AIBU To want to purchase these ridiculous objects for me and my kids?

[isvibramgood]

I really like the concept of these crazy shoes, vibram 5 fingers.

Anyone know about them?

@OhNaffOffYouWazzock it is completely developmentally normal to not have developed an arch yet at 5yo!

Humans have walked on hard packed earth and rock surfaces for centuries. As long as you don't heel strike and you roll through steps, and your toes aren't restricted, walking on pavements in minimal shoes shouldn't be a problem for most people. It can take time to transition, but for many of us it has been incredibly beneficial.

I think the barefoot shoe trend is a bit of a fad,
personally. But I have high arches so could
never deal with them anyway !

I have a pair. My froggy feet. I wore them for running, with toed socks. They take a long time to put on. You need to learn to run with a forefoot strike, which can take a year. For everyday wear? Pointless.

This.

For running on soft yielding surfaces maybe. But nature didn’t intend us to go running on concrete/tarmac.

My dickhead, cheating ex-husband used to wear them. I think it was in place of an actual personality and attention seeking. You have to wear socks with toes, it’s a right faff, people think you’re a weirdo - although some enjoy the attention - and it looks like you have mutant feet.

He wears bright white trainers now, so it was just a fad. 😆

That's the theory. In reality unless you have a naturally neutral gait and don't pronate or supinate, have a normal foot arch and hips in alignment, they are terrible. You can't train your body out of a structural problem.

My osteopath loves them as they create lots of referrals.

Also agree they are not winter footwear. Imagine walking in heavy rain, mud or snow in them. Brrr.

I would say that this type of shoe is good for a small minority of people, not the vast majority. Fine if you have a perfectly neutral gait and a naturally balanced foot and walk mostly on grass all day. Less good for people who have the slight imbalances of gait and physique that most of us have and who spend all day walking on pavements and floors, which are not the 'natural' surfaces we're designed for. It was wearing mostly 'minimalist' shoes that caused some really nasty and lasting damage to my feet and ankles.

If you like these sorts of shoes and they work for you, that's great - keep wearing them and enjoy. Each to their own. But recommending them for 'the vast majority of people' isn't appropriate.

Humans have walked on hard packed earth and rock surfaces for centuries

Walking in a natural landscape with areas of hard pack earth and rock, mixed with other types of terrain, not necessarily flat, and varying greatly in hardness according to the season, is absolutely nothing like walking on pavements.

Not everyone spends all their running time on concrete/tarmac, so the potential risks vary considerably between individuals simply on that (before you look at anatomy/physiology and what the adjustment programme is - even the most ardent barefoot runners don't recommend you just plunge in!)

I’ve been trying to think what they reminded me of. Now I remember. Teenage mutant ninja turtles.

Pre DC I was quite involved with the marketing and retail of these. The customer base had some very intense individuals within it who did indeed seem to think these were a replacement for an actual personality… but most were lovely and just very into the barefoot movement.
The soles are more durable than you would think and they do have numerous health benefits and improve balance and posture IF they fit your feet correctly, some people will never be able to wear them comfortably due to their foot shape, arch, pronation etc.
Would I buy them? Nope, but I do love Vibram Barefoot shoes and would recommend them in a heartbeat.

They make my skin crawl, like if you were talking to someone and then you realised they had goats hooves instead of feet - that level of horror.

Although in fairness you can be sure anyone wearing these has not got goats feet, so it's not a rational response.

I always call them 'serial killer shoes'.

I'm not sure if there have been any documented cases of serial killers wearing those, but they give me bad vibes all the same. Only person I knew who wore them was, okay not a serial killer, but a proper pompous know it all. And that's almost as bad.

haha :)

oh thanks =]

Mumsnet doesnt have an upvote, so I will just be absolutely brainless and say

This.

Why would high arches prevent you from wearing them? I have high arches myself (higher/stronger since wearing minimalist shoes) and they've never been a problem.

Actually running on bare stone/hard gravel has been fairly standard for humans before the invention of shoes...my dc manage it fine (yes even in winter, no I don't know how they do it)

I should have said, I also have plantar fasciitis and prefer a very supportive shoe!

Socks with toes feel horrible to me. I can't imagine walking around in those.

These would set of my athletes foot.

I knew a few runners who were into them about 15 years ago. Shortly after they got proven to be of no real benefit and i think done for false advertising or something. But my memory is a bit fuzzy. Thought they’d vanished years ago