Flip-flops are stylish to some SU students, sole offenders to others
Flip-flops have become a polarizing choice of footwear among Syracuse University students. While many appreciate the freeing nature of the shoe, others believe one must have well-kept feet to pull them off. Kendall Thompson | Contributing Illustrator
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Whenever Tommy Handen checks his weather app and sees the temperature is anywhere above 50 degrees, he knows it’s time to whip out his favorite shoe: flip-flops.
Handen’s classic way of styling his Rainbows (the “most comfortable, best looking flip-flops on this planet”) is simple.
“Probably just put my left one in first, then my right and then it’s perfect,” the Syracuse University freshman said.
On SU’s campus, the sandal is a popular footwear option, though the weather may not always warrant wearing them. After long months of a bitter Syracuse winter, it’s no question that students like Handen want to wear a shoe that symbolizes sunnier seasons. While they’re not the most durable option, flip-flops are easiest to slide on straight out of bed.
Whatever the brand or style may be — leather Rainbows or plastic Havaianas — flip-flops are making a resurgence.
Sophomore Pippa Nilson breaks them out whenever she has the chance, a habit she’s carried since high school. She bought her Rainbows over two years ago, and they’re now perfectly molded to the shape of her foot. The band’s braided design is fashionable, Nilson said. And, they make for a comfortable sandal that doesn’t restrict her feet.
“If I’m wearing sneakers, I’m wearing socks, but I don’t like shoes very much,” Nilson said. “I would rather just be barefoot, but obviously it’s not socially acceptable.”
So, flip-flops are the simple solution. When lounging on any campus green, it’s easy to throw them off and touch the grass.
To some students who are adamantly opposed to the shoe, like junior Taylor Whitmore, Nilson’s reasoning is exactly why flip-flops are unreasonable. When first asked about her opinion on the sandal, Whitmore said she was “pretty neutral.” But the more she thought about it, the more irritated she got.
“It’s a poor excuse for a shoe,” Whitmore said. “You know what it is? It’s for the people that like to just not wear shoes in public, it genuinely feels like a psyop.”
This hatred started at a young age. She’d never agreed with the placement of the strap between the toes and felt it was “invasive” to her feet. On top of that, the lack of support makes them impractical — it’s impossible to walk or run in flip-flops without them falling off your feet, Whitmore said.
Though Nilson and Handen are fans of flip-flops, they’ve sometimes received backlash. In high school, Handen tried to sport them every day of the year. Handen, who’s from Maryland, said there were definitely cold days when he got some strange looks.
On some occasions, Nilson wore sandals and had her close friends take pictures of her, poking fun at her footwear choice.
Aside from the convenience of flip-flops, part of the appeal of Rainbows is the aesthetic, Nilson said. Among members of Generation Z like Nilson, they still hold the same appeal as they did when they were founded.
Started by Californian Jay Longley in the 1970s, they quickly gained popularity among surfers. In the 2000s, they became even more mainstream for their durability and casual fashion appeal.
For girls, they’re stylish and comfortable. On the other hand, the influx of men wearing sandals has birthed the trend of “frat flops.”
Both Nilson and Whitmore were wary of supporting frat men exposing their feet.
“If you wear flip-flops, you kind of have an obligation to everybody else around you to not have gross feet,” Nilson said.
Flip-flops are often a regional trend, as Nilson’s always been around flip-flops growing up in Boston and Cape Cod. She was originally influenced to buy them by her friends back home. But Whitmore, who’s from the Bay Area, stands strong in her belief that flip-flops should only be worn near a body of water, not on a college campus like SU.
“If you’re wearing flip-flops and you’re not like 50 feet from sand or actively on a beach, you have problems,” Whitmore said.
A clear crowd divider among students, flip-flops signal a change on SU’s campus — whether you love or hate them. When the open-toed shoes first start showing up, Nilson said it means the warmth has started. But when it comes to Syracuse’s notoriously cold weather, she said people are trying to force the sunshine.
Though a surge of flip-flops around SU’s campus means spring has fully arrived, and summer’s soon to approach.
“If I see a bunch of people wearing flip-flops on campus, it just puts a smile on my face,” Handen said. “You know the day is going to be good.”
