My Phobia of Bare Feet
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As long as I can remember I have had a phobia of bare feet. There is no rational reason I can think of for this, but what I do know is that it does impact on my life in quite surprising ways that many without this phobia may not have considered.
When I was young my hatred of bare feet made me very uncomfortable doing sports in the gymnasium at school, not least because if using much of the gym equipment and the landing mats etc, we were required to go barefoot. I was very self conscious of my feet, even though they are perfectly normal and petite in size. When being bullied at school I desperately wanted to take up a martial art for self defence, but was put off after one Judo lesson, when I realised that going barefoot was going to be essential. I never went back, and the bullying continued.
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As the years have gone on my foot phobia has not reduced, and even now I will never walk around the house in bare feet, always choosing to wear shoes or slippers. When in bed at night if my Husband has not been banished to the spare room for snoring too much, then I keep my own feet well away from his. Occasionally in the night his feet will accidentally touch mine, and I will flinch as if I have been stung, instinctively moving my feet to the opposite end of the bed. In many ways I am not sure if this reaction is because I can't stand the contact from his bare feet, or if it is because I can't bear him contacting my bare feet. Either way, I dislike the contact intensely.
Unfortunately for me my Husband has a bad habit of walking around the house with no socks or slippers on. This makes me cringe, and even though I have bought him slippers, I still find him walking barefoot in the home. It is frustrating because he knows I hate feet, and even when I point out to him there is no point in having a bath and then walking around with no socks on, because in a house with three cats who are in and out all day, his feet will quickly end up filthy from simply walking on the kitchen floor tiles, (even though we mop them regularly....... the tiles, not his feet!), he continues to walk around barefoot without wearing the new slippers I have bought for him.
I was even at my own Mother's house on one occasion when my Step Father had to cut her toenails for her. Witnessing this made me feel quite nauseous, and there is no way I can imagine ever doing this service for her myself.
The very idea of bare feet just makes my nose wrinkle up in distaste and my whole body cringe. For the life of me I cannot understand how people enjoy foot fetishes, or can cope with foot massages. When I see a bare foot all I see are the most unattractive parts of the human body, with the potential to smell truly appalling, the ability to contract fungal type infections, a verruca haven and an ugly, knobbly pair of appendages in general. In fact on a personal level I won't even buy or wear open toed shoes or sandals of any kind, nor can I see why others choose to draw attention to their feet by painting their toenails.... Yuck!!
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My recent online browsing has given me a lot more information on my phobia. In fact it is far more common than I realised. Apparently the phobia of feet is called Podophobia, Podiaphobia or Petaphelaphobia (latter the fear of people touching your feet), and can consist of a fear of not only your own feet, but also other people's. In extreme cases some sufferers of Podophobia or Podiaphobia, can't even go into a shoe or sock shop without a problem. This actually made me feel a little better, mainly because I am not literally scared of feet, I just find they make me cringe, but not in the same way as say a large house spider would if it touched me, in other words a bare foot would not send me rapidly to a state of clinging to the ceiling shaking like a leaf. I suppose I am more what I have seen described as a 'Foot-o-Phobe', i.e. I feel uncomfortable, even irritated when I look at feet. I hate people touching my feet and I don't like discussing feet or problems with feet, on a face to face basis. I certainly would not enjoy watching any kind of TV documentary on feet, and don't even like adverts on the television where they talk about 'Happy Feet' etc. I don't even find children's feet tolerable, so when I see a Mum playing with her baby's feet, possibly nuzzling them with her nose, blowing raspberries on them etc, I squirm totally.
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Some of the Main Symptoms of Podophobia or Podiaphobia
- Sweating, breathlessness
- Change in body temperature
- Change in blood pressure
- Nausea, dry mouth
- Headache, dizziness
- Full blown panic attack
- Feeling exceedingly terrified and queasy
There are treatments available for this phobia if it has become a real problem in your life. Most of these appear to consist of either:
Psychological Therapy: especially suitable for people who suffer from panic disorders. The long term success of this kind of treatment is proven.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): Apparently this is one of the most effective methods of treatment for feet phobias. This greatly assists in dealing with difficult situations. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), have suggested 7-14 hours of CBT which a patient suffering from agoraphobia and panic disorders is supposed to complete within the period of four months.
Exposure therapy: In this kind of therapy, patients are gradually exposed to the element they fear. They are taught to control their reaction through deep breathing and positive thinking.
Hypnosis: For those capable of being hypnotised this is an option that could be very successful and is certainly worth considering.
Support groups: The main aim of support groups is to make people discuss and share the experiences which are unpleasant to them. This should help them to connect with others having similar feelings.
Medication: Podophobia or Podiaphobia is one of those which is difficult to cure only with counseling and behavioural therapies. Some medication is also frequently necessary in order to help the patient deal with their phobia.
- Antidepressants: These are used to treat depression and can take several weeks before they become effective
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): These are also a type of antidepressant that increases the level of serotonin in the brain.
- Tricyclic antidepressants: These also work as antidepressants, keeping the brain and mind calm.
- Beta –blockers: These can control anxiety and its symptoms such as sweating and trembling. Beta-blockers slow down the heart rate, which reduces the pressure at which the blood is pumped, resulting in reducing the chances of panic attack.
There is no guarantee these treatments will work, but until the sufferer tries them they won't know. Certainly it is worth persevering until your therapist concedes that the current choice of therapy is not succeeding.
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Summary
Although my phobia of bare feet is annoying and at times frustrating, I was relieved to find out that I am not an extreme case. My advice to anyone who is suffering from this would be to judge carefully how much this impacts on your day to day life, and if the answer is 'too much' then seek out one of the therapies above, (or as many of them as necessary to cure the problem).
My advice to anyone who has a friend, partner or family member who suffers from this phobia, is to be considerate, don't play the fool and do idiotic things such as pinning the person down and rubbing your bare feet on them, or surprising them by draping your bare feet over their shoulders when they least expect it. Whilst these immature actions may seem funny to you, remember to them this is serious and very distressing. Try to consider how you would feel in they exploited a phobia of yours in a similar way, e.g. if you are scared of snakes, rats or spiders and they chose to plant one of these in your bed, your briefcase or elsewhere.
Do you have a phobia of bare feet?
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Thanks Gordon, I have not mentioned any other serious phobias only because this hub is totally about the phobia of feet. Actually I do have a friend with a fear/phobia of cats though. A little difficult when he comes to stay as we have three, plus a neighbours cat that spends a good chunk of its time in our house. My Father had a fear of feathers, another weird one, and quite difficult to deal with as we had chickens, a pet mynah bird and two green singing finches at the time!
Thanks for your feedback, I hope this does help others, plus raising awareness of this annoying, yet relatively common phobia.
Cindy, I have not heard of phobias of bare feet, but not surprised, as phobias can be about anything. I developed an anxiety issue after the loss of my nephew and entering menopause, its as if my brain could take so much at the same time, and its disconcerting, such is the fragility of the human mind, but I will heal it. I think everyone has an issue, it may not be a phobia, but we all have something to work on.
Thanks for sharing!
PS. Gordon just another thought, I also had three pigeons, loads of feathers but we never tormented our Father with them!!!
Hi Violet, it is already proving interesting that my first two comments are from people who have not heard of this phobia. At least you can see how this can happen, and now you can identify with others who might on occasion voice their own dislike of feet. I do sincerely wish you luck with your own personal anxiety issue.
Thanks for the feedback :)
Hello Misty,
just said to hubby 'the things that go on in Guernsey' . Did you know that walking barefoot is the very best excercise i.e yoga. It is brilliant for healthy 'feet' and for the back. Everytime I go near a cat I get bitten,they are beautiful creatures though!
enjoyed with thanks,jandee from Jersey........
Hi Jandee, just cannot bear the idea of walking barefoot, no matter how good it is for 'healthy feet' or a healthy back, (although I know it is good for you). Soz! The other option is to try MBT trainers, based on Masai Barefoot Technology. The health benefits are just as good, but no need to go barefoot. I have hubbed on these MBT's if you are interested.
You must be really unlucky with cats, as even after working in 2 vets surgeries I have never been bitten by any!! They must know you fear them I guess.
As for Guernsey, well you know us, we are strange folk all in all ;)
Cheers for stopping by :)
I think it's a bit mean of your husband walking around barefoot when he knows it's seriously disturbing for you. I was trying to think if I had any phobias at all and I don't really, but I know people who do. One friend has agrophobia and has been house-bound for 30 years! They are no joke. If one has to have a phobia, I suppose yours is one of the lesser ones as far as disturbing the quality of your life goes. Mind you, I do try to avoid the divisions between pavement stones because bears live down there which might grab your feet...oh, sorry, I really didn't mean to do that. Very good and useful hub, Misty, which will be a click-leader for you quickly I am sure...Bob
I am happy to notice that you have done your research on this and are quite capable of controlling your reactions. It is upsetting to have phobias, mine is dentistry, it scares the heck out of me. Good luck, and thank you for a very interesting read.
Thanks Bob, great to see you here. I agree, mine is one of the less intrusive phobias, and I certainly feel for anyone who feels unable to leave their home for 30 years. What a nightmare.
I heard about those bears between the cracks in the pavement too!!
Hi Beege215e, thanks for stopping by. I don't think many people like the dentists, although I am not too bad because I worked at one many years ago, plus I have never had anything very nasty done, and only have 3 fillings.
Glad you enjoyed the hub :)
I have a question for you. I assume that you have children. Were you able to bathe your kid or kids, and avoid your phobia while doing this, or did even this bother you too?
Thanks for sharing all this information about your phobia of bare feet. I might have a phobia or two, but fortunately for me that is not one of them because the first thing I do when I come through the door is pull off my shoes, and I do not put them on again until I leave home. I go bare footing all the time!
Being Texas born and raised, going barefooted comes second nature. I can only imagine how it must be for you. I had never personally met someone with a true phobia until I met my husband for the first time. We had talked for several years online before meeting, so I knew he didn't like spiders. He called it a phobia, but I took that to mean he just didn't like them...in the way other people I knew didn't like them. When I flew to England to meet him for the first time I took a plastic spider with me and put it between the sheets at the hotel for him to find. He was not in the least bit amused and I truly got a sense of how different a phobia is to a general dislike. I promised him I would never ever do anything like that again. I truly thought it was something he could laugh at like others I knew. Not so.
Hi Dave, thanks for commenting. No I don't have children, so fortunately this isn't something I have had to deal with. I would have loved to have children, but due to 'bad internal plumbing' it seems that even IVF would be very unlikely to work. I have hubbed on that aspect of my life in a few of my other hubs.
Hi revmjm, you are lucky, for me even the expression "bare footing" makes me shiver. I actually cringe when I hear songs that refer to bare feet e.g. Mustang Sally "you'd better put your flat feet on the ground" etc.
Hi KCC, I do understand your Husband's phobia, as I am not keen on spiders either, although I have the problem much more under control than when I was a child. However, I have a friend who is terrible with spiders, and even a tiny wispy spider sends her to the other end of the building until someone else can get rid of it. Funny thing is, she is actually a fully qualified Veterinary Nurse. One of the vets we both worked for also had the same phobia in a big way, and he was a South African chap who you would assume had seen lots of spiders in his home country and at Vets School.
Thanks so much for the feedback :)
I love naked feet!!!
And if a woman "looks like an 8"
but has pretty feet, she moves to a 10. =)
I am "The Foot Inspector" hahahahahahaha
Hi Q&T, nice to see you here, it's been a while. Sounds more like you have more of a foot fetish than a foot phobia, rather you than me :)
Im sorry to hear you hate FEET. I too hate feet, only because my mother made me wear shoes that were always too TIGHT, turned my feet into Gorilla feet. I wrote a funny story called The Ingrown Toenail Story. I warn you now, if you wish to read it - it's pretty graphic BUT FUNNY
I hope you can overcome it and just be thankful that you don't have Gorilla feet like me.
The Funny Guy
LOL The Funny Guy, I am thinking my own curiosity might just allow me to cope with reading that hub:) Thanks for commenting here too.
PS. Our Dad was always really tight with money, so going to the opposite extreme our Mother was always forced to buy shoes a couple of sizes too big for us as children, meaning we went to school looking like we were wearing a pair of canoes until we 'grew' into them. I am not sure which is worse, your experience or ours!
Hi Misty (see I didn't call you "ROSIE")
OMG!!!!!!! - My Mother was completely OPPOSITE to yours when buying shoes. I posted my Ingrown Toenail Story (a few more stories about my Mama) and if you decide to read it, you see what I'm talking about.
P.S. I'll give you a hint (I think my experience is WORSE than your)... Lol
I will definitely be reading those The Funny Guy, I find your stories hilarious :)
Wouldn't it be terrible if you had a foot phobia AND a foot fetish? It would be extremely internally discomfitting! Similar to a devout christian who comes to believe they are gay.
Do you know what started this whole thing? It has to be more than just the smelly, fungal, ugly side of it...
Re foot documentaries - do you think they are common?! Who would want to make a foot doco, apart from a fetishist, lol?
@diogenes - I don't think it is necessarily "mean" that her husband walks around w/out slippers. Personally, I must remove my shoes as soon as I walk in the door. They constrict my feet (regardless of what kind of shoe or slipper) and I would be (probably overly) uncomfortable if I was forced to keep slippers or shoes on. But if he is just being slack then yeah he should wear the slippers if at all possible.
Congrats misty that you consider reading the toenail story. I really thought you would knock that one back! So you aren't that phobic after all! Maybe it is just one of your 'foibles', something can make a person extremely uncomfortable and 'cringey' without having full on panic attacks over it.
For example - I get really cringey when reading/talking about certain gynecological procedures or topics. I'm nowhere near a prude or anything. But I can get so cringey I almost faint! Maybe that's normal; men would probably feel similar if hearing about some kind of testicle operation.
A good site for dental fears is dentalfearcentral.org It lists so many different categories of dental related fears. There are so many different reasons that one is scared of the dentist - pain, drill, being numb, not being numb, childhood abuse, choking, needle phobia etc etc!
Hi AuraLee, LOL re-the foot phobia versus foot fetish problem.
I have no idea when exactly or why my phobia started. Certainly not from any event I remember.
No idea of how common foot documentaries are, I am guessing that it is more common to see these kinds of phobias on a documentary on a number of different phobias.
I did read that ingrowing toenail story, and although it was enough to make me really cringe, it was actually really hilarious. You should read it too.
Thanks for the link to the dental related fears site. It might be very useful to people reading this. :)
I sort of understand. I have a foot phobia too. Not of others feet but I cannot stand to go barefooted, even in my home. My daughter makes people take their shoes off coming in her door. I hate that. I don't have ugly feet, I just cannot stand for anything to touch them. What if there is mud or dirt from someone else's shoes on the floor? Yuck. Like you I don't want my husband's feet to touch mine at night. I liked this article a lot.
Thanks Tiffany, I guess we experience similar although not completely identical problems. Neither of us like our own feet, but you don't mind other people's, whereas I do, (as well as not liking my own to be seen or touched by others). Nice to know I am not alone here :)
I'd never really heard of this as a phobia, so interesting. :) For the most part, other people's bare feet don't bother me (although some people's feet are inelegant enough that I'd rather they pop some socks or shoes on). LOL I do have one thing with bare feet, though, and that's that I can't stand walking around without something on my feet. That's more of a "dirty feet" thing, I think, though. :)
As far as other people's bare feet go, for me it's mostly whether they're unattractive or not. I love all "beebie's" (baby's) and little kids' "feetsies". If a woman's feet are pretty I think they're nice. Some guys have nice enough feet; but a lot really don't. In any case, I wonder if bare-feet phobia might have something to do with how "ugly" feet are perceived to be. :/ (Those pictures you have (the one with the woman and a bunch of feet, and the particularly the one with the guy and feet) are pretty gross. I don't think anyone needs a foot phobia to find those disturbing. LOL )
Hi Lisa,
I am the same about having to have something on my feet, I hate walking around in bare feet and get really cross when Hubby keeps on doing it, pointing out to him that he will end with filthy soles to his feet.
This phobia is actually pretty common, and I can only assume it may stem from childhood where jokes about ' sweaty or cheesy feet' etc are all too common, therefore planting a thought in the subconscious that feet are an unpleasant part of the body.
Certainly men seem to have the uglier feet of the two sexes, although I have seem some really gross feet on women (such as the cashier with the infected toe who worked for me once). I can't say I find any feet nice to look at though, even with foot jewellery, painted toenails etc. I guess I just have to tolerate them and look away. :(
Thanks so much for commenting :)
Hi Misty. Nice one! Are sure you dislike seeing bare feet because from the graphics you put in your article above, it might hint at just the opposite, that you can live with them at least. Just checking! An interesting read as there are many around there with foot fetishing tendencies.
Hi marwan asmar, my problem (at least in my case) is with the real thing more than the pictures, even though the latter make me cringe a bit too. The real things move, smell and you can see all the graphic details of them such as dry skin, overgrown toenails, hair on the toes, smell any cheesiness etc.
I am the same with spiders, I can cope with photos or film footage, but the real thing does freak me out, although I do have that phobia mostly under some level of control.
Very interesting. I read your article carefully and I can say that
we have lots in common. However I am a little higher in the scale
than you. For example, I cannot stand even the pictures, so I find
the top of the page repulsive.
To Dave: I have kids and yes it bothers me! No exceptions.
Hi riobec, I know people who are like that about spiders, rats etc too (can't even look at the pictures). Thankfully I can tolerate the pictures although they do make my nose wrinkle up lol.
Curiously most articles concerning this topic is that they tend to post images of the very thing we dislike.
I hate TV commercials that display bare feet, male or female, even though the product being advertised has nothing to do with the foot. I find feet very unattractive from any angle, top, side, or (the worst) bottom.
Cheers for commenting Baskerville, yes, I guess posting those pictures is kind of unavoidable, (even for me!) in an article on feet!
Nice to know you too understand the who foot hatred thing, right down to the TV adverts (I so get this). I don't even like the mention of feet in songs!!
Thank you, misty. I wouldn't call my dislike of f**t a "phobia", but rather a dislike, a negative aesthetic reaction. Some f**t are less displeasing than others, but I'd rather not see ANY.
--I think there are many more of us than we realize.
-- Notice how female TV reporrters, weather girls, etc., never wear shoes that show their toes? I suspect that this is not is their own choice, but some station policy.
--Been a long time since I have seen a Playboy magazine, but I clearly remember NEVER seeing the models toes in any of the pictorials, so Mr. Hefner may very well be one of us.
--I do not find the entire extremity as unatractive as the five little appendages in which it ends.
--Capri pants with gladiator sandalsm especially those that cover the heel, but expose the toes, are a HUGE turnoff, bringing attention to the very part I most dislike.
--What's up with the current trend of TV crime dramas showing ever more realistic-looking decomposing bodies in the morgue, including dead bodies with toe tags, YUCK! Yet they blur a glimpse of a nipple, ala Janet Jackson "waldrobe malfunction". Go figure!
Hi Baskerville, I am beginning to think I am more like you, and have more of a strong dislike of feet than a phobia (I can cope with pictures okay). I just loved some key points in your most recent comment, e.g. "-I do not find the entire extremity as unatractive as the five little appendages in which it ends." and "What's up with the current trend of TV crime dramas showing ever more realistic-looking decomposing bodies in the morgue, including dead bodies with toe tags, YUCK!". I had to laugh and agree strongly with both those statements. With regards to reporters and weather girls, well most of the ones I see on British TV seem to be cut off below the knee, so I couldn't say what shoes they are wearing, but you are probably correct on that too.
Thanks again for your great comment :)
girls feet are the best thing ever
I am guessing you fall under the category of people with a 'foot fetish' Brandon.
I had a friend in highschool that absolutely hated feet. She would laugh about it, but now I wonder how much she was really affected by it. Her boyfriend would tease her but she really became upset when he touched her with his feet - the relationship ended shortly.
Hi elanger333, I reckon my relationship would not last long either if my hubby KEPT on touching me with his feet. Luckily it only ever happens accidentally (which I can forgive). If it was done as a joke or to wind me up, I expect I would soon be putting a snake in his bed or something else he had a phobia about, then he might 'get it' LOL.
Misty - I have never given it that much thought and I am not afraid of feet either - just slightly repulsed..ew! I can't stand to feel the floor beneath my bare feet. I do try to buy my husband slippers too but he won't wear them. I didn't know this was a phobia...it should be! lol
You sound so much like me RealHousewife, right down to buying your Husband the slippers and him not wearing them! This problem we have is most definitely a recognised phobia, but at least we are not alone :)
I completely understand. I cannot stand feet. They look like disgusting pudgy, hideous forms of fingers. People with really disgusting fingers or fingernails also really creep me out. I don't understand why people parade around with their feet out, i feel violated that I have to look at them wherever I go. Why on earth would anyone want to see your feet? I think perhaps those of us that are really perceptive notice things that disgust us when most people pay no attention to them. How can you not! Feet are just horrible. I don't care if they're babies feet or not it's the same thing. Completely unattractive and should not be shown in public. I don't like it when you tell people how you feel and they claim their feet are normal. No ones feet are normal they're all ugly. Men's feet push me to the point I feel like literally throwing up I feel disgusted that they're out in the open. The worst thing is its so bad you can't even look away. The only feet that are acceptable are cats feet because they are paws. I don't think it's irrational to hate feet. Feet are gross, dirty, contaminated and look horrible. Cats however, I don't think you should fear a cute adorable loving pet!
Thanks for your feedback Ruby, you are definitely someone with a foot phobia, in fact an extreme one by the sound of things. Glad you like cats feet though, (so do I).
omg im terrified of feet and im 16. i can stand my own but not anyone elses, or anyone elses feet atchually touching mine. i want to do beauty therapy in a years time in college. im going to have a hell of a time! literally!!
Sounds tough shanne, have you considered a different career, as dealing with feet day to day might leave you involuntarily wincing facially, and this might be a bit disconcerting to your clients? You could concentrate on beauty therapy from the waist upwards possibly!!
Thanks for sharing your story Misty. I don't have a phobia of feet, but I dislike them immensely. All of the pictures you have posted with people's feet close to a person's face are so gross to me! And so many commercials seem to show people's bare feet when it has absolutely nothing to do with the product. Why do I need to see some woman's bare feet all propped up with her toes wiggling when the commercial is about cheese? Why?? I also don't want anybody touching my feet. I always do my own pedicures, and I don't even let my sweetie massage my feet.
Hi Corinne, actually I would say you do have a phobia of bare feet, and it sounds about the same level as mine. The phobia does not have to be extreme to be real, and what you just described sounds typical of the phobia without it being too terrible.
Hi Misty,
I guess I always thought of a phobia as being an actual fear. For example, I have a fear of heights. I realize it's not rational, and it's more that just not liking it, I am actually afraid to be up too high even if I'm completely safe (like inside a car, on a bridge). I also have a fear of snakes, as in I would knock down old ladies and small children to get away from one (sorry, just being honest). But I don't fear feet, I just find them unpleasant.
LOL Corrine, no a phobia doesn't have to be that extreme, it can also be a strong dislike of something, quote from just one online dictionary
"1. A persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.
2. A strong fear, dislike, or aversion."
Note the terms 'dislike or aversion' as relevant in our case.
I also have a phobia of heights,(although I am fine in vehicles), and a slightly more 'under control' one of spiders (I can at least catch the spiders in drinking glasses using an envelope and then put them outside). No problem with snakes though, I quite like them and have handled quite a few belonging to friends and acquaintances.
This website provides various definitions for the word 'Phobia' that illustrate more examples of why it doesn't have to an actual 'fear' as such.
I am completely foot phobic. I will not touch other peoples feet at all and dry retch if they come near me. Even if i am fast asleep, if hubby's feet touch me in the middle of the night, I will be out of the bed and across the room. My dad passed away last year, and while he was sick I was asked to put his shoes on. I would have wiped his bum if needed (which luckily wasn't) but i could not physically make myself touch his feet. When I told his partner why I couldn't do it, she got all confused that I had a foot fetish as she just couldn't understand how someone could be scared of feet.
I don't mind barefeet (if i don't look at them), I don't mind my own feet and live in flip flops over summer. I just can't touch or look at other people feet. To me it is a germ thing, yet I am not fussed by germs from anything else. I also don't know where it came from.
Hi Laura, I am sorry to hear about your Dad passing away. It sounds as you say, like your phobia is a classic example of how bad it can get. I wonder if his partner ever looked up the phobia for herself in order to understand it better, as it is FAR from a fetish as you know.
Thanks for sharing your experience here :)
I remember one of my bosses once admitted she was freaked out by seeing feet and I thought she was just being finicky and obsessed with hygiene. I was thinking ''who do you think you are for freaking out at other people's feet?! you know you have feet too!'' Now that I read your article I see it under a different light. To tell the truth, some of your pictures make me cringe and I do not suffer from feet phobia!
Hi alexadry, thanks for commenting. I am afraid lots of people don't truly understand phobias until they research them a bit more. I had a friend who knew someone with the phobia of buttons. Apparently 'for a laugh' a load of his work colleagues pinned this guy to the floor and rubbed their buttons all over him. Sounds funny at first, until you think how traumatic that must have been for the person with the phobia.
I am pleased this article helped you to understand the phobia better :)
Gordon Hamilton Level 6 Commenter 16 months ago
I can honestly say that I have never heard of such a phobia but I know how frightening phobias can be. Strangely enough, you have mentioned mine in your Hub - cats! I cannot even visit a house where there are cats. I hope that your page proves helpful to others with the same affliction and am sure it will.