As college students, we spend most of our days walking – to class, to our dorms, to the dining halls. Without cars to rely on, we spend a lot of time on our feet. That being said, we know the value of comfortable shoes. But for one Loyola sophomore, the most comfy pair is none at all.
19 year old Adam Kress has been walking barefoot everywhere for the past four years. He finds that shoes simply don’t feel right; they’re too tight and they make his feet sweaty. While Kress wore shoes for most of his life, he decided to stop in high school.
“I was normal for most of my life,” he said jokingly. “Then one day I just was like, ‘you know I’m not going to wear shoes anymore.’ And it just kept going and going and going and now I’m like this.”
Kress said that while he initially had a few minor cuts and infections, his feet have become so calloused that he can no longer feel rocks, pebbles, or even shards of glass on them. He prefers to walk barefoot even in the winter, but occasionally must put on a pair of flip flops to avoid frostbite.
There are no federal laws that prevent an individual from being barefoot in public, but many schools and other establishments, such as restaurants, have policies requiring shoes for sanitary reasons. Kress was not allowed to be barefoot inside his high school building, and last year, he was told by staff that he had to wear shoes in the dining halls. However, he says he has no problem putting on shoes when asked.
“If someone asks me to or I’m in someone’s house and they don’t like it, I will.” he said. “When I’m going to restaurants, I have to or they won’t let me in, so I bring a pair of flip flops in my backpack all the time.”
Kress’s roommate, sophomore Raj Patel, was confused when he first met Kress, but after talking for six hours one night last year, the two became friends.
“Before I met him face to face, that was the first thing I heard about him.” he said of Kress being barefoot. “I’d see him walking around, and I’d be like, ‘why is this guy barefoot, it’s cold outside.”
“I got used to it once I spent more time with him,” Patel said.
Kress said he doesn’t get too much trouble from others, but he does draw attention. Patel finds that even homeless people on the CTA are “baffled” by him, particularly when it’s cold outside.
Recently, Kress has started wearing barefoot running shoes while working out. The shoes are like individually toed socks and mimic the feeling of being barefoot. Many runners are now proponents of the shoes, and it has started a debate over whether barefoot motion is better for your feet. But Kress says he’ll continue doing what feels best for him, regardless of the hype.
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