I'm one of these girls. Growing up, we didn't wear shoes unless we went out in public or were doing heavy chores. Even when riding horses, we generally just went barefoot at any and all times. To this day, I don't wear shoes if I can help it (saving up for a pair of Vibrams to be honest). If you don't like her feet being that way, just ask her (nicely) to scrub up at night. As a matter of hygiene, she should do that anyway. Otherwise, Amy is spot on: if you can't reach a compromise on her black feet, get on down the road.

I, like bellflower, go barefoot a lot, even while riding horses, when the weather allows, anyway.
That said, while I'm not a big fan of shoes, I do have to wear them to work, etc. At home I'm in sock feet and/or slippers during the cold weather and barefoot in the summer.
I DO love a pedicure! Perhaps, LW, you could give your GF a gift card to a salon for a pedicure? Throw in a manicure, maybe. And while she's having her tootsies done, maybe buy her a cheap but cute pair of flipflops or other kind of sandal?

Oh, that's a shame, Amy. Has he done that before, and it didn't work? I LOVE showing off my feet after a pedicure, and am loathe to get them dirty because that ruins it!

Amy's got it right. He's got to just tell her. If one of my habits was turning my husband off sexually, I would want to know.

In fact, if he didn't tell me and then left because he couldn't stand it, I would feel terribly wronged. (And I would assume he had other undisclosed reasons, which this guy says he doesn't.)

I'm a barefoot girl, too. Even wearing sandals and flip-flops will leave one's feet rough and dirty. She should, of course, wash her feet daily.

Pedicures will help! Pedicures will remove the calluses and grime, especially if you have them done regularly, like every two weeks. Maybe BF could learn to enjoy washing and massaging her feet. Wet wipes and some good lotion can turn it into a sensual ritual. Finish it off by painting her toenails. She will adore the pampering and he will be very happy with the improvement in her tootsies.

I was trained in reflexology (therapeutic foot massage)-- cleansing the feet was part of the process.

You can have a pedicure at noon and black, filthy soles two hours later. If she's going to change the behavior, it will have to involve either footwear or washing her feet before bed.

LW doesn't say how long they've been dating, but if it's been less than say, three months, I'd be heading on down the road.

If he's yucked out by this habit, he's bound to discover some others that are equally as or more gross than that one.

Heh. One of the women in my life was one of those barefoot girls. Every time she bangs a toe on a tent stake or cuts her foot on something, the first priority was to glare a ME and tell me to shut up, even though I haven't said anything.

Because we both knew that if she'd been wearing shoes like a civilized human being, she wouldn't be bleeding now.

Update: That story is actually old news. When she had a child she gave up being barefoot all the time. Apparently, the need to be able to chase a toddler at a moments notice trumped the joy of the feel of grass on her bare feet. She could no longer afford to hurt herself.

Riding horses while barefoot? Really? My family used to own horses, I used to ride horses daily, we had many friends who were horse people, and I used to work at a stables, and one of the first things I learned is that you ALWAYS wear proper footwear - aka boots - when around horses, to protect your feet. If the horse steps on your foot -and they will - when you're barefoot, or even wearing sandals, you can kiss your toes goodbye. And do you REALLY want to walk into a stall or field full of horse shit in your bare feet? yuck!

Erica: If they were all the way afield, of course we wore boots. We didn't have a stable or a barn, our horses free roamed and generally came to the riding area on their own when we called. For just daily rides, especially bareback, there was no reason to put on boots. We wore boots to shows, rodeos, on trail rides etc but if it was just pleasure riding or going somewhere nearby (or riding down to our swimming spot) we didn't wear them. Broken feet just weren't a huge concern in our family, probably because our "elders" had broken about everything else in rodeos. Different strokes, I suppose.
And as far as manure: ours was a working meat and dairy farm. Manure (and a million other things) got all over us near-daily so I guess we never saw it as a big deal. Of course, we always bathed at night and washed our feet before entering the house.

I am a little confused by what he is saying.. I also don't wear shoes if I can help it and wear flip flops when going out. Although I wash my feet quite often, like multiple times a day, your callus can be stained a darker color. He didn't actually say that she doesn't wash, or that she goes to bed dirty - just that her feet are black.
If it's because she doesn't wash it's a problem- if it's because she has been barefoot long enough that he calluses are stained then he has to decide if one imperfect part of her body is worth leaving her over.

I am sort of icked out by all this barefootedness!I hate to wear shoes and socks...meaning I wear comfy sandals and often slippers around the house.
When I was young I did go barefoot quite a bit, but it has lost its appeal.
Hard tile floors in my house and a bad back make me want to wear cushioney sandals and I often lament that cute ones are few and far between.
My feet would hurt if I didn't wear some sort of shoes and wearing the wrong shoes with no support would give me a terrible back ache after awhile.
I live in FL, so sandals work most of the time.

Wow! This guy does not know what he is missing. To most of us guys a girl barefoot is very sexy and natural. Usually the girl that goes barefoot allot is not only sexy herself but is a very open warm person with a great personality and not materialistic! Girls in shorts and barefoot do get our attention. Giving each other a foot massage is very sensual and stimulating. Its also very gratifying and fun to go on barefoot walks together. I know many guys like myself who would love to have such a barefooter girlfriend! Can't believe this guy! He will end up losing her and will kick himself later on when he wakes up to the reality of what he lost. I have seen girls with great pedicures but still go barefoot allot. Only the bottoms of the feet get tough and callused; who cares. You don't see the bottoms of her feet that much and yes the dirt and grime do wash off. Steve