Why Are Nipples Less Shocking Than Toes?

First, a word of clarification: I'm talking about my nipples. Some people's nipples are more shocking than others.

This was the most recent blogger-appropriate picture I could find

Over my running career I've run in a variety of states of dress and undress.  I've run in a shirt and shoes, I've run in a shirt and no shoes, I've run in shoes and no shirt, and I've run with no shirt or shoes. Now, it's perhaps not surprising that someone might raise an eyebrow at any one or all of those combinations, but what really surprises me is how much more of a reaction I get barefoot than shirtless.

There is a correlation between barefoot running and heart attacks; it's just other people's hearts that have the problem

And it's not just a difference in the level of reaction, either; there's a difference in the type of reaction. If you go about your day without a shirt on you'll get a reaction--specifically, a get-out-of-here-you-smelly-bum sort of reaction. However, if you go around without shoes on people assume you need help. Are you okay? Did you lose your shoes? Were your shoes stolen? Were you in some sort of shoe-related accident? Were you chased by an ax murderer through wet cement? Barefootedness is something for which people desperately need an explanation. 

Once I was running barefoot along the road and some people stopped their car and asked if I needed help. I thanked them and said no, I was fine. But they couldn't let it go.  "But... but you're barefoot..."  Had I been a more experienced barefoot runner I would have had a ready retort ("Oh my goodness, you're right!  Where did my shoes go?!"), but instead we both stared at each other quizzically for a brief moment until they drove on.  

"Roll up the window honey, and don't point at the crazy man"

Another time our apartment manager saw me running barefoot near our apartment and concluded that I had either gotten locked out or had been kicked out by my wife. Guy running around barefoot? There must be an explanation. 

I can't help wondering if this also explains the way people react to footwear. When I wear minimalist shoes like my Merrill Trail Gloves, no one really notices. When I wear Vibram FiveFingers (where people can tell that I have toes) I start getting weird looks. (I once was standing in a race corral wearing my VFFs when a small boy walked up to me, looked me in the eye, and pointed at my feet.  He didn't say anything but it was pretty clear he was thinking "Dude, what is wrong with you?"). When I'm in huaraches (where people can see my toes), I start getting much weirder looks. When I run barefoot--well, at that point people usually feel they need to intervene.

So what do you folks think? Are your experiences the same? Or do I just need to start waxing my toes?

I thought it looked more masculine this way