I'd spend a little more than $2 for flip flops, lest the chemicals burn you. (^)

ThatGuyGreg: I'd spend a little more than $2 for flip flops, stop buying cheap crap from Wal Mart that was made in China with no safety regulation, lest the chemicals burn you. (^)

FIFY.

I have a pair of flips I bought at Old Navy five years ago. I wear them a lot more than the expensive ones a stupid ex-boyfriend bought me from a trendy Beacon Hill boutique, because they're much more comfortable.

/flip-flops provide no support, people
//don't date pretentious douchbags who are concerned with how much your flipflops cost.

$50 flip-flop. I wear these more than I wear shoes. I can even run in them.

Every pair of flip-flops I've ever owned have come out of a jumbled bin, which is the way God intended them to be purchased.

Sanuk Tweakers for all rubber flip flops

Reef for casual flip flops (bottle opener feature is neato!)

Keen for hiking sandals (Teva are ok too, but I like the toe protection of Keens)

Cole Haan with Nike Air for dress sandals

Men should not wear flip flops or sandals unless they're at the pool or beach.

I bought relatively pricey flipflops once, and they flensed the skin off the tops of my feet.

Flipflops aren't good for your feet at all. They make you clench your toes together and walk with a slightly bowlegged shuffle. Not attractive.

Would this happen to be that hottie Asian Podiatrist that appears on Oparh from time to time. The one who started her own shoe company?

degreeless: Men who wear flip-flops with jeans should be shot on sight.

In Illinois? Sure. In Charleston, SC? Wrong-o, Bongo. Unless you mean "to work, at the office" then I whole-heartedly agree. Crocs, too.

God Is My Co-Pirate: I bought relatively pricey flipflops once, and they flensed the skin off the tops of my feet.

Flipflops aren't good for your feet at all. They make you clench your toes together and walk with a slightly bowlegged shuffle. Not attractive.

Flensed? Nice one, although that does sort of connote a layer of blubber on the tops of your feet.

I don't notice the awkward walking style to which you refer; probably because people spend a lot of the year in 'flops, so they don't lose proficiency. For some strange reason, when I wear them they don't clop-clop like everyone else's. I'm sure that's not good for my foot muscles.

FarkinHostile: FTW. [img - rasslin' shoes]

On or around a wrestling mat only... ever. They seem like a good idea but just look awful. Right on par with aqua socks or dive booties. To each his/her own, though.

technicolor-misfit: I don't understand how anyone can stand to wear flip-flops. I hated them when I was a kid and I hate them at the pool or beach. I can't think of one single reason I'd ever wear flip-flops again in my life.

As mentioned in the article, they fark with the way you walk and they drive me crazy. And it's not like they're particularly comfortable, and they're certainly not especially attractive.

I'm not a big fan of sandals either, but at least they strap around your heel so you don't have to hold them on by pinching your toes.

You answered your own question... you don't like sandals. Seems like a no-brainer. Mine don't affect the way I walk, are comfortable, and have been complimented for their appearance. They don't go with everything, duh... but accesorizing is a (really ghey-sounding, I know) skill.

Ack_Ack: I own a pair of Rainbows and I've been wearing them for 2.5 years. These things are indestructible.


I bought a pair of $2 walmart sandals 7 years ago and have worn them about 9 months out of the year ever since. About two weeks ago I finally wore through the bottom. It was a little bit emotional.

/did everything in those things
//including 5 years of marching band practice
///pissed the directors off to no end

There are 2 types of people in the world:

1) People who like sandals, and

2) People with really nasty-looking feet.

degreeless: Men who wear flip-flops with jeans should be shot on sight.

Tevas too?

Loves my Tevas!

Pantload: They probably don't "clop-clop" because you pick your feet up when you walk. Many people shuffle in flip flops, because they think they have to. I clench toes sometimes, that keeps the flip flop on, and provides for increased muscle tone

Shuffling in flip-flops makes me feel, and anyone else look, like a hungover failure. It is as if the effort of not only tying shoes, but actually picking your feet off the ground is an insurmountable demand. It screams "I'm hammock-bound!"

Not always a bad thing.

Teva spiders for kayaking/fishing

FarkinHostile: Also, we are on a thread about FLIP FLOPS and you are going to criticize the look of wrestling shoes? Really?

Yes. I. Am.

LowPlainsDrifter: Flips flops, ok. Sandals? Puh-leez. I refuse to ever give up the sandals I mow in and bicycle in during the summer time. Ain't, gonna, happen.

You mow in sandals? Bold move... foot injuries are about the most motherf*cking of all motherf*ckers because you can't walk with one. You may of course be referring to a ride-on mower, which in that case... it's Miller time!

Derkins: Does anybody here remember when we used to call them "thongs"?
Now it has a whole other meaning.

Same concept, nearly identical design, not nearly as fun to ogle.

Strobeguy: fashion

fashion special forces would be needed

technicolor-misfit: I don't understand how anyone can stand to wear flip-flops. I hated them when I was a kid and I hate them at the pool or beach. I can't think of one single reason I'd ever wear flip-flops again in my life.

As mentioned in the article, they fark with the way you walk and they drive me crazy. And it's not like they're particularly comfortable, and they're certainly not especially attractive.

I'm not a big fan of sandals either, but at least they strap around your heel so you don't have to hold them on by pinching your toes.

THIS.

But I hate all open forms of footware. Shoes FTW. Why I want to stare at my feet all day, watching them get nasty and dirty from walking around, is something I've never understood.

Strobeguy: I leave it to you...opinions?

My opinion: get new ones, or skip the socks and thrill to day-long exfoliation, your pick.

iamrobot: Circumstances under which you can be caught dead wearing sandals:

If you are female and under the age of 12
Theme parties (this includes 'beach parties' but NOT the actual beach)
situations where you are barefoot and your path is strewn with caltrops
inside your own home (not expecting company)
if you have a broken foot, one can be worn as long as the cast is visible

Of all the threads to troll... why waste your time? Don't wear sandals to the beach? Could you be any more obvious?

Strobeguy: I have pair of sandels with very rough bottoms

I can only wear them with white tube socks to cushion

My Sinister-in-law became the fashion police and said no-way

I leave it to you...opinions?

Get some less crappy sandals.

TheKnownUniverse: I like sandals, but I can't stand having anything between my toes. Limits my selection.

Well there you go... to thine own self be true.

theorellior: But I hate all open forms of footware. Shoes FTW. Why I want to stare at my feet all day, watching them get nasty and dirty from walking around, is something I've never understood.

In every life, we are faced with a choice: walk through the muck or around it. Some of us choose the latter, and for us the open shoe is still an option. Choose wisely.

FarkinHostile: Looks like I am out of your dating pool. :(

It ain't the shoes, dude.

Isuldir: Reefs. The green is actual fake turf. Feels like walking on (fake)grass with every step!

Nice... I've got to try them if I see them in a store.

factoryconnection: In every life, we are faced with a choice: walk through the muck or around it. Some of us choose the latter, and for us the open shoe is still an option. Choose wisely.

Sometimes there is no choice. Sometimes, it's all muck.

XTeacher: I have hated slaps since I was a little kid in the 70s. It's the thong between the toes that bugs the shiat out of me. When I camped across the U.S. a few summers ago, I kept a pair of cheap slaps as shower shoes for campgrounds, but that was the last time I've worn any.

I remember such irritation when I was young, and thus was skeptical, like many here, of reintroducing them to my wardrobe when I moved to Charleston. I disagree with some in here that say that they're all the same... better designs make for far less irritation, slip, wear, and retention of moisture (ew).

I have a pair of rubber Gap ones that have yet to do me wrong, and a pair of hemp/rubber Quicksilvers that I really love. Other brands haven't fared so well with me.

LowPlainsDrifter: Yeah, I'm sure. All I'm saying is that I have a very similar pair of sandals that are amazingly comfortable. So far I haven't had any Goth-Toe incidents, and let's hope that horror doesn't loom in my future!

When I see dudes at a metal show wearing 'flops, I auto-cringe for their inevitable, smashed-toe fate.

theorellior: Sometimes there is no choice. Sometimes, it's all muck.

Life is full of challenges.

iamrobot: If Roger E. Goddamn Mosley could spend his whole life on the beach and not wear flip-flops, the least you other motherfarkers could do is not wear them the five vacation days you spend there.

There are millions of people that go without drinking beer or consuming pork their whole lives. That doesn't mean that it is a good idea, even if they were on Magnum PI. I also live in Charleston; I spend a few more than 5 days annually at the beach, duh.

question_dj: $50 flip-flop. I wear these more than I wear shoes. I can even run in them.

I'm with you! I have 4 styles of the Chaco and wear them daily. Very high arch, and awesome support.

FarkinHostile: Now you're just being mean.

(runs from the thread sobbing)

I read an article in Livescience in which scientists report that sarcasm is an evolutionary advantage. So, that being said... go cry, emo kid!

girljen: That's a whole new perspective. And since that's the way I'm feeling today, I think I'm gonna ditch the tennis shoes for the flip-flops.

/and then I'll run 3785666396721 errands with baby in tow anyway
//ah well, I'll live vicariously through my shoes

I was referring to shuffling versus walking, I'm pro-flop all the way. Having an infant reinforces the good of shoes for which you don't have to sit or reach down. My son is very tolerant of being held upside-down, but I'm sure this isn't the norm.

MEN IN SANDALS ARE HOT!!

/sport sandals, not the $2 flip flops

drinkoffking: /plus their german so the whole hippy thing is delightfully ironic

How so? I've known some pretty hippie-ish Germans.

MEN IN SANDALS ARE HOT!!

/sport sandals, not the $2 flip flopsThyomorb: I like how the doctor basically says that all flip-flops are awful in TFA and submitter takes away "$2 flip flops not nearly as good for your feet as the $80 ones."

because it's true.

Pilikia: Interesting related article:

It took 4 million years of evolution to perfect the human foot. But we're wrecking it with every step we take.

Sweet article. I think I'll give barefoot walks another try; I'll have to build up the toughness in my soles that I had in my youth.

I'm not walking anywhere barefoot that I don't know by heart how to avoid dog sh*t, broken glass, and other nastiness.

ihatedumbpeople: You know what I can't stand? These slackers that come to work with their hair frazzled, wearing wrinkled clothes and flip flops.

Come on...try a little.

Hey, I put on my Sneaux sneakers today. Gimme a break.

iamrobot: Circumstances under which you can be caught dead wearing sandals:

If you are female and under the age of 12
Theme parties (this includes 'beach parties' but NOT the actual beach)
situations where you are barefoot and your path is strewn with caltrops
inside your own home (not expecting company)
if you have a broken foot, one can be worn as long as the cast is visible

THIS.

Nice sandals I have no problem with. Flip-flops are just trashy.

miltonbabbitt: FTA: Most of us take 10,000 to 20,000 steps a day, so you want to make each one as comfortable as possible.

Seriously? Those numbers seem a bit high for the computer age.

I got a pedometer from a weight-loss specialist that visited our company to pitch their wares. 10K/day is the goal; you've got to do some fairly dedicated walking sessions to achieve it. I'd say it is more believable if you walk/subway to work, so urban dwellers should have this easier.

FarkinHostile: Due to an unfortunate childhood accident, in which I sustained a head injury while running from a pack of dogs while wearing flip flops, I am unable to detect sarcasm. No, really!

They mentioned that a brain injury or affliction could prevent someone from detecting sarcasm, whether you're serious or not.

some_wild-eyed_8-foot_tall_maniac: I regularly cram my poor, abused feet into these, so I'm really getting a heel hook out of these replies.

/Couldn't have broken into 5.12s without 'em.

Could you elaborate? This thread really has me thinking about the "barefoot shoe" style of things. Those are climbing shoes, right?

some_wild-eyed_8-foot_tall_maniac: factoryconnection:
10K/day is the goal; you've got to do some fairly dedicated walking sessions to achieve it.

Running is faster.

The majority of my exercise is done at the helm of a stroller. A running stroller is not in the budget, and the regular ones' front wheels oscillate and cause you to stop violently when you reach a certain speed/load shift arrangement. So running is out.

I lament the loss of my once-great running prowess, but I got lazy.

shackelford: The female foot-lover in me is strongly upset at the lack of close-ups of young (not underage) womens' feet. Sandals, or not.

/proceed

Yeeeah...are you the guy who sat down next to me at a bus stop and asked if you could photograph my feet? Because the answer is still no.

Rokoh: flip flops are stupid. no one wants to see (or god forbid, smell) you stupid goddamn feet. put them in a regular shoe like a normal farkin person you sick savages.

Feet smell a lot less when the air circulates about them, allowing them to stay dry and mitigating the dark/moist/hot conditions in which stinky bacteria thrive.

FarkinHostile: I read the same article. Too subtle?

Nice one. I'm just sore because I was beaten to the punch submitting it by about 10 minutes, and the other submission didn't go green AFAIK.

Franklin Delanor Bluth: Flip Flops? SANDALS?? BAH

I have a pair of sprints and I absolutely love them. It's like having a thick callous on the bottom of your feet. You can feel sand, grit, carpet, gravel, etc. It forms your foot so you're really walking "barefoot" as opposed to walking with a arch in your step. Running in them is amazing. And now apparently they make cold water ones and an enclosed version. WANT

Seconded.

Philliam.H.Muffman: I understand that in some places if you are a man over 18, you should be married with 3 kids and never leave your house without your top hat. Thankfully, this is not the norm everywhere.

The top hat isn't necessary, I just don't want to see your man-feet at the office.

FarkinHostile: Pssst.....You do realize that wrestling shoes fit that description, right? And they come in hundreds of styles and colors.

Just sayin'.

Zing... but it is the high-top that is the problem, not the sole.

Franklin Delanor Bluth: If anyone is interested in these, I would highly recommend trying them out in a store first. They size strangely, and mine are a bit too long for me and the heel doesn't sit perfectly. Kinda sucks that they don't have a lot of distributors yet, but they're up some from last year when I bought them and put out two new styles in the same 12 months.

I guess I have a reason to go down to Hilton Head next time I visit my folks.

Merrikat: I do a lot of contract work for music venues here in Atlanta.

Does anyone else find it really comedically stupid to see people in flip flops at metal and punk and industrial concerts? I'm going to be one of Atlanta's oldest and dirtiest venues tonight doing work for what I can only assume are metal bands, and one gaggle of idiots there will be wearing flip flops.

I went to a GWAR show a while back and saw some dude get ruined because of this lack of fore-thought. I've broken a toe wearing combat boots due to people moshing into me (never really a mosher myself). I'll reserve the 'flops for Jack Johnson... boots for metal.

factoryconnection: I went to a GWAR show a while back and saw some dude get ruined because of this lack of fore-thought. I've broken a toe wearing combat boots due to people moshing into me (never really a mosher myself). I'll reserve the 'flops for Jack Johnson... boots for metal.

Oh man. If you wear flipflops to GWAR, you're just...well...I don't even know what to say.

technicolor-misfit: God Is My Co-Pirate - Yeeeah...are you the guy who sat down next to me at a bus stop and asked if you could photograph my feet? Because the answer is still no.


How about licking between your toes?

Well, I'm five months pregnant, so I suppose it depends on how many fetishes you like to combine at once.

technicolor-misfit: God Is My Co-Pirate - Well, I'm five months pregnant, so I suppose it depends on how many fetishes you like to combine at once.


Sweet...

You put out.

Once, anyway. :)

Senor Revington: Do they have good arch and impact support?

Read this (new window); the premise is that we only need cushioning and arch support to protect us from the unnatural positions that shoes demand. Your feet are good enough as-is. Thanks to Pilikia for the link.

msw-mojo: U are all teh ghey. There is only one.


This is it: the World's Most Comfortable ARCHED Sandal!
Truly one-of-a-kind, with a luxurious suede top, an all-suede thong strap, and the famous natural rubber sole that quickly molds itself to your own body to keep your feet cool and cushioned. Equally at home running with your dog, strolling on the beach, or dancing all night in the club, you will reach for these stylish sandals all summer long!

Kai Kai's...

Chacos are arched.

Merrikat: I do a lot of contract work for music venues here in Atlanta.

Does anyone else find it really comedically stupid to see people in flip flops at metal and punk and industrial concerts? I'm going to be one of Atlanta's oldest and dirtiest venues tonight doing work for what I can only assume are metal bands, and one gaggle of idiots there will be wearing flip flops.

So what you are saying is you want a "dress code" at punk/metal/industrial shows?

I'm a 40yr old x-hardcore punk rocker from "back in the day", and my non-conformist self would have to tell you to STFU, cause I'll wear whatever shoe I want to.

I never liked those darn flip-flops. Even as a kid I couldn't wear them because the darn piece that goes between your toes used to hurt like heck and would rub the skin off.

Of course, I recall when they first appeared. Initially, they were kind of stylish. Kids loved them because the makers churned them out in bright colors. Parents loved them because they were dirt cheap and if you lost one, you didn't really care.

Over time, IMO, they gradually settled into two niches: kids and the poor or slovenly.

You can't walk into a discount store here without a herd of fat women dressed in too tight cloths, krappy hair, big, loud mouths and pi$$ed off looks on their faces 'scuffing' around in those things.

See, you don't pick up your feet when wearing them. (Kids do.) You semi-slide them along the floor, making a distinctive, scrap-flap sound. The flap is when the sole comes up and hits the bottom of your big, dirty, fat foot. Then, you don't walk fast either. You use that slow walk known assortedly as the 'White trash trailer park Slide,' the 'Tub O Shiat' stomp and the 'Po black trash shuffle.'

I much prefer the Japanese lady's version, though their shoes are on clog-like stilts and they wisely wear socks to keep the little thong from eating up the spot between their toes and they actually pick up their feet.

Somewhere in the late 70s, manufacturers introduced tire tread versions for guys, using darker, more manly colors and college students bought them by the case. They didn't know that the concept was stolen from poverty ridden Africans who were chopping up old tires to use as shoes.

Then there's the fat folks who stump around in the things which have become so lopsided and worn that their feet actually slide halfway off one side or another or else they've just crushed the life out of the foam material, which was not designed to carry something weighing about the same amount as a Ford Courier Pickup Truck.

Another version is sandals designed kind of like low rider loafers, with no straps. I spot mainly white guys wearing them -- with socks. Usually white socks. And shorts. The gayness just screams for attention even if the wearer is not gay. Yuppies had a big thing for that type of foot wear. Usually slender guys in their 30s, wearing brand name shorts and shirts, balding at the front, carefully tanned, glasses hairy legs no one wants to see, big feet and a fanny pack.

You just know that locked up outside the store is a $2000 ultra-light 50 speed bicycle or a Mercedes convertible that belongs to them.

At least, one fashion has faded tremendously, around here and I'm glad to see it go. Those pointy-toed Cowboy Boots, with the curved in heels. Not biker boots, not the square toed Dingo Boots, but the Gen-yew-whine KOW-boy shiat stomping, kow kickin,' JD guzzling pointy-toed boots. Preferably worn so much that the leather has lost most of it's shape.

They've been replaced, unfortunately, by these high heeled, ladies shoes with extremely pointed toes that automatically add 1 additional size to their feet when they wear them.

Flip-flops, however, are just fine for the kids. Even teens -- though mainly only the girls -- with the platform sole version. And surfers. On kids they look just fine and kids magically know how to actually pick up their feet when walking in them. They even manage to run in the things.

Someone needs to inform the fat herd that clogs Walmart stores that soap is for feet also and when your fat feet spread out beyond the edges of the flip-flops, maybe you need to loose weight.

I came in for mention of two flip flops, I leave disappointed...

Havaianas



Fit Flops

Man, I hate sandals, flip-flops, and aqua-shoes. Lazy farkers can't be bothered to wear actual shoes, so they slip these ugly farking things on and let every get a good look at their feet.

Some of us don't WANT to see feet. Some of us don't like feet. And maybe YOUR feet are ugly and not worth showing off anyway.

This goes triple for asshat guys who wear them. Dude, open-toed shoes are OK for many women, because they actually get pedicures. In YOUR case, however, you probably chew your toenails off with your teeth, and your feet aren't exactly pleasant in the first place.

I will never wear sandals unless I happen to be on the beach. Anybody who wears them to work, or out shopping, or to class loses a lot of respect from me. It's like you're saying "fark it, I don't give a crap what a douchebag I look like" with every step.

Finally, being in Michigan, I was pretty annoyed to see so many idiots walking around in sandals or flip-flops IN THE WINTER, in the snow and freezing rain. It just proved my point, completely: The wearers of sandals are morans.

Flip flops don't have ankle support.

And if that weren't bad enough, they don't have steel toes.

Even my dress shoes have steel toes, it's the only way I'll leave the house.

/I'm the goth who will stomp your pansy-ass flip-flop sandal-wearing foot into a bloody pulp at a concert.
//I break my toes walking around barefoot. I wear shoes in the house to prevent that.