as a result of the “surgery”, I would loose the toenail. I said go ahead. After the procedure, she suggested that she examine the other foot, I gave her the go-ahead. She noted my Morton’s toes (2nd toe longer than the big toe, in my case more than 1/4 inch) and told me that due to that condition, I should wear sandals or open-toe shoes whenever practical. And she also told me that I should get regular pedicures, citing essentially the same condition. She noted that a nail tech could fashion an artificial nail on the injured toe, and noted that would be esthetically desirable in sandals. Then, to my GREAT surprise, she noted, and best I recall, a direct quote, “And - you can paint them. Men do that now, that’s a thing.” I can only presume she was a fan of the practice. So, I set out to start getting regular pedis, and decided to throw in manis to help protect my easily damaged fingernails, I do a lot of “manual labor” type things in my shop. I first went to several different “Asian” (no offense intended) places, but quickly discovered that I simply did not hear well enough to understand the techs, so I finally tracked down a place where the owner was a native english speaker. My first few visits were simple pedis without polish of any kind, but curiosity was lurking and on the fourth (or so) visit, I asked about men getting color. Her response was enthusiastic, “YES! Let’s do this!” In short - I was instantly hooked, and pretty much haven’t looked back. Long story a bit shorter. That tech closed her business and moved away to marry an out-of-town boyfriend. I’m now on my third tech. I’ve been seeing her since the post-Covid reawakening. She is a VERY enthusiastic supporter of men wearing color, to that point that I finally asked her if her enthusiasm was because it meant more clients, she replied very succinctly that no, not just that, she likes the look, feels that it’s an indicator of a man taking better care of himself, and also shows a willingness to set aside “men’s stereotypes”. In the time I’ve been wearing openly, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of women who have noted, complemented, and occasionally engaged in conversation about my colored digits. And, aside from that, I’m pretty much a nondescript ol’ fart. Humor intended on this topic. As noted, I’m an OF, and some years ago, my hair began to abandon me. I soon noted that in apparent solidarity with the hair on my head, my leg hair also started to depart. Today I’m naturally bald, and save a few stragglers, hairless on my legs. The aforementioned practice of wearing sandals, along with shorts in the warmer months, has prompted a number of folks, often women, to straightforward ask me if I shaved my legs. I always answer no, I don’t need to, and share the quip I mentioned above, most always to the other party’s amusement. As I mentioned to CrushedVamp, I’m another regular color-wearer on my toes. My nail tech has a small “salon” area with one other tech in a place also used for her other businesses (selling refurbished and repurposed furniture, and permanent cosmetics.) I have learned that I was her first male client in this location, and as mentioned, she is enthusiastic about men wearing color, and has apparently cited me as an example to help “convert” several other male basic pedi clients to wearing color. Also, during the time I’ve been seeing her, I’ve encountered a number of other woman clients, either coming or going, who have taken time to engage with me, ask questions, and 100% make supportive conversation about men wearing color on nails. (I’m so far sticking to clear gel on hands, but my tech occasionally, pleasantly, suggests that I “indulge” in color there as well.)

I'm not really concerned with the main subject the article though somebody famous had the opposite problem with sweat, or so he claimed: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59839351 I'm just wondering about the boots. There have certainly been combined boots and trousers - I've seen a pair just once on the streets of London. Here's an example: https://ca.style.yahoo.com/balenciaga-selling-strange-3000-shoe-pants-hybrid-131332085.html The pair I saw was all leather. There are also boot suits, extending as far up the body as you like, but these would normally be thought of as rather kinky.

I am not a fan of the look, but I am a person that tends to like contrast, but not just in dress, but on many fronts. When my wife wears a black skirt with white top as the saying says, "Black and White is always right". Red boots merging into red pants or leggings of some sort? Why? If you are going to wear red boots, why make them disappear? Be proud of what you are wearing. Make a statement, but again, that is just me. As for the main premise of the article? I am not sure. There seems to be a lot of marketing here in the USA anyway about sweating lately. Many companies now make whole body deodorant. The body wash I have used for years suddenly says it has five functions with whole body deodorizing being just one of the benefits. Whether they changed the product or not, I am not sure, but I never smelled before, so I am not concerned with it now. I do have to wonder if all the antibacterial soap is setting society up for a really bad back-bite though??? As for celebrities being more open about sweating issues? I don't know. I live a boring life and do not get up on stage before 10,000 animated fans and try to entertain while enough lights are shining on me as I dance or act that is more powerful than the sun. If they are trying to think saying so brings them down to my level... which, by the way, is so low I have to reach up to touch whale turds... they are wrong. I sweat, but they would not do what I do as I am, that is for sure.

No idea who that is, and I can't really empathize. I don't sweat much compared to most people. If I'm dripping in sweat, it means it's actually hot, not "Britain Sizzles in the 70s" hot.

Like walking on pillows. Who the heck wants to walk on pillows? Sounds like a lot of extra work to me. I'm fine with walking on the ground, thank you. Again, I sound like I'm repeating myself, but I rejected Doc Martens boots for the same reason--too squidgy. I think they created more problems than they solved. Maybe my wooden shoes are more cushion-y than I give them credit for being, but the point is that I haven't worn any soft shoes to any extent at all for years, and I don't have the foot pain I used to have. There's more to it than that, of course, but my basic reasoning was, "OK, I could walk barefoot on this concrete all day long, no problem. Yet when I wear my cushioned boots, I can barely walk at the end of the day. Why is that?"

That is not so surprising to me. As a hobby woodworker I once read an article about a man who married a woman from the Netherlands, and he researched and got into making wooden shoes like from her home country, and said they were extremely comfortable to wear. I think my insoles are comfortable because they are so supportive. They are made of hard plastic but really support my high arches. My Sketchers have ads on TV about stepping in pillows because of the memory foam they are made of, but I wholeheartedly disagree. One of my bucket list items is to make a homemade pair of high heels for my wife, but I have yet to do it.

One thing crazy thing that persists here in the United States anyway, is that is that it is against the law to drive barefoot… or at least without shoes, and that is actually false. None of the fifty states have such a law so I guess driving in heels or taking them off really does not matter here. Now, it is possible that if you are in an accident and driving barefoot you could be cited for “driving to endanger”, but with a pair of high heels kicked off there is no culpability since it could be said driving with them on would have been just as bad, or worse I would think??? But what NO ONE should ever do is put their feet up on the dash while riding in a moving vehicle… especially barefoot. Take a look at some pictures of people who have done that, and it is clear they will never walk again.

I kind of have a thing for statistics and I am finding out slowly that there are a lot of men doing things you would never guess that they would be doing, like getting manicures. As far as I can tell that statistic is around 5%. To put that another way, for every hundred men you meet on a giving day, five… unbeknownst to anyone… statistically has had a professional pedicure. Which I find interesting. I hesitate to share this because it is personal and weird I know, but because my wife and I like to swim competitively, I dislike body hair and so I shave… like from the neck down and have for years, but I know that is weird. Well, I recently found out… maybe not so much. About 15% of men do. 66% of men shave one particular area that I won’t describe in detail obviously, but the rest of their bodies, fifteen men out of a hundred fully shave. Not a huge amount granted, but who knows, maybe the trend will become mainstream? I do know this, seeing the numbers helps. Since the average urbanite sees about 360 people day, you can quantify the numbers. Assuming a 50% gender split, that means out of 180 men seen per day, 9 of those have had pedicures, and a whopping 27 fully shave. Suddenly I don’t seem so weird.

In this article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy51pgql7eo there is a photo of a group of people on the show "Traitors" (which I've never watched). About 2/3 of the way down and captioned: "Traitors contestant, actress Celia Imrie, also admitted to a bodily mishap in a recent episode" There is a woman, I don't think it's Imrie - looks too young, wearing red high heel boots that seem to merge seamlessly into trousers. Does anyone know who is this and what are they wearing?

Wood is an excellent shock absorber. It’s why surveyors usually have wooden tripods for their laser surveying gear - it’s not that they can’t or won’t afford carbon fibre but because wood simply dampens vibrations that much better. Photographers, for whom weight is often an issue, waver between carbon fibre and aluminium - wanting the stabilising weight of aluminium, and the easier portability of carbon fibre. But for vibration reduction and stability, neither holds a candle to wood

Yes, go to Rome or any Italian city and you’ll see plenty of elegant high-heeled women zipping about in Vespas

At the salon that I go to my nail tech tells me that she has over 20 male customers that get pedicures. Most get a clear gel but like myself there are 9 other men customers that get color on their toes, some red like me, some pink, one in purple and two in black. I remember several years ago when there was three other men that hand colored toes. We were shopping in a Walmart. One of the women with one of the men took a picture of all four of us showing off our colored pedi's. She said she was going to post it online but I never saw it. So Crushed Vamp you can wear a color on your toes. There are a lot of men doing it. Happy Heeling, bluejay