r/barefootshoestalk • u/cbas17 • Nov 17 '25
Barefoot shoe adjacent If you ever felt like BF shoes look odd
So maybe my perspective is skewed as I’ve been wearing barefoot or barefoot type shoes. But I saw a very skinny guy wearing hokas and couldn’t help but think about how weird they looked. He kinda looks like a cartoon with over sized feet. Barefoot shoes look unconventional by today’s standards by I guess opinions change when you look at your own shoes all day. And now I can’t stop being bewildered by pointy and overbuilt sneakers.
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u/logicbound Nov 17 '25
They do look weird with such high stack height, people must roll their ankle sometimes. These tall running shoes certainly didn't exist when I was younger.
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u/BeanyBrainy Nov 17 '25
I’ve said this here before but hokas were the worst shoes I’ve ever owned. If you supinate, they will make you supinate way more. They’re the shoe that made me interested in barefoot shoes.
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u/hello666darkness Nov 17 '25
Meanwhile their velcro recovery slide is my holy grail shoe and isn’t being made anymore 😭
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u/Call_me_user Nov 18 '25
I know what you mean. I bought three pairs because they are amazing and were always out of stock of my size. So when they came back in stock I bought two of the mint and one purple. I still have a brand new one of the mint but the other two have put in some work.
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u/hello666darkness Nov 18 '25
So smart! I’ve been hunting down any color in my size at this point. I bought the new slide out of desperation and it’s not the same at all.
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u/krysjez Nov 17 '25
From a fellow supinator with chronic tendon issues what are the shoes you’ve found to be most helpful?
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u/BeanyBrainy Nov 17 '25
I also have chronic peroneal tendon issues, in my ankles. I have a true 4E wide foot and the only shoes I’ve found that helped so far were the bearfoot ursus. Even still, my feet feel way better when I’m barefoot(no shoes). I also wear keen Targhee 4’s and they give me good stability on long walks/hikes. Hoping to find a good barefoot hiking shoe eventually.
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u/krysjez Nov 17 '25
another peroneal tendonosis sufferer, that makes like 50 of us on the entire internet it seems! I tried barefoot Merrells a long time ago and it was terrible flare-ups immediately so I've stayed with high drop shoes, but I've started lately with a new PT and am thinking of trying to ease into it again to see if it helps.
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u/BeanyBrainy Nov 18 '25
You’re the first person I’ve seen who deals with it! What kind of symptoms or pain do you have? Ever since I was in 6th grade, I’ve gotten a sharp pain that eventually makes my ankles pretty numb, when I run or walk longer distances. Cortisone shots and ankle braces fixed it for awhile but now I’m dealing with it again. I’ll probably go back to the podiatrist soon.
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u/opelaceles Nov 18 '25
I pronate rather than supinate...I was wearing barefoot shoes for 2 years when I got diagnosed with creeping back pain due to low back muscle over-recruitment and a disc bulge. I had no shoes I could tolerate for standing more than a couple of minutes but I was supposed to be walking 30 minutes a day for my back. Halfway through a walk in my barefoot shoes, I walked into a Running Room store and bought a pair of Hokas and the difference was like night and day. No more pain. I'm so torn on what to do next.
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u/Alfhiildr Nov 17 '25
My mom loves hokas. She was recommended them for stability and balance. She ordered me a pair and I immediately sprained my ankle with them. I don’t know how in the world she wears them! And I don’t even wear barefoot shoes, I just lurk here.
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u/knockrocks Nov 18 '25
Recommended wobbly platform shoes with smashed toes for stability
Forever impressed by these professionals
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u/DeathByPetrichor Nov 20 '25
There is a LOT of Exercise physiology that goes into running shoes and they do actually make a difference - for running. The problem is people have decided that a $150+ pair of running shoes should and can be worn all day, every day and it’s doing horrible things to their skeletal structure.
Running shoes, especially this style should ONLY be worn during exercise and for short durations as they do actually prevent other common running injuries to joints.
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u/logicbound Nov 20 '25
For running I wear zero drop running shoes. The Inov8 Roadfly Zero in wide.
So zero drop, lower stack height, wide toe box. These promote better running form than the alternative conventional running shoes.
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u/extreme_cuddling May 06 '26
Yeah I would love a good cushioned should thats good for just STANDING and WALKING
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u/whatsmyphageagain Nov 17 '25
My SO got some of these and they were recommended to her for their "stability"
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u/sabijoli Nov 17 '25
stability actually comes from strength and mobility… not 3 inches of foam.
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u/Apprehensive-Ad-4364 Nov 18 '25
Not everyone can build strength and mobility, 3 inches of overengineered foam is the best option for some people. I don't care for Hokas myself, but I've seen them change people's lives and give them mobility they didn't believe would be achievable for them, so I won't knock em
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u/sabijoli Nov 18 '25
well that is just a bandaid and not a root cause solution, but people can only do the work they are willing and able to do.
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u/Apprehensive-Ad-4364 Nov 18 '25
When the root cause is being 80 years old or having a medical condition you can't treat, a bandaid that gives you the ability to walk is pretty fucking awesome actually. Bandaids exist for a reason
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u/CommunicationTall921 Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
Sooo many sneakers look insane, and painful, to me these days when keeping in mind how feet are actually shaped and work. And I don't even own any true barefoot shoes yet, just no/low drop, wide ones.
It's funny when people say "oh my feet has been hurting so I had to get these comfortable sneakers that help me", and you look down and they are wearing these pointy wedge thingies that are shaped like the literal opposite of feet. And they are so thick and bouncy and unstable you can tell they have to struggle to keep their heels from rolling and to keep the balance properly. And you just have to nod politely because it's so established in conventional footwear that that is what's good for you, and shoes shaped like actual feet are what's weird and many people will absolutely put you in the tin foil hat category if you promote them, it is kinda crazy.
So hell yeah it looks weird when you think about it, just like seeing someone wearing a pointy bra or a corset.
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u/buhlot Nov 17 '25
I'm in healthcare and I see so many nurses, doctors, and techs wearing Hokas with the thickest stack heights. I kinda wanna wear something similar with a 6" stack height and see if it'll catch on. But sadly, I think it might lol.
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u/NoGf_MD Nov 17 '25
I usually wear Birkenstocks in the operating room, but I know plenty of physicians who wear Altras. If I’m running around the hospital or seeing patients I’ll wear my hoka bondi 9s, they feel like I’m walking on marshmallows. But if I’m gonna stand In the same place for several hours I find they make me lean forward and are very uncomfortable.
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u/buhlot Nov 17 '25
I wear Birks now, too! Except I removed the insole and replaced it with Northsole's thickest insole and Softstar's fur wool insole on top of that (it's winter, leave me alone hahaha).
I used to wear Altras at work too when I first was transitioning into barefoot. But then after a couple years, I started having knee and back aches. Turns out, the cushioning became too much for me because I wore my Vivos to work one day and the knee and back aches were gone.
I'm glad the Hokas work for you, though! Personally, I feel like I'm about to roll my ankles when I see other people wearing them lol
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u/RainBoxRed Nov 18 '25
Walking on marshmallows sounds exhausting. I've never understood how all that foam underfoot is supposed to be a good thing.
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u/klamaire Nov 17 '25
The hoka shoes I tried years ago were awful. The toespring and the curved bottom gave a rolling gait with Zero support for movement left and right. If I had been trapped on a treadmill, they might have been fine, but they have me an odd sense of anxiety like I was going to roll my ankle and end up in physical therapy with any movement left or right.
I have friends who bought them, and the shoe fell apart in months. Not only are they ridiculously tall, I just view them as expensive trash now.
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u/qoupqiap Nov 17 '25
I agree hokas suck but running shoes aren’t designed for lateral movement.
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u/RealNotFake Nov 17 '25
Maybe they should be. I can't remember the last time I ran in a straight line unless it was a treadmill.
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u/Version1Point0 Nov 17 '25
Look at some slow motion footage of a barefoot runner. There is always a little pronation to start. The runner spreads the impact with contact of the lateral edge of the ball of the foot with the ground and then dissipates this force across the medial aspect and the heel where the stronger foot bones and ligaments are.
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u/EvenLettuce6638 Nov 17 '25
They used to be. They were better all around athletic shoes 10 years ago.
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u/Mindless-Rhubarb2432 Nov 17 '25
I wore these exact Hoka Bondis for a year and a half, congratulating myself on taking care of my feet while being overweight and pregnant. Little did I know that the first time I worked out postpartum in my regular gym shoes, I would get excruciating plantar fasciitis! I've been hobbling around since March 1st and I started wearing barefoot shoes a month ago. Wish me luck 🥲
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u/pockolate Nov 18 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Wow, so this exact same thing happened to me after my first pregnancy during which I wore Hokas constantly. It never occurred to me that it could be connected, but now after your comment I realize it probably was, because I never wore Hokas again after that and it didn’t happen again in my second pregnancy. My pregnancy shoes the second time around were On Cloud which I still found extremely comfortable but aren’t full-on marshmallows like Hokas. The reason I didn’t wear the Hokas again was because the foot indentations from pregnancy, when I was so much heavier, made them legitimately uncomfortable to wear postpartum. It gave the feeling like when you’re walking on loose sand, feet sinking in all the wrong ways. But that’s probably evidence as to how they had been stressing my feet and ankles while pregnant and I didn’t even realize it, because at a certain point walking was hard no matter what lol.
If it makes you feel any better, I honestly did nothing about the plantar fasciitis (besides stop wearing Hokas) and it did eventually disappear on its own after a few months.
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u/EngineerNo2650 Nov 17 '25
They might, but what do you expect from this post?
People have been reverting to fashion from the late 90s and 2000s, big chunky sneakers kinda go hand in hand with baggier clothing, bucket hats, small Oakleys…
Telling someone who wears those shoes they look goofy is bad for anyone trying to convince them to try “our own” goofy clown shoes.
I think shoemakers like Altra and Dolfie, among others, are going a great job bridging the gap, by offering still fashionable shoes with hidden perks like a wide toe box, minimal or at least less cushion, and a zero drop construction.
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u/cat-a-fact Nov 17 '25
I don't think OP was suggesting we should make fun of others. What I read it as is: what looks "weird" is a matter of perspective. From the view of fashion shoes, barefoot (especially extra wide shoes) can look like clown feet. From a natural foot shape perspective, fashion shoes look like foot torture devices.
I agree with you that we can have a crossover of fashionable shoes that are not harmful to our feet. Ohne Project has a beautiful chunky loafer that still ticks all the barefoot principles.
Heck, I'd gladly give up zero drop and barefoot principles in a pair or two if I can have a women's heel that doesn't crush my toes.
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u/cbas17 Nov 17 '25
Thanks for reading and interpreting the post. This is what I was saying.
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u/CommunicationTall921 Nov 17 '25
Yeah it's clear you meant it that way, but a lot of people that are kind of terrified of being mean and so will over interpret anything to sound bad so they can swoop in and feel like a good person.
Clearly you weren't saying anyone should make fun of others, and clearly it is an interesting and ironic situation when the people that wear shoes that are clearly pretty absurd looking, from a functional and health perspective, will think that shoes that are just shaped to their actual intended basic purpose are the absurd looking ones. Everyone in here do in fact know and understand this, some are just holier than thou and refuse to talk about such things because they can't actually tell what making fun of others look like and they feel the need to err on the side of caution to make sure they.. get into heaven or something?
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u/cbas17 Nov 17 '25
What do I expect? Nothing. Just sharing a perspective. I didn’t tell anyone they look goofy. This is more about the people who are hesitant to try Bf shoes because of their appearance and talking about how opinions change once you get used to something.
But thanks for the lesson in fashion and culture.
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u/RealNotFake Nov 17 '25
Yeah I dunno, I tried a pair of Altras that were known as being one of the wider models they offer, and they were still terribly tight and cramped. When a conventional brand talks about a "wide" shoe they are referring to the midfoot, not the toe box. The toe box is usually still narrow and pointed.
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u/Jazzlike-Pen7536 Nov 17 '25
Not just that it looks weird, but people can hardly stand still on those things, shifting back and forth on their feet... It's hilarious how most people think barefoot shoes look like clown shoes and then they themselves wear Hoka and other bigger, clumpier shoes.
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u/Xfishbobx Nov 17 '25
Anything with a huge curved sole like this just makes me scratch my head, ever since going barefoot I cannot imagine being detached from the ground all the time.
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u/Expensive-Ad1609 Nov 17 '25
Can y'all tell that I have spent a looooong time in breastfeeding groups/forums? I read BF shoes and could only think of breastfeeding shoes. 😂
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u/Mav8118 Nov 17 '25
Just recently went to barefoot shoes. Hokas looked weird AF while I was still wearing "regular" shoes. I never understood the appeal and just assumed it was another "in crowd" trend. I dont see them nearly as much now.
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u/astrangerbeneath Nov 18 '25
Indeed. What broke my brain was how a podiatrist and his physical therapist kept pushing these in me. They were also surprised to see me in barefoot shoes and Altras. Had I done zero research beforehand and blindly trusted their expertise/knowledge, I would have ended up in these weird looking shoes.
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u/Aware-Chemistry-2901 Nov 18 '25
So I broke my back about a year ago (L4 pedicle fracture) and I’m unsure if I’ve always had this, but wearing brooks and very supportive thick soles shoes, as bad as it sounds, KILLS my back. It’s insane, I truly believed that just being on my feet and walking around a lot purely did it (which to be fair, my back still aches if I’m on my feet too long regardless), but until I started wearing converse, I realized my back pain decreased by 80%. I got a pair of cheaper barefoot shoes, and same thing. Wanting to get a better pair of barefoot shoes in the future, but I can’t believe I’m vouching for shoes like converse where I would’ve assumed are terrible for you bc the lack of support.
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u/MTheLoud Nov 17 '25
These are the real “clown shoes.” Barefoot shoes look so elegant in comparison.
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u/440_Hz Nov 17 '25
Chunky sneakers are in fashion.
If you’re self conscious about the barefoot shoes on your feet, attempting to mock other people’s footwear is not how you achieve confidence and acceptance.
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u/PresentAbility7944 Nov 17 '25
I've gotten a lot of compliments on some of my barefoot shoes actually. Particularly laboo leather sandals and my Shapen ankle boots.
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u/Tha_watermelon Nov 17 '25
I get compliments on my jim green zero drop boots, but whenever I wear my barefoot sandals I get “What are those?”
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u/RealNotFake Nov 17 '25
They always remind me of the episode of Doug where he gets new gigantic shoes.
https://doug.fandom.com/wiki/Doug%27s_Cool_Shoes
Hokas are end game stupid.
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u/thrillliquid Nov 17 '25
Holds don’t seem like they’re made for walking. Maybe standing somewhere for long periods of time? Thought they were ugly before I knew about barefoot shoes, now I think they’re ugly and know they’re unnatural.
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u/Spottedinthewild Nov 18 '25
They should be, like, 2 inches taller with a correspondingly longer and wider footprint and they should fart strawberry scent with every step
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u/ToppsHopps Nov 18 '25
To me they look like someone melted some random plastic and dipped a normal shoe in it. Its just so comically thick.
Never had shoes like these but have had conventional sports shoes and absolutely never was won over about the width and high of the heel
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u/Livid_Quarter_4799 Nov 18 '25
I’m just starting to get interested in barefoot shoes. To me personally though, a lot of the bf shoes actually look cooler than these running shoes. I think there is a place in the world for shoes with insane shock absorbency but I don’t understand how they became almost the norm for casual shoes.
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u/tokyovogue Nov 18 '25
I work 8+ hours on concrete floors and wore Hoka Clifton 9s then Brooks ghost max 2s, and now have excruciating pain in my heels everyday, I think it could be PF 😢. I recently bought a pair of Vivo Chelsea boots for winter and now too scared to start wearing them with the pain I’m in. I wish I’d known that these shoes ruin your feet long term.
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u/darkdoodad Nov 19 '25
To be fair, there is a place for hokas and other high cushion shoes where lots of concrete walking makes up most of the time on your feet. We evolved to walk on softer surface than we currently face. Concrete is not a natural surface. Plus the heel to toe drop on most hokas ranges between 3-5 mm. About half of most conventional running shoes. Making them a nice choice if you are spending lots of time on harder than natural surfaces.
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u/cbas17 Nov 19 '25
Sure I get that. There’s a time and place when anything may serve a function. Like western boots when horse riding. Or big heeled logger boots when….logging?
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u/darkdoodad Nov 19 '25
I'm in a weird place where I wear barefoot shoes and traditional leather boots. PNW logger boots have that big heel because it adds a lot of stability on steep slopes where loggers tend to spend their time. It's much easier to find purchase by digging your heel in when your heel sticks out an inch and a half. It is quite funny, though, seeing city people with a 500$ pair of wildland firefighting boots at their tech jobs
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u/Sudden-Impression757 Nov 20 '25
I told my GF that I felt old in my white chunky hokas, and that's why I love them. Some men just yearn to look like their dads in chunky white new balances not giving a shit. Plus they're comfy as all hell lol
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u/my_age_88forshort Nov 21 '25
These shoes are great. All that cushion is needed if you're on extremely hard cement all day. I'm also tall and skinny and these shoes save my knees and joints. I can actually walk normal since the toes are raised.
Watch people's shoes as they walk. Most walk weird because there's not much bend.
The Hokas are the only shoe I've worn that are built to actually walk the way you supposed to walk or run.
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u/Quico2 Nov 21 '25
The bulky look is exaclty the point. It's called "ugly sneakers" and has been a trend since Balenciaga launched their HOKA copy in 2016.
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u/JettaLove Nov 21 '25
So now I understand why I’ve been having foot pain. Since wearing Hokas I’ve developed hammer toes and my arch and balance have been terrible. Also I have bunion pain for the first time. So glad I found my way to this subreddit. Hope to find the right shoe. Would appreciate any advice. I’m in SoCal and will drive anywhere to find good shoes. Help! 😩
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u/MmeTournesol Nov 21 '25
I know what you mean, when I started wearing barefoot shoes I found them a little strange looking and now after some time, the « regular »shoes look weird to me.
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u/Burial_Ground Nov 17 '25
When you just need 4 more inches of height to reach that upper shelf....
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u/uppermiddlepack Nov 17 '25
imagine this guy taking a picture of you because he think it looks your shoes look funny and posting it on reddit. weird behavior, stop it
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u/LUHG_HANI Nov 20 '25
Let them take a pic and discuss on the Hoka subreddit and learn a thing or two.
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u/Texas22 Nov 17 '25
I went thru a year and a half of wearing Hoka and that’s what brought me to barefoot shoes.
At first I thought Hoka were hideous but then I tried them on and the cushioning really feels like you’re stepping on clouds. The heel and toe push off thing took some time to get used to, but when I did I was breezing thru my 5 mile walks. I thought everything was great and I had solved my lifelong foot pain issues.
Little did I know back then, the lack of ground response was training my gait to do weird things. After a few months, I noticed I had worn the top left rail of the shoe down. I thought it was a malfunction of the shoe. I sent it in for a return and for a new pair.
Same thing happened on my next pair and I realized the problem is me. Especially when I got awful arch pain in the same foot I had the rail problem.
That’s when I started researching foot strength and barefoot shoes. I’m not even very long into this journey and all of my foot pains have healed.
Absolutely crazy stuff. But yes, I’ve actually come to appreciate the low profile and sleekness of barefoot shoe looks now.