Ban flip-flops, bring sexy back!***
I experienced a revelation while walking through downtown yesterday. I have long despised the current ultra-flat flip-flop trend among women but couldn't quite put my finger on why. As I was walking behind a lady with my gaze modestly cast downward toward her feet, I observed her shuffling, skewed-toe gait. I realized that the reason for this acute foot angle was to better prevent her little flip-flops from flying off. The net result of this understandable and natural flip-flop preservation mechanism is to create an overall walk that is actually more of a waddle. And then I began to see it everywhere - all the girls wearing flip-flops were walking in this kind of undignified trundling manner. What happened to stodgily-dressed, conservative DC? I long for the smart and classy fashion of women in old Hollywood. The casual look has gone too far. I guess the equality of the sexes has really come to pass - now women are as slovenly as guys. This flip-flop hegemony has got to end. I want to see women walking with their toes out in front of them, tall and proud. Have some dignity, have some posture, ban the flip-flops, bring sexy back!
Completely coincidentally, I came across this article in Tuesday's Express that offers a solution to this very problem. It notes that not only does walking with toes pointed straight ahead improve posture, it also burns more calories! Ladies, I'm telling you, you have to start this revolution!
***Editor's Note: after considering some of the comments on this post and receiving feedback from respected female readers it has been pointed out to me that my diatribe focusing on women's footwear and appearance were basically, well, sexist. The intention of my post, while not very well thought out, was to criticize a specific trend that I think has gone too far. By focusing on how I think it makes women look I may have come off as a dude whose only hope is to make women look better for my own viewing pleasure. Not my intention. I should have pointed out that guys wearing flip-flops walk with an slouching shuffle too. And I could mention that the popped-collar polo shirt looked pompous and tacky in the 80s and it looks even more pompous and tacky 20 years later. It's all part of the over-casualization of our culture. My comment about women in old Hollywood applies just as well to men - people used to want to look classy when they went out in public. I guess I have a kind of misplaced nostalgia for the days when even a poor man wore a suit every day because that's what a self-respecting person who wanted to move up in the world did. Anyway, it was just another flippant comment in the blogosphere. Sorry for the offending remarks. Geez, I feel like a disgraced government official.
28 comments:
I hate the flip flops just as much as you, although I must point out the obvious: It is really hard finding comfortable shoes that are easy to walk in and look cute and classy. Although I would like to note that ballet flats are often a good solution to said problem. You just have to break them in...
hey pretty -
it's really not that hard to find a comfortable flip-flop alternative. I've done a multitude of posts on commuter shoe options, all of which are super cute and none of which flip or flop. There are gladiator sandals, ballet flats, among others.
I'm with this blogger all the way -- ban the flip-flops!
being a native californian, i used to live in flip flops. it's a difficult habit to break, let me tell ya.
i hear what you're saying, but i'd still rather wear the flip flops on my way to work (especially when it's 95 degrees outside) and break out the sexy shoes as soon as i get to work.
can someone explain the widespread popularity of these shoes? excuse me-"shoes?" i guess i am old fashioned, but i hate this weird mix of (often)classy pants suits
and a touch of ocean city....it reminds me of the film "invasion of the body snatchers".. generation "f".
I think you have unrealistic expectations. You ask, "What happened to stodgily-dressed, conservative DC" and then say that you "long for the smart and classy fashion of women in old Hollywood." Okay - you can't have both. Let us be honest, you'll be lucky to get stodgily-dressed conservative, let alone old Hollywood. The reason women wear flip-flops in DC is the same reason you won't see them dressing like old Hollywood - the women in DC are practical. We are serious, practical women and we put comfort, efficiency and function before fashion. Additionally, most of us fear that if we were to stray from our Ann Taylor twin sets and Banana Republic suiting, that we wouldn't be given the respect we've worked hard for. If you are fashionable, most times people assume you are vapid and unintelligent - that you spend more time thinking about shoes, accessories and this season's must have high-waisted pencil skirt versus the pressing issue of the day. If you want the streets of DC to morph into some catwalk, good luck - try New York instead.
Amen! I hate flip flops and the thwack-thwack-thwack you hear when they are headed your way. In my world, they are reserved for the shower at the gym. And cut your freaking toe nails!
My solution to comfort walking around town or from the bus stop to the office is flats. I often bring my grown-up shoes with me.
Hey ladies on the Metro,
Keep wearing the flipflops. I love crunching your unprotected toes underfoot as you all cram aboard at Pentagon station.
Flip flips are verboten at my office, so I wear them on weekends out of protest. But yeah, they make me look squat.
"we put comfort, efficiency and function before fashion."
Bullshit. This is all about fashion. Women wearing flip flops are not wearing them out of comfort before fashion. The fact is that flip flops are not really that comfortable to wear. They are worn to project a sorority girly image. It says to me "I'm not to be taken seriously"
Wearing flip flops on city streets is just revolting. You might as well walk around barefoot, because your feet are clearly touching the ground a dozen different ways as you shuffle around the city. If you want comfort, there are a lot of different solutions (as noted by others). Leave the flip flops for the beach, where they belong.
ugh...no love here for the f-ing flip flop!!... i saw a girl yesterday..and eww..the bottoms of her feet were filthy....
ewww...
i'm 5' tall.. i wear at least 4 inches EVERYWHERE i go...so..
i know it can be done and a few of us..still do it..
and i dont do it for men..i do it for me!..
i love my heels and unless im at the gym..
you'll just never catch me in anything flat..even in the snow.. my doc martens have a good three inches!
xoxo
You have got to be kidding me. I have never been more disturbed by such stuffy, elitist talk. Flip flops are incredibly comfortable if you buy ones that are flexible; the waddle is only from women wearing rigid flip flops. They are also the most practical comfort shoes for hot DC days. I agree that ballet flats are a stylish alternative, but when it's chilly and not so hot and humid that my feet are dying for a breath of fresh air. Once in the comfort of my air conditioned office, I always, of course, don more appropriate footwear. Come on, let's be practical.
my sexist-ness
your mitigation=slight success. at least you're aware of it.
because really, your post is *all about* how your issue with flip flops is how they make women look to you. if you meant something else - e.g. flip flops are too casual looking - you should've written about how flip flops are too casual looking.
Seconded kate.d. When men's work shoes are as uncomfortable as women's work shoes, then let's talk about walking 2 miles a day in 100-degree heat in them. In the look-cute-on-the-street vs. blisters-and-pain-all-day equation...you lose.
Flats can work, but flipflops are cheaper.
What sort of commute requires a two mile walk? And seriously, you probably should wear something other than flip-flops to walk two miles.
You were exaggerating for effect, obviously, but seriously, how far do you actually walk in the morning? Five blocks? Ten blocks? If you can't handle that is office shoes, you bought the wrong shoes.
And seriously, all these reasons are bullshit. You choose flip flops because you think they're fashionable and there is a specific look you are trying to achieve: namely the girly sorority look. Well you achieved it.
You could wear flats, slippers, loafers, comfortable dress shoes, etc.
But you don't. You wear a child's shoe and then wonder why people think you're childish for doing so.
There are plenty of "commuter" shoes that women can (and many do) that aren't flip flops. When I see a woman in flip flops, I think she is the easy one at the frat party and is about at relevant as one. And you are dead on with the "waddle".
And no one says you have to wear heels, there are plenty of women's dress shoes that are flats and men's work shoes aren't that comfortable when it is 95 degrees out. Women already get the benefit of wearing light blouses and skirts in hot weather while we are stuck in our pants and ties. Don't complain to me about covering your toes up for a 10 minute walk.
this whole conversation is really ridiculous. get on with your life and do something productive -- stop bitching about the shoes someone wears.
what next, are you going to start complaining that the homeless person's sweatshirt isn't appropriate enough for your HIGH and MIGHTY washington dc streets?
open your eyes to the things that matter in life -- here's a hint -- it is note flip flops.
You know, it's not just the comfort option. It's the practical option. Flip-flops can fit in your purse. Smelly? Perhaps. But it helps to fix the issue of wearing nice dressy shoes in the city and walking all around DC's pavement.
I don't get the deal with being anti-flip-flop. Especially when a lady's pro-pedicure.
When I see a woman in flip flops, I think she is the easy one at the frat party and is about at relevant as one.
well now, every morning when i slide on my flip flops, i'm going to intone to myself in my best dan ackroyd impersonation:
"kate, you irrelevant slut."
thank you so much for sharing this insight. i had no idea how much your personal opinion of my apparent skankiness and lack of significance was supposed to matter to my footwear decision-making until you pointed it out! my gratitude knows no bounds.
now kindly piss off.
"You have got to be kidding me. I have never been more disturbed by such stuffy, elitist talk."
Nothing elitist about this. My boss wrote an memo stating no flip flops in the office. It's not about being elitist. it's about class, which seems to be in short supply these days.
For flip-flop defenders that can't understand the problem people have with them, read this string of comments and replace "popped collars" for "flip flops" and you might begin to understand how somebody's personal fashion tastes might irk someone else.
East Coast douchebaggery, all of this. Snooty, pretentious and old-world. I'm glad that my office-friendly flip-flops and I have a couple thousand miles of flyover country to buffer us from you, your class-conscious worldview, and your consumerist views of social propriety.
Wear flip flops to perpetuate a sorority status? I wasn't in a sorority and I never wore flip flops until I got to D.C. They're the only flat shoes I own besides the shoes that I cycle in. I have a 15-minute hike from the Metro to my office. I used to make that trek in heels. That really takes a toll on shoes after a while, so I occasionally wear flip flops and put my heels on at the office. I could care less who sees me in flip flops on my way to work. I am more offended by the multitudes of people who wear clothes that exacerbate their rolls during the summer.
Your post provoked me to write a blog entry. Wanted to give you a heads up. Enjoy your blog, but I disagree with you on this!
http://elainemeyer.wordpress.com/2007/06/26/bring-uncomfortable-back/
what worries me is not that women do or "should" wear sexy shoes to work, but that it all seems so conformist and mindless. like a uniform that people just.. well, wear... in its own way, these dang "shoes" are as much a part of the conformist ethic which strangles dc as the standard staid office wear folks tire of. whatever. this doesnt seem like a period in which people question anything...
To anonymous at 6:02:
Yes, I have a 2-mile RT trip to the metro (oh, excuse me, it's a .9 mile trip one way).
I used to wear sneakers, but people are always griping that it's tacky to wear those. Plus they're bulky.
Now I have a pair of Croc flip flops. They're comfy and padded and slip into my purse quite nicely when I get to a meeting and need to slip into my heels.
and ballet slippers are NOT comfortable to pound the pavement with. They're way too thin-soled.
Other observations:
1. You'll also notice that men wear socks with their shoes and women don't. The heat and humidity causes friction with a lot of leather shoes and thus blisters. I have a pair of extremely comfortable heels that I will not wear on hot and humid days.
2. And heels wear out very quickly when you have the kind of commute (Yes, two miles or 1.8 miles, if you will) that some of us have.
AMEN! Flip flops are the epitome of lazy dressing.
Don't want to walk a mile in 3.5" heels, don't wear them!
Love to wear Prom Girl dresses...
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