Spring is certainly in the air! How can I tell? It’s the emergence of flip-flops on campus! Throughout the hallways, toes are beginning to peek out from beneath tattered pant legs after a winter’s hibernation, flowering like tiny daffodil bulbs buried last fall. Before too long, stems of legs will appear and summer will finally be here.In the last couple of years, flip-flops appear to have returned to fashion with a vengeance. These minimal rubber shoes, produced in a rainbow of colors, are to be found on many a foot and were presumably named for the distinctive sound they emit that cannot be muted. Those that choose to wear flip-flops should at least feel obliged to partake in a little foot preening. Pretty nails and clean feet are a must (sorry guys, in my opinion, men’s large hairy toes and flip-flops are a gross combination and should be illegal!)
I, personally, have not worn flip-flops since I was a child. My mother believed them torturous: “How can you stand wearing them between your toes?” she would ask. Luckily, they were cheap enough for me to wangle a pair or two each summer.
My older brothers, of course, reveled in the game of “try to stand on the back of Nicole’s flip-flop as she walks.” This often resulted in snapping the back half completely off, resulting in my fury and a flip without a flop.
My twelve year-old daughter, Amy, and her friend Emily joined in the trend last summer and became proud owners of four-inch high wedged flip-flops that they simply “had to have.” In their adolescent state, these ninety-pound, five-feet tall girls tottered around and at first glance from the side could be easily mistaken for over-sized golf clubs.
Versatile and cheap, the flip-flop is a great addition to the summer wardrobe. What other shoes can be purchased in bulk for under $10? They pack easily, can be slipped on and off, will float should you lose one at the beach, and will dry as good as new. Try that with your $150 Uggs!
So it is again time to reach into the dark recesses of your closet and pull out last summer’s discarded flip-flops so that they can join the newly hatched baby birds in the chorus that welcomes spring.