Whether you're one to have your toes painted weekly, couldn't care less about shoes, or basically know the difference between espadrilles and Mary Janes ... whether you're always in search of the "perfect pair" or have never heard of Manolo Blahnik, whether you're barefoot most of the day or your feet are in agony without adequate arch support ... this piece you have GOT to read. Manolo's ideas and the comments that follow are not so much about footwear as these are about the attitudes reflected behind our "shod-dy" choices.
Flip-Flopping Away the Career
Manolo says, here is the obvious article about the various career dangers of the flip-flops.
With more women wearing flip-flops to the office this summer, U.S. style gurus are warning that the casual shoe once mainly seen on the beach could be damaging to careers — as well as to feet.The Manolo’s internet friend the Miss Meghan she is, as usual, exactly correct. Unless you are working as the waitress at the beach cafe, or are the Jimmy Buffet, you should not be wearing the flip-flops to your place of professional employment.[…]
An online survey conducted for retailers Old Navy and Gap found flip-flops topped the list of wardrobe items that college and high school students planned to wear to work this summer.
More than 31 percent of women said flip-flops were the single “must have” item for work this summer.
But many companies disagree.
“The dress code says no beach wear and flip-flops are considered beach wear,” said a spokeswoman for BNP Paribas.
Style gurus warn that flip-flops, which are worn mainly by younger women, could be harmful to a career.
“Shoes convey the mood of a woman. Wearing flip-flops conveys the mood that you are relaxed and on vacation. That’s not a good message in the office,” said Meghan Cleary, a style commentator who wrote the book “The Perfect Fit: What Your Shoes Say About You.”
And it is silly that we must even discuss this, just as it was silly last year when we were compelled to discuss the flip-flopping in the House of Whiteness.
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Comments:
Gina Says:
June 29th, 2006 at 11:14 am
I think I have seen it all: flip-flops at a funeral. The mourner was in her late teens; she was wearing a very appropriate black dress. But she was wearing flip-flops on her feet. At her grandmother’s funeral.
Peter Gøthgen Says:
June 29th, 2006 at 11:59 am
I teach at a public middle school. We were told several times that flip-flops are a no-no for both students and teachers. Many wore them anyway.
What they fail to realize is that it becomes a safety issue. If the building catches fire (after seeing the build-up of lint in the dryers I was surprised it hadn’t already), or some other emergency happens, you need to be able to get out of the building. Flip flops = tripping = pile of people = obstruction = danger for even those smart enough to wear proper footwear.
Plus, as the wife says, they are ugly.
Nabushi Says:
June 29th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Manolo, thank you for highlighting this article. I work at a university, my department hires undergraduates as support staff, and we have a policy against flip flops in the office. We ask them to either wear “real” shoes or bring them to change into while they are at work - otherwise they are sent home to put on some real shoes, which effectively makes them “late.” Anyway, they always want to know WHY - well, no one wants to see their naked, possibly dirty, feet, and now we have THIS article to hand to them! Many, many thanks! (we also have a policy against exposed flesh between the neckline and the knees, after having seen far too many stretch-marked muffin tops, hairy butt cracks, and the center tips of bra underwires - but maybe that’s for another blog)
Zarba Says:
June 29th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
Why would a parent allow their teenager to wear the flip-flops to a funeral???
A well-adminstered beating should suffice to make the point.
It’s a sad commentary on the state of parenthood that someone would be so afraid of offending their little “Britni, y’know, with an ‘i’”, that they would allow their child to be so inappropriately dressed for such a solemn occasion.
And yes, you may wear the flip flops to your interview. It makes it that much easier for me to weed out the unqualified candidates. I’m amazed that someone would have the temerity to ask “Why?”. BECAUSE IT’S INAPPROPRIATE BUSINESS ATTIRE, STUPID!
Read more comments at Manolo's Shoe Blog
P.S. Here's a previous post that contains a light but insightful read about them flip-flops once again. Hope you get a kick out of it, too!
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