In the year 2007, during my time in high school, the hallways were filled with the familiar sounds of $1 Old Navy flip-flops dragging against vinyl floors and slapping against bare heels as students, wearing sandals, made their way to class. However, according to Andrea Michelle, a high school English teacher in California, the scene in today’s halls is quite different. Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, now populate high schools across the country, and they prefer to have their feet covered.
Unlike previous generations, many Gen Z kids wouldn’t dare wear slides without socks, as Michelle, a millennial herself, has observed. Being from San Diego County, where Rainbow sandals or Ugg boots were the norm, Michelle found it confusing. Gen Z students have taken to wearing chunky sneakers with everything and even pairing socks with dressy sandals. To millennials, the horror reaches its peak when they witness the combination of Crocs and socks. Michelle recalls her high school students heckling her for wearing sandals and exposing her feet, often making comments like “Miss, the dogs are barking!” or “Miss, you’re giving out free foot pics?” Some students have even taken it to the extreme of barking at her feet. On TikTok, the hashtag #dogsout has gained popularity, referring to the exposure of toes, and it has generated countless videos with millions of views. Users post videos of “dog attacks” or embarrassing moments when their own feet are exposed.
While trends regarding the exposure of body parts come and go, such as crop tops, high waistlines, and shorter or longer shorts, Gen Z’s aversion to showing their feet goes beyond mere aesthetics. Michelle, known as @EducatorAndrea on TikTok with over 215,000 followers, has discussed this phenomenon and received a flood of responses from Gen Z individuals who attribute the trend to the influence of foot fetishes, which they have encountered due to their extensive internet access. These kids grew up with unrestricted internet access, exposing them to foot fetish sites and requests for foot pictures. Consequently, they struggle to separate other people’s fetishes from simply seeing feet.
As a generation immersed in the online world, Gen Z is acutely aware of being constantly watched, both online and in the real world, and how their appearance plays a role. Analisa Prowse, an 18-year-old audio engineer, explains that she avoids wearing open-toe shoes in public, fearing that people will look at her feet. The casual and widespread fetishization of feet online deeply unsettles her. Annabel Smit, an influencer with 119,000 Instagram followers, has received “creepy DMs” from followers asking for pictures of her feet. Even though Smit tries not to let these comments affect her style choices, she notices an increase in requests when she posts pictures of herself wearing sandals. She believes that sandy beach pictures with flip-flops or open-toe sandals are particularly provocative. Gen Z, ever aware of the potential to monetize their online presence, recognizes that they shouldn’t give away the sight of their feet for free. FeetFinder and OnlyFans are platforms where users can buy and sell foot photos or videos for profit.
Public figures, however, may find their feet exposed without their consent on platforms like wikiFeet, a fetish website dedicated to sharing photos of celebrities’ feet. Sophie Strauss, a stylist and former professional musician, discovered that someone had created a wikiFeet page featuring pictures of her feet without her knowledge or permission. Strauss, a millennial, found it amusing, bemused by the fact that even her wedding and pregnancy photos were included on the page. She jokes that she could have made some money off her feet if she had known they were in demand.
Nevertheless, it’s understandable how someone, especially a younger individual still figuring out their identity, might feel their privacy is being invaded when their feet are curated and shared by strangers. LeMeita Smith, a Ph.D. who specializes in counseling Gen Z clients, has noticed concerns about appearance and privacy in the online space among this generation. Gen Z is acutely aware of the potential for exploitation and objectification. The fear of having their feet fetishized and the desire to maintain personal boundaries and control over their image may contribute to their reluctance to show their bare feet.
However, for some Gen Z-ers, the issue is not as profound. Many are not averse to showing their toes, and their decision to cover their feet is based on practicality. Katie Schaefer, an incoming college freshman, lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where her feet get cold easily, so she usually keeps them covered. But she has no problem showing them if needed and believes it’s more about self-confidence than anything else. For hygiene reasons, Annabel Smit also prefers to keep her feet covered and mentions that the streets of New York City can get quite dirty. Expensive pedicures add to her motivation to cover up.
While feet may not be offensive in themselves, they hold various connotations and sentiments for individuals. The aversion to showing bare feet among Gen Z can be seen as a way to protect personal boundaries and assert control over their self-presentation.
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