Wearing flip flops

A flip flops page on a site about going barefoot? Yeah, I know some of the most avid barefooters will frown on this but hey, let's face it; as much as we like to, we all can't go sans footwear all the time because of school/work, the weather (too hot or too cold), or some establishments refusing to let us in with nothing on our feet. In those situations flip flops are the next best thing.

When you wear flip flops most of your feet are exposed except your soles don't touch the ground. Your feet are free to breathe as they're not enclosed like when you wear shoes. It's also very easy to slip them off whenever you want to. So you are essentially one step away from being totally bare footed.

I also like them because they look cool and stylish and you don't really have to spend a lot of money unless you want to wear the designer flip flops sandals. I wear them especially in Winter and in any of the situations I mentioned above. When flip flops were starting to get popular many years ago, they were mostly worn by girls. But I didn't care, I wore them too and you know what? Today there are many guys who wear flip flops. Yes, even older men. I must have started the trend. He he!

Another thing I like about wearing flip flops is that they make fun noises when slapping against the soles of your feet, hence the name. Flip flops are also called various names in different parts of the world. It's jandals in New Zealand, rubber slippers in Hawaii, havaianas in other places like Brazil (which is interesting because I believe it refers to "Hawaiian"), and the Japanese wooden kind are also called zoris.

When the weather gets warm flip flops rule! You see them everywhere. At the malls, movie theaters, restaurants, and many other places where people hang out. Even in places where more formal dress is required, women get away with wearing flip flops, granted they're the fancier kinds. There are even wedding flip flops made for that special occasion in your life, mostly bridal, although I recently read somewhere on the internet about a man who wore his favorite footwear (you guessed it!) at his daughter's wedding. I think that's really cool :) Flip flops have simply become the most popular footwear of the 21st century.

The following is related by a girl who loves flip flops...

Flip flops are the greatest invention ever. At least, in my world they are. There is absolutely nothing more comfortable to put on my feet than flip flops. I'm not too picky with mine. I have every color imaginable and every material ever made. I also have a couple pairs of platform flip flops. The canvas ones are my absolute favorite and I save the leather dressier ones for parties and other formal occasions.

Why do I love flip flops so much? Well, that won't be too hard to answer. Not only are they easy to slip on and off, but they also let you show off whatever new color nail polish you put on your toes. You can get them wet and there's no harm done. Every brand name, generic or well-known, makes them. Walk through any department store or shoe store and you'll see tons of flip flops in every color and material.

I have a pair of Skechers flip flops that I absolutely love. However, I have also bought some of the most adorable pairs at Payless. I could probably purchase 3 pairs of cheap flip flops for the price of one pair of Sketchers. It just depends on what you're looking for and how much of an emphasis you place on where your footwear comes from. To me, flip flops are wonderful no matter what brand they are.

When I was a kid, the only kind of flip flops were the rubber kind that irritated your toes when you wore them. After you had permanent calluses on your toes, then they were comfortable. Finally, some people stepped outside the box and invented flip flops that made your feet happy. Whoever those cool people were that finally took that creative step, I owe them a huge thank you.

My workplace has a fairly strict dress code. I've tried to test it a few times by wearing outfits or items that aren't acceptable. Technically, we are not supposed to wear flip flops for any reason. However, I sprained my ankle one time shortly after I started working for the company and it was incredibly uncomfortable to wear any type of shoes. My boss was kind enough to let me wear flip flops to work until the pain was more bearable. Needless to say, I was a bit sad when I had to switch back to regular shoes after my ankle and feet got better.

At the moment, I have several pairs of flip flops in my living room. My boyfriend trips over them constantly and that drives him nuts :) They vary in price range and are a girl's best friend. Well, at least they're my best friend. Next to chocolate, that is :)

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At most places that don't allow bare feet, flip flops will get you in which doesn't make sense to me since your feet are still bare for the most part but I guess that's better than being required to wear "real" shoes. So if you don't even own a pair of flip flops yet you should consider trading some of your shoes for them :) But please... don't ever wear socks with them! That's an abomination.

Some people believe there are health risks of wearing flip flops. I'm no expert, and may be biased, but people like to attribute "risks" to things they don't approve of such as going barefoot or even wearing flip flops to discourage others from doing it. So, take their warning with a grain of salt and remember, there's always risks in life no matter what you do.

Flip flops are here to stay, for the many reasons cited above, at least for a while if not permanently like in Hawaii where they have been the footwear of choice for generations. The only thing to replace flip flops that would make me happy would be total bare feet. Who knows, that will be the next fashionable thing!

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