Pretty Feet

Dominican women have pretty feet. In fact, feet are an important focus for grooming, from the poorest to the richest. I suspect the reason for this is because your feet just get so dirty here. There are still lots of dirt roads, and there are poorly maintained sidewalks and junk all over. So when you go out, your feet get dirty. I imagine it to be somewhat like it was in Jesus' day. He mentioned to his host once that he hadn't given him any water so he could wash his feet.

On one of my first stays in the DR, when I was here for just a three month mission, a Dominican woman I lived with ask me out of curiosity if American women take care of their feet. I found it an odd question. To me, it was like asking if we took baths! I replied that we did indeed.

But now, I understand what she meant. Just washing your feet is not enough.
A Dominican woman puts foot care as an important part of her grooming routine. She will usually have another person "fix" her feet, often at a hair salon. There are lots of women who offer in-home service as well. For about $4.50US you can get complete foot care, which includes a pedicure.

This means from a half hour to an hour of individual attention.First you soak your feet. Then you are given a vigorous exfoliation, where any calouses are filed down. A cream is applied. Your nails are cut, if needed, and cleaned and painted, with a design drawn on, if you like.

When all this is done, your feet are soft and pretty.

Now I am originally a shy person, although I've come out of my shell a lot since I grew up. But I still have attacks of shyness. For me to have someone else working on my feet was embarrassing. It was as if I had a slave! Like Peter, when he saw Jesus washing the other disciple's feet, he felt it put Jesus below him, in the place of a servant. After years of living here in the DR, I still had never "had my feet done." I was just too embarrassed! But recently I resolved that I must, because my ugly American feet just don't fit in here! (Not ugly in the US, but ugly by comparison with the pretty Dominican feet that surround me.) So I told the lady at the salon nearby, that when she was bored with nothing to do, to call me over, and she could do my feet.

She called me over in the afternoon. Now here I am, not exactly knowing how this works, and what do I find? A group of five men were in the salon, just hanging out and talking, while I was to have my first foot session ever. I was horrified. Nevertheless, I knew that to them, this was nothing; just something in their normal routine; even men have their feet cared for, although they paint the nails with clear polish if at all.

About a half hour later, I walked out with soft, pretty feet. This is a new part of this Dominican Life for me!