On or off? The great shoes debate
 

My boyfriend's out of town for a few months so you're probably gonna be seeing a proliferation of silly topics in the near future, sorrynotsorry!

Now, on to the very importaint and urgent question, wearing shoes inside your home, do you do it, do you oblige your guests to take their shoes off and what is the propert etiquette for shoe wearing when invited to someone else's house for dinner for example, hmm?

I myself have recently started insisting more and more on the off rule for my boyfriend and I because eww gross, however, cannot really bring myself to demand this of our guests as I feel it just doesn't go well with a dinner/lunch setting. It's too casual, too homey.

Consequently, I normally leave my shoes on in other people's houses, even though the hosts may have their shoes off (while also being dressed fancy which I find rather silly).

What say you?

Not wearing shoes inside is a habit I took with me when I returned from Asia.

I loved that everyone wore slippers at work in Japan. I had big cushy ones that were great for moonwalking.

**** shoes but making other people take off their shoes is prissy as ****.

Do what the host does. Except, of course, serve drinks. Raiding the juice bar is definite no-no. :D

I'm a staunch supporter of the shoes off policy. And while you're at it, take your socks off too.

Lol Cuthbert
I do regularly wear shoes inside, I can't be bothered. Like Charles said, asking people to take them off is prissy and petty

What if they’re from a country where shoes inside is really culturally offensive?

Well, you've made a good start imo, adidasss; you've chosen a question that is rarely examined even though it affects everyone. :thumb:

Here are my two, or rather three, cents:

i) old-style in a cold climate: I used to wear lace-up shoes, putting them on before breakfast and only taking them off at night. Some people wore slippers, but not stylish, sexy, street-cred guys like me.

ii) modern style in a warm climate: most people in Mexico either wear slip-on shoes or tennis shoes, which they slip off in their own homes in favour of flip-flops. Visitors keep their street shoes on, though a gentleman is expected to remove his shoes before intercourse.

iii) post-covid: on US tv I saw some hygiene advice for kids, which was to take off your shoes as soon as you get indoors; not specifically for covid, but on the principle that the streets are covered with a bunch of germs and stuff anyway.

This.
I mean, I know the Netherlands is a relatively clean country but still...

I guess I started paying more attention to this since living in Asia. Not the cleanest part of the world (except Singapore). I'm getting increasingly germophobic and at some point just started thinking about all of the stuff I'm stepping on outside, and then dragging that indoors.

I would be happy if I had some sort of disinfectant doormat in front of the flat. Does that exist? If not, I call dibs on the patent. :/

Then I'd cut them some slack (I mean I never make a problem of it anyway) but it's still prissy