I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: the audacity to have your bare feet out on an airplane is like walking around barefoot in a public restroom. Except, instead of it just being a germy affront to yourself, it’s a germy affront to everyone in the metal tube who is forced proximity to you thousands of feet off the ground. Even airlines themselves advise against going barefoot on airplanes.
But if you won’t listen to the wise counsel of a Thrillist writer, or the guidance of the airline you’re flying with, perhaps you’ll take the word of the second most powerful person in America, the former top cop of California, and the prolific speaker of the phrase “You didn’t just fall out of a coconut tree.” That’s right. US Vice President Kamala Harris has issued her official verdict on going barefoot on airplanes.
In a new interview with the hosts of the popular I’ve Had It podcast, VP Harris gave her thoughts on the matter during the show’s Had It or Hit It segment. (“Had it” meaning you’re over it, and “hit it” meaning you’re into it).
“Had it or hit: People taking shoes off on airplanes,” the host asked.
“Oh God. Had it,” Harris responds. “Completely. It’s awful. And then, if they take their shoes off and they cross their legs, their feet are just dangling right in front of you. It is just awful. Especially if they are sockless!”
Sure, this is probably just another attempt by a politician during an election year to seem relatable to a rightfully skeptic voting public. Harris hasn’t flown on anything but Air Force Two for years, and I can only hope that the Secret Service is taking their shoes off mid-flight, so I doubt this is an issue the VP genuinely faces… but still. PREACH! Her statement on the matter is still exactly how I feel. Especially the part about being sockless. Because really, how are you going to raw dog the plane air, the plane carpet, and expose the intimate details of your arches to the general public like that? And while she was joking, Harris did offer a potential solution: “We need a Department of Grievances,” she continued. “We have a lot of federal agencies, but not that one yet.”
And while Harris and the Biden administration haven’t released any formal decrees against going barefoot on airplanes (I unfortunately think this would venture into some civil liberties issues), I can’t lie. I take comfort in the fact maybe some potentially barefoot air traveler will now know of the Vice President’s disapproval of bare feet on airplanes, and might decide to keep their socks—at least—on for their next flight.