YMMV

Yes, I wear out ballet slippers when I weave.

People are always looking for definitive answers when weaving is full of variables.

My goal is to help people prevent injury.  I cite principles.  People hear firm statements.

Yes, I recommend people not go barefoot to weave.  With these caveats:

Weaving on a Scandinavian style loom that is easy to treadle probably doesn't require footwear.  Unless the weaver is weaving for long periods of time.

Weaving on a jack type loom that is heavy to treadle/lift the shafts?  I highly recommend some kind of foot protection, especially if they are weaving for lengthy periods of time.

When I started weaving I did not wear anything but socks.  But my goal was to production weave/earn an income, and I was spending 5-6 hours a day at the loom.  At the time I was weaving on Leclerc jack type looms.  Very quickly I became aware of growing tenderness in the soles of my feet from the repeated treadling.

Since I was, at the time, an adult ballet student I grabbed my leather slippers with the heavier, thicker sole, close fitting to my feet, and started wearing them to weave.

The reduction in tenderness was quick and I was able to meet my daily goals of weaving without further problems.

When I got the AVL, the loom was rising shed and 16 shafts.  It was also 60" weaving width and very heavy to lift.  At the time I was taking aerobics classes and quickly became aware that my feet were going to have problems if I didn't do something to protect them.  So I grabbed a pair of the shoes I was wearing for aerobics class and again, the improvement to my feet was immediate.

So I share my story of my feet (and another weaver, who upon weaving for many hours over the course of a short period of time wound up barely able to walk until the inflammation in her feet settled) and give the conditions under which I chose to wear foot protection and why I think it is a good idea generally.

Because I don't want people to wind up with repetitive injury to their bodies.

But then I hear of people saying "Laura says you must..."

What Laura actually says is - given these circumstances X is a good idea.  Y is a bad idea.  And then I say why.  What happens is that the ''why" seems to get lost along the way.

Choose an expert.  Learn as much as you can from them.  Then find out what a different expert says.  Learn as much as you can from them.  Adopt what seems appropriate to you.  Ignore the rest.  But please, be aware of the principles, the variables.

We are all different.  We come to the craft with different underlying health issues, different injuries, different physical abilities and disabilities.  We have to find our own best practice.  Understand the ergonomics.  Understand the physical toll weaving for hours a day can take, especially with the different types of equipment.  Understand that there is no gain from weaving in pain.

People susceptible to inflammation need to be particularly careful with repetitive motion injury.  If a weaver is only ever weaving for a few minutes a day there is probably little risk.  YMMV.

Stay well.