Body art through foot decoration preceded recorded history. The contemporary shoe originated as a foot decoration that covered the plantar surface. Continued shoe use attests to perhaps an inherent need in humans for aesthetic expression once the essentials of survival are dealt with, and social norms that induce compliance with fashion. Since this form of aesthetic expression involved a cost in terms of health and mobility, they were first used in the age of civilizations by elite groups that could survive with attenuated mobility from both shoes and disorders caused by them. The use of shoes continues as body art, but are now worn by humans that need to be mobile and require a durable foot considering the long life expectancy of contemporary humans, therefore footwear use comes at a substantial mobility and health cost. The solution is barefoot weight bearing, but barefoot weight-bearing outside of the home this is resisted because of implicit and explicit social norms enforcing footwear use, and perhaps pseudo-science suggesting that the human foot needs protection offered by shoes. A shoe sole placed as an interface between the plantar surface of the foot and support surface attenuates sensory feedback used by humans for safe locomotory mechanics and stability. The only solution is the quasi-shoe. This is defined as a foot decoration that appears to be a shoe, therefore will obviate social norms for shoe use, and the inherent desire of humans for body art through foot decoration. It differs from a shoe in that it lacks a sole at least in part, so that essential locations of the plantar surface remain bare to allow plantar sensory feedback essential to safe mobility and stability. |
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