# Five Fingers - awesome or skeevy? Is there a gender divide? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235 "2011-03-10T23:45:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/1 "2011-03-10T23:45:15Z")
So I’m pretty weirded out by those Five Fingers shoes, that fit over your feet like a glove and supposedly make you feel like you’re barefoot. Not that I disagree that running barefoot feels better than running with shoes on, but I just get kind of skeeved out when I see those shoes. For some reason, I’ve noticed a gender divide among people I know who love them vs. find them weird. I wanted to make a poll here to see if the SD reflected my observances. I apologize that the poll choices are limited to people who fit into one of four narrow categories, but that’s just the particular data I’m trying to collect. I’ll leave an additional option for those who like clicking buttons. 🙂 (Also, “Vibram Five Fingers” definitely sounds like the name of a masturbatory aid, y/n.) ---
**Author:** ![Kalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@Kalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalypso)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/2 "2011-03-10T23:52:40Z")
I female and I think they’re neat. I bought a pair, but they don’t fit me correctly, so I’m going to sell them on ebay. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/3 "2011-03-10T23:59:21Z")
I voted “no opinion” as I have no idea what you are on about. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/4 "2011-03-11T00:13:49Z")
I know what you’re talking about, but don’t really care about them one way or the other. I think you’d have to be a runner to find them awesome, and I’m not, but I don’t really care what sort of footwear people choose to jog in. If foot-gloves do the job, more power to you. (I’m female, BTW.) ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/5 "2011-03-11T00:47:28Z")
Married male here. I have three pairs, and I love 'em. I got them more for hiking/climbing, and kayaking and stuff. Where cutting yourself on a sharp rock or oyster can really suck. But then again, I’m the type that doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what other people think of what I wear. And I’ve had a couple dozen people stop me and ask me where I got them. I’ve never had anyone stop me and tell me how ugly they are. Hell, in our first thread here on these a few years ago I mentioned them and 3 or 4 people bought them from just reading about 'em. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/6 "2011-03-11T00:51:12Z")
I’m female, and I think they’re awesome. I really want a pair, but I don’t run or participate in any activity that would require them, and since I can’t really see myself strolling around town in them (although here in San Francisco, I see people wearing them on the bus all the time, presumably on their way to or from a run) I can’t really justify buying them. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/7 "2011-03-11T00:52:54Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > I voted “no opinion” as I have no idea what you are on about. For the curious: [http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm](http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm) I have a friend who is a minimalist runner – she tried them, but decided she didn’t like how they felt. I think they’re cool-looking, if a little weird. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/8 "2011-03-11T00:55:17Z")
I don’t find them skeevy, but I found that I very quickly hurt my achilles tendons and stopped wearing mine. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/9 "2011-03-11T01:43:28Z")
I find them really ugly and skeevy to look at, but I’m a huge fan of the philosophy. I’ve never understood why feet are so enrobed, enforced, protected and supported, while for every other body part (save eyes), we know that if we want it to be flexible and strong and reduce the risk of injury, we have to \*exercise \*it. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/10 "2011-03-11T01:48:06Z")
They’re a bit wrong. A friend of mine wears them, which has made me think on them more kindly, but still, no. It’s kinda like the ‘uncanny valley’ phenomenom: not shoey enough to be shoes, and not feety enough to be feet, so it parses as wrongness. [QUOTE=Electric Warrior;13557101(Also, “Vibram Five Fingers” definitely sounds like the name of a masturbatory aid, y/n.)[/QUOTE] Similarly, the thread title also didn’t sound like it was about shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/11 "2011-03-11T01:54:58Z")
I’m a runner and I love them, especially for non-technical trails 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/12 "2011-03-11T02:06:38Z")
Male and I think they look dumb. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/13 "2011-03-11T02:07:20Z")
I wouldn’t call them skeevy. Creepy is more like it. \< shudder \> ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/14 "2011-03-11T02:10:21Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Male and I think they look dumb. I know someone who wears them, and I don’t think they look skeevy, just stupid. Like he’s walking around in his socks or something. ETA: Mind you, I don’t think he looks as stupid as the guy I know who wears [Tigger shoes](http://www.zcoil.com/), but I still think they look stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/15 "2011-03-11T02:22:37Z")
[So Al Bundy was just 20 years ahead of his time, then?](http://joeysgymclass.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/al_bundy_gods_shoes.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/16 "2011-03-11T02:44:26Z")
They’d look more elegant if they had a “noble toe,” (second toe longer than the big toe). Which leads me to imagine an ad campaign with an argument between a foot fetishist and a shoe paraphilist, similar to the “tastes great/less filling” ads. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/17 "2011-03-11T02:54:34Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > They’re a bit wrong. A friend of mine wears them, which has made me think on them more kindly, but still, no. It’s kinda like the ‘uncanny valley’ phenomenom: not shoey enough to be shoes, and not feety enough to be feet, so it parses as wrongness. This is it exactly. They’re not wrong, just … not. Or it looks like you dipped your feet in the same stuff they coat pliers handles with. I have a friend that loves hers, she wears them everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/18 "2011-03-11T03:10:56Z")
I think they look dumb and ugly, but I own them and wear them frequently. Best trail and water shoes ever! So I picked ‘awesome’. I’m going with friends of mine to buy their own next week. I don’t really wear them as shoes. Like to the grocery store or coffee shop. I wear them for outdoor activities I can’t or don’t want to do barefoot. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/19 "2011-03-11T03:51:53Z")
I don’t know if I’d call they “skeevy”. Just ugly as all hell. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235/20 "2011-03-11T03:55:15Z")
My own general definition of “skeevy” is along the lines of sleazy, douchy, the kind of guy who says “…ladies” all the time. It is not a synonym of weird or creepy. Therefore I think of them as the opposite of skeevy: basically geeky as hell. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-fingers-awesome-or-skeevy-is-there-a-gender-divide/574235.md?page=2)