TikTokers ruin perfectly good trainers so they can walk barefoot

A couple removed the soles from their $20,000 shoe collection because "walking barefoot means the world to [them]."

In a clip shared online, Christi Fritz (@christifritz) sat down with her partner and started removing the bottoms of their footwear.

"The experience of cutting off the bottoms of our shoes was very freeing and detoxifying – just like walking barefoot is," she explained to her 19 million viewers.

The couple went on to trial their remodelled trainers with a visit to Sephora.

"As you know, they don't really like us in here without shoes," she said, adding that the workers conversed with the pair and "even compliment our shoes."

"I definitely recommend this if you're trying to go incognito barefoot," Christi added. "It's the perfect way to get all the benefits of going barefoot but also having no one know."

It didn't take long for thousands of fellow TikTokers to flood the viral clip with questions – many intrigued as to why.

"Well it keeps you grounded and connects you to the earth and its energy," one person claimed in response to a question about the benefits of going barefoot. "However…they legit are in the city on concrete so your question still stands."

One user highlighted a point raised in the video: "No one talking about her saying there is a lip in the show for their toenails to latch on to?!??"

Another suggested: "The fact that you have to engineer it, so your toes are still holding onto the shoe, actually negates the benefits of going barefoot."

Meanwhile, a third asked: "But how about public toilets?"

While walking barefoot appears to be on the rise across social media, some doctors advise against it.

Speaking to Time about barefoot walking, Dr. Priya Parthasarathy, a podiatrist with Foot and Ankle Specialists of Mid-Atlantic in Silver Spring said she "cringed."

"You’re pretty much asking for trouble, and I 100 per cent do not recommend it for a lot of different reasons," she continued, citing plantar warts, being unsanitary, sunburn and a heightened risk of injury through falling due to lack of protection on slippery surfaces.

Many more users suggested investing in a pair of 'barefoot shoes' – which would save a lot of time and effort in the long run.

One brand that specialises in the footwear is Bahé, which was created to "explore how we can have a healthier connection with the earth through exercise".

The brand prides itself on footwear that is "better for us, better for the environment" through "grounding" a person.

"Humans are electromagnetic beings and we evolved being in direct contact with the earth," they suggested. "However, with the rise of synthetic materials and the constant use of technology, we carry greater positive electrical charge for longer periods. This is having a negative impact on health, mental well-being and physical performance and recovery."

Instead, their footwear is designed with conductive technology "allowing you to balance your electrical charge."

Their mission is to "reconnect people with nature for their own benefit and to rebuild our relationship with the earth."

Most health professionals consider grounding to be a pseudoscience. However, some studies have shown grounded to have "profound beneficial effects on physiological and emotional stress," as per a thesis published in the National Library of Medicine.

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