What is it about feet that makes so many people squirm? There are a lot of people out there who can not stand the sight of them. They can not bear to touch them and they can barely bring themselves to say the word - feet. I, however, am a fully fledged member of the feet fan club. I am seen by friends and family as strange due to my love and admiration of these much scorned body parts. But why is it odd to love these valuable and hard-working, southern friends? I put it to you all in this hub, that hating feet is a travesty and a trend that we should definitely try and buck. My hope is that if you take the time to read this hub, you will have a new found admiration for your flippers.

Firstly I would like to acknowledge those who truly have foot phobias. Which, by the way, means that you suffer from podophobia. It is with all sincerity that I say that it must be truly awful to be that terrified of things from which there is no escape. I expect I would have lost a lot of the true phobics at the title stage of this piece. This hub however is directed at the foot haters. Those people who don't suffer from a foot phobia but find feet aesthetically unpleasing or unpleasant. Those people who think that feet should be never seen or discussed. You are the people that I have a bit of a problem with, not the podophobiacs!

So I did a bit of research and tried to find out why people hate feet. Here are some of the responses that I got:

• They smell
• They look strange
• They're often hairy

That was about all that people could come up with and then to make things worse I was told I had a "fetish" because I don't have a problem with them. Well that is feetism if I've ever heard it! I think the reason I spring to the defense of feet quite so vehemently is due to my complicated and tumultuous relationship with my own pods.

The story of my feet

There is no way around the fact that I am a large footed lady. For most of my life I have struggled with finding nice shoes for my size 9's (European). I used to try and get heels, I've learned there really is no point. At times in my life I have cursed my feet with such venom and hatred and wished fora much smaller, daintier pair. However, over time, I grew to love them and decided that it really wasn't to be helped that they were a little on the big size, if blame was to be apportioned, I should look in another direction, that of my parents (it always comes down to them). So I did.

I consider my feet to be excellently looked after and am pleased with how well they look. I think they look good because I always wear good sized shoes, I take the time to clean them thoroughly and give them rubs frequently. My husband told me when we were first dating, that I had the most beautiful feet he had ever seen (that clinched it for me), though I am aware that it isn't necessarily one of the compliments that most women are hoping for from a man , it made me feel good to have my big feet described as beautiful (he also told me I had good ear lobes!!).

25 Reasons why we should love our feet.

If you are fortunate enough to have feet, here are lots of reasons why you should celebrate them.

1. They help us balance.
2. They're unique and funny looking.
3. They're great for playing games where you have to kick things.
4. Good in self-defense situations.
5. Foot massages are one of the best ways to relax.
6. You can't play footsie under tables without them.
7. You can paint toenails and wear foot jewelery.
8. Lots of people (women) really like shoe shopping. No feet, no shoes.
9. Dancing is what feet do best.
10. Going barefoot on a sandy beach is what summer is about.
11. Feet rubs after a long walk.
12. Long walks.
13. Short walks.
14. Skipping and jumping.
15. Pedicures.
16. Toe jobs can be a real giggle.
17. Rubbing your feet together on cold nights to get warm.
18. The feel of nice new woolen socks on a cold morning.
19. Your cat/ dog/ child/ husband playing with your feet first thing in the morning.
20. It's great fun to pluck your partner's toe hair (just me then?).
21. Baby footprints are the cutest things ever.
22. Slippers.
23. Tapping your feet to a good beat.
24. Dipping your toes in to test the water.
25. Tip toeing about when you're being very sneaky.

Still hate your feet?

If so there is probably some ailment or reason why you do. The only thing I can advice you to do is seek medical advice if you suffer from a lot of pain in your feet. Here is some basic foot care advice that may help with odours and may help to improve how your feet look.

Basic Foot Care

If your feet smell, then do something about it.

• Wash them regularly
• Dry them thoroughly
• Check to see if you have a foot infection and if so get it treated
• Throw away really smelly shoes, they're harbouring bacteria and need to go.
• If you have foot creams, use them. Moisturising lotions are great for re-hydrating your feet.
• If you have dry skin and hard bits (as I call them) invest in a pumice stone.
• Cut your toenails regularly and push the cuticles in your toes down.
• Put on clean socks everyday.
• Wear shoes that fit properly.
• Let your feet breathe when you get the chance. Take your shoes of indoors and in summer take your socks off too.
• Treat your feet to a reflexology treatment or foot massage if your are feeling stressed and can afford it.
• Shave hairy toes if you dislike them that much.
• Paint your toenails .

Give your feet the respect they deserve, starting today.