Barefoot Women-the Most Powerful of All Social Images?

"Barefoot Pop Princess" Sandie Shaw. (source: Pinterest) 

There is something about a barefoot woman that captivates everyone.

We can theorize and come up with intelligible answers, but we really can't boil them down to one single one that's right.

The fact is, that the barefoot woman, as an image, is more enduring than any other social image.

When Taylor Swift (below) appeared in her video for her song "15", she was barefoot-the song was a huge hit and it made no difference that the audience of focus, when we specifically refer to the lyrics, was teenage girls lyrics. 

It doesn't matter who the audience is, or whether it is mostly male or mostly female, a barefoot woman gets attention.

Country sensation-turned pop-diva Taylor Swift (source: wallpapercasa)

One of many images of Wiccan goddesses who are barefoot, this is Goddess Diana (source: sacredwiccanjigsy.com)

One might argue the idea is hungover from the old patriarchal social mentality. But the barefoot woman of power predates those ideas. The pagan religions of Europe included many barefoot dances and rituals and in these religions, God was usually seen as a woman. In many modern versions of Wiccan religions, God may be male and female and many rituals are done barefoot.


No matter what type of fashion is in, we will see the most-famous models and divas barefoot as some point.

Today, an ever-more-popular image is of woman is a woman doing Yoga. Yoga, of course, is always practiced barefoot. 

Yogini Paula Van Alstine (photo by Liesl Clark-Claris Photography)

Facebook page photo for Claris Photography

The barefoot woman invokes the image of a goddess, no matter what the observer's religion or gender

And so the debates will rage on.....but in the "battle of the sexes",  where warriors are barefoot, society seems to say women win-but do they win "hands down" or "feet down?!?!?"

Blessings!