I usually bring/wear socks, or at least make sure my toes are painted before the annual exam. It has always crossed my mind that the medical professionals might take a peek at our feet.
Well, yesterday I went for my annual and as I was putting my feet in the stirrups, the doc commented that he and the nurse can always tell a busy woman from a leisurely one by their feet. He then proceeded to look at my feet and then say,"you must be one of the busy ones". Gee, thanks! Now, I had chipped polish on my toes on Sunday, which I removed and hadn't had a chance to redo before my appointment. Plus, I thought it was my own paranoia that they would actually care what was going on w/ my feet and decided not to worry about it. This is an older doctor who I have been to for the past 11 years. His nurse looked mortified, but he does have a dry sense of humor and zero bedside manner, so I wasn't shocked, but it confirmed my suspicion that they do pay attention to the feet. For the record, my feet are not funky, but probably could use a little attention.:)
My question to you: Do you make sure your feet are presentable before your annual exam? Do you wear socks? Do you care?
I’ve never thought my OB/GYN would look at my feet. Hell, I just try to tame the jungle and make sure I’ve showered that day.
I bring socks because my feet are always cold. But honestly, I don’t care- to use the words of your doctor, I am one of the ‘busy ones’. 
I usually always have on socks because my feet get cold quickly and dr offices are always cooler to me. But under those socks, my toes are always polished and I usually get a compliment/comment on the color. When I went in for my hysterectomy last March, they were bright orange and the topic of conversation with the nurses.
Ha ha! I have never thought of that before! I do wash my feet so that they don’t stink, but I get a pedicure for myself, not for my gyn! Hysterical!!
I have clean hand knit socks on my feet. Personally I’d prefer he pay attention to the parts of my body that require his attention and not my feet/socks.
I get a pedicure MAYBE 2 times a year. Once before Summer and once during the winter to get all the dry skin off. I have other things that I would rather spend my money on. I have a lot of nail polish and I’ve gotten pretty good at doing my own nails anyway. So, nope, I do not care about my feet when I go for my yearly check up. I just make sure to make my appointments for first thing in the morning so I’m just showered up and clean.
Ha. I’ve never had a pedicure in my life…
My doc is lucky if I decide to do a little landscaping. I figure that, as I practice basic hygiene, my feet (and nether region) can’t possibly be the worst he has seen in his profession… And I’m certainly not trying to impress him. So I really don’t care. Lol.
I’m usually more concerned about making sure my lady parts neat and tidy. Never thought about my feet.
I don’t care.
My feet are fine polished or not.
No biggie to me.
Nor my Doc.
No.
No.
And no.
I always wear socks and leave them on because the idea of walking on the exam room in my bare feet seriously grosses me out! Doesn’t matter what kind of exam I’m there for.
I always wear socks. If I like my GYN, I shave my legs. Just kidding. I love my GYN, but remembering to shave my legs before the appointment is a little far. I need at least the promise of dinner and a movie for that.
The nurse was mortified because the doctor was being a big uncouth! I’m sure he thought he was being funny, but he’s walking a tightrope between telling some women they are vain and insufficiently busy (or wealthy enough to not work and to afford pedicures), and telling other women they are under-groomed but it’s excusable because they are working and busy. It’s an old-fashioned way of pitting employed women against SAHMs, women of means against those without.
No, I don’t do pedicures and I don’t give a damn what my doctor thinks! Given what the doctor is looking at and talking about, it seems feet are pretty unimportant. I am clean and wear deodorant (unless I’m getting a mammogram, when it’s not allowed), and I don’t care whether my legs are shaved. Any doctor who cares more about that than he does about my ovaries and uterus is not going to be my practitioner for long. I wear socks if it fits with my outfit for the day. If I’m wearing sneakers and I think my feet might be sweaty, then I do take fresh socks or take my sneakers off early (the nurse usually wants my shoes off before I get weighed anyway).
I care about odor, and not about appearance. I assume the doctor is the same. I don’t care how many advanced degrees, fellowships, and board positions the doctor has, he’s not an expert on cosmetics, nor is my appearance at all relevant to my medical condition. I don’t care if my hair is done, if my make-up is on or off, whether my shirt matches my jeans (not that it matters when I’m going to be asked to put on a lovely paper gown), or whether my roots need a touch-up!
Omigosh. What my doctor thinks about my feet (or any other body part NOT under his/her immediate care) is none of my concern. I’m generally presentable all over, but that’s for ME (for some reason, I like being clean and tidy), not for someone else.
Had my doc said something like that, I probably would have blurted out “Dude, really?” and given him a weird look.
No. I make sure my girl parts are groomed and my feet aren’t stinky. That’s it!
I had my first pedicure Monday. I was wondering how she felt about the fact that my legs aren’t shaved.
(I’m not being snarky, I’m serious and commiserating with you.)
Good heavens, no! (socks, yes)
I’m in my 60’s and have watched the bar for women’s grooming rising for decades. It strikes me as sad, a bit intimidating, and frankly, impractical to have to primp for everything. What is that fear about, that others are judging every. single. detail. about us?
Clean and groomed is what I’ve always aimed for, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard it suggested that we should pretty-up for our doctors.
I’m sorry, but I’m paying a doctor to look at my nether regions and check my boobs. I don’t really care what she thinks about the rest of it. And I wear socks because I never know the condition of the feet in the stirrups before mine. Athlete’s foot? No, thanks.
Seriously… why would I pay for 'maintenance" when I’m paying her for an uncomfortable exam? I don’t do it for my husband, who I love and who supports me-- why would I do it for anyone else?
ETA: Exactly, Peg. I mean, I heard so many women talking about getting bikini waxes before giving birth… why go through pain so you can go through more pain? When did body hair become the thing to worry about?
I make sure my vagina is washed.
I don’t care about my feet.