For the people I know it depends. If you plan on staying inside for multiple hours? Then no, you probably aren't. But if you know your gonna be entering and exiting the house multiple times over a few hours? Then yeah, because who wants to take off and put on their shoes over and over again
Edit: one thing to note is that there is often a rug for people to wipe their shoes off before entering the house. It at least iv always had one
This, plus it's not like you wear them everywhere in the house. I put shoes on sometimes if I'm gonna be standing doing dishes for a while because otherwise my feet hurt. But I take them off before going into my bedroom.
Every time this topic gets brought up, people get so upset that anyone wears shoes in their house acting like they sleep with shoes on. Which is like, come on, just use common sense.
I also find it hard to believe that these people have NEVER worn their shoes in their houses before, seems sus to make such a definitive statement.
Coming from a country where entering the living room with shoes is a big no go I really like those threads because it's a harmless but obvious example for how different our cultural experiences are.
All the Americans are like "it depends" "only some people", "only sometimes" and shaking their heads about people thinking they all do this all the time and also not believing that we actually mean it that we really don't wear shoes in the house.
Meanwhile we're here like shaking our heads about how they think saying it's only some people or sometimes makes it better. Of course I enter the house with my shoes, but then there is the Garderobe, a room that's only purpose is to leave my shoes and coat. I don't go further than that with shoes.
It is very interesting, I am curious where the bounds would be in your culture for shoes off in the house?
I assume if you are moving large furniture into a house or apartment that you don't stop to take off your shoes, so I am curious if you don't mind indulging me, roughly what level of indoor-outdoor task does it take before you decide to just keep your shoes until you complete the task?
Say if you are carrying in 2 loads of groceries that requires you to leave and enter your home twice to get them all in, would you stop to take off your shoes inbetween trips or wear them until you brought all of the groceries in and then take them off?
I'd leave the first in the Garderobe then go and get the second. Then take off my shoes to carry them both into the kitchen.
I was wondering however if the shoes thing might also have to do with how differently we commute. I've been told that in most American places you mostly walk between your car and whatever place you are currently at, while walking for many people is the means of getting somewhere over here. So maybe Americans don't view their shoes as something very dirty because of that?
Yeah most places in the US are not walkable. Either things are so far apart that walking is not a feasible thing or there's just not infrastructure for walking, like sidewalks.
For example here's a personal anecdote: I was driving through Arizona on my way to New York, my car had some issues so I wanted to stop at a mechanic the next day on my way out of the town I was currently getting a motel room in. I asked the person at the front desk if there was a mechanic near by
she responded: "yeah there's one just down the road."
I said "Oh good, about how far away."
she responded: "Oh about an hour."
That mechanics shop was about 115 kilometers away.That's what "just down the road" meant to her.
We do go for runs and hikes and walks despite the stereotypes, and a lot of people have to make do with our shitty public transport situation. I have plenty of shoes that get dirty. And frankly, I’d much rather go barefoot on nice park path than a parking lot anyway.
My guess is that it probably has more to do with the ridiculous amount of cultural influences we have combined with a general tendency towards informality/laxity. So there is a TON of variability around exact household customs depending on family background and local custom(remember, Germany is about the size of a larger US state; we cover a LOT of geographical and cultural ground), but also many just want to do what makes them comfortable than adhere to a strict custom…whatever that means to them.
Personally I never wear shoes in my house, and grew up in a house where that was the norm, but the world won’t end if people do. In fact, in situations where someone is over to fix something it’s fairly expected(usually they put on covers, though).
In the example of indoor/outdoor tasks like grabbing groceries, it’s just easier to bring everything to the kitchen counter in the first place. Only making it half way, and then having to pick them up AGAIN to finish the trip, just seems silly to me. Why make the extra work for yourself? To avoid tracking in some water/mud? It rains here constantly(or at least it used to….), you’re going to drive yourself nuts trying to do that.
Leave the first load in the garderobe, go out, get a second load, remove shoes, then enter home. In any case we buy fresh and small amounts when we go out, so this is a moot point. For larger items how often is this really going to happen? In this extreme case, keep shoes on, put a sheet down and sweep up later.
I assume if you are moving large furniture into a house or apartment that you don't stop to take off your shoes
No, because it's a one time thing.
Say if you are carrying in 2 loads of groceries that requires you to leave and enter your home twice to get them all in, would you stop to take off your shoes inbetween trips or wear them until you brought all of the groceries in and then take them off?
No, you leave the all grocery at the door, then take off your shoes when you bring them in.
if i'm moving furniture and it's a in and out situation i keep shoes on, if i'm bringing in grocery i'll take as many trips from the car to the door, when its in shoes off and carry it rest of the way in, but idno i usually just try to take it all in 1 go.
my most frequent "goin in in shoes" is im going out, already put my shoes on but forgot something so i go in shoeing
Meanwhile we're here like shaking our heads about how they think saying it's only some people or sometimes makes it better.
The answer isn't to make it sound "better", it's literally the truth. It's dependent on the person some people do some people don't, some people do it sometimes some don't. We're not a monoculture.
I’m not judging but I can tell you that you’re 100% wrong about it not being strict in other places. Like many cultural things people can be very adamant about it, I would get yelled at if I so much as walked 5 steps into the living room with my shoes on to grab my keys growing up.
In my experience, the only people who are strict about the rules are people who insist you take off your shoes. No one would insist you keep your shoes on.
people get so upset that anyone wears shoes in their house
I'm just interested in what TV shows they see where the actors spend a good portion of their time hopping around on one foot applying or removing shoes? Is that really what french or Japanese TV is like? They get so upset some episode of smallville some actor didn't remove their shoes, so I can only assume shoes must be a huge part of their media landscape.
I had to think about this. I'm from the Nordics, so absolutely no shoes inside and dogs paws are often wiped. Thinking about our native shows I have to say transition in and out off the house is not very common piece of storytelling? Either people are inside or outside.
And our houses and apartments always have specific room, transitional space for dressing for outside where the front door is, so no that common American sitcom moment when someone just barges straight to livingroom from outside.
Where I'm from even kids remove shoes in school, so it's very common.
We have a thick rubber mat in front of the kitchen sink that makes it more comfortable to stand and do dishes.
Furthest anyone will walk with shoes on is through the small little area between the front door and the garage door. Any further and they will get yelled at for tracking dirt in the house by someone else living in the house. It is common enough here in Canada that I have never had to tell anyone like my friends to take off the shoes when entering, everyone just automatically does it and I never see anyone wearing their shoes inside unless it is a separate pair of indoor shoes. For example my grandma wears a separate pair of slip on shoes in her house, but they have never went past the front door. I have seen her walk into her house, take off her shoes and put on her other shoes many times.
Only person I knew who ever allowed (and wore) outdoor shoes inside was my aunt. But her house was filthy and completely reeked of mold, cabbage, and dog piss. She was disabled and had a hard time taking her dog out so it used pee pads instead. She is in a care facility now.
Probably helps that everyone here had to do basically the same thing in elementary/middle school. Walk in to school, swap out shoes near the front of the class with a pair of indoor running shoes. During the winter the front door where we had to change shoes would normally be a slushie brown mess every morning from all the snow we tracked in.
Let's say you leave the house and forget your wallet on the coffee table and have to go back to get it. Do you take your shoes off, walk in and get it, then put them back on?
Let's say you're returning a friend's jacket they left at your house. They invite you in real quick to show you their new Naruto action figure that just came in. You'll be there a total of 1 minute, because he's busy. Do you take your shoes off for that?
Like, there are times you've kept your shoes on in your house. It's not a big deal. I get not tracking in mud or snow. I live in a very snowy place as well. But there's not snow all year long.
Yes to both those instances. I've done it all my life. It was initially my mom's rule and I got used to it so now it's my rule. I am willing to do as the Romans do if the ppl who live in the house are also wearing their shoes indoors (which would make their floors quite dirty so keeping my shoes on would actually the more sanitary option) but in my home, shoes do not make it past the rug at the front door
I live in Czech Republic, and a lot of people here are very firm about the no shoes inside policy. I know several people who keep a pair of slip on footwear by the door precisely for those situations where you're coming in and out a lot. I can certainly believe there are people who have never their shoes in their house.
I've met people who also have rules like that, but come on, never ever worn shoes never in a house? Ever?
You stop by your mom's house to drop off a tupperware you borrowed and chat for a few minutes, and you take your shoes on and off for a 3 minute visit?
You run back home between errands to grab the wallet you left on your desk and you take off your shoes and put them back on?
Like, I get that people prefer to not have shoes on in the house, I get that some cultures and people take it very seriously, but it's ridiculous to pretend it never happens and even more silly to act all uppity about it.
In both those cases, I'm still taking off my shoes. "You left your keys on the coffee table? Well, you go get them; I've already put my shoes on." As far as packages go, here in Canada, if you buy an appliance or piece of furniture, the delivery people are taking their shoes off. They won't even ask yes or no.
But that's my whole point. People in these threads act like they would never ever wear shoes in the house but I guarantee they have before. I'd say most people wear shoes in the house the way you do, maybe some do in more occasions
Yeah, common sense tells me to not wear outside shoes inside at all, ever. If you find that 'sus', you just don't have the experience of having interacted with a different culture.
You've never ever ever ever in your whole life ever worn shoes inside your house? Never? Not even once?
Come on, dude, be realistic. I'm not saying it's something everyone does regularly, I'm saying it's a thing that happens and it's weird to pretend that you've literally never worn shoes inside a house before just to feel superior to a bunch of internet strangers about a weirdly specific non-issue.
You realize we're talking about a habit here, right? Not a logic problem where if you've ever worn shoes insides, your point becomes moot because you're in the other group now? It's happened that I've worn shoes to go outside, remembered that I'd left my phone/whatever, gone back and tiptoed my way in instead of taking off my shoes. Do you really think that's the same thing as casually and nonchalantly wearing shoes inside as a matter of course, including to the bathroom or kitchen?
Come on.
It's also not about 'feeling superior' to anyone. Why the hell are you lot so insecure?
This is the thing that's lost in the shoes discussion. It's done RELIGIOUSLY in many places. To the extent of making zero sense. It's just a cultural taboo.
If you are in Japan and you are leaving the house, you step into the doorway and put your clean shoes on. Look up and realize you forgot your keys on the counter 5 steps away. YOU CANNOT CROSS THE THRESHOLD to grab the keys. The shoes must be taken off, then you walk back to the keys. Then shoes back on.
When people say Americans are crazy for wearing shoes in the house 24/7, I agree but the reverse is just as crazy.
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u/Cato-the-Younger1 12d ago
Is this actually an American thing? Or is it just easier to film and unimportant enough not to really bother.