# A word of warning about flip flops **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 31, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507 "2014-07-31T17:41:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/41 "2014-08-01T14:24:12Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > I get that too. I would like to be able to enjoy flip-flops, but they always feel like they are about to fall off my feet, so I end up walking in a curled-toed shuffle. What is the secret? Straps might be too loose if they actually do fall off or you just need to get used to the feeling if they’re not. Try just walking normally and see what happens. I wear them all the time. I actually keep a pair in my car and swap to them because they are much easier to drive in than heels. Not all flipflops are the $1 a pair flimsy sandals, I have a several with moulded foot beds and wide side straps that provide more support than most running shoes. I am incredibly clumsy overall, I can fall off my bare feet on a flat surface but I have no more issues while wearing flipflops than I do in any other shoes. ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/42 "2014-08-01T16:00:06Z")
> [@Lorene89095](#): > > Do not wear flip-flops when working with horses! You cannot dodge or take that safety step backwards This, plus 1,000. You do not want to know what the top of your almost bare foot will look like after a 1,100+ lb animal with very hard feet has stepped on it. Trust me on this. It is not pretty. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/43 "2014-08-01T17:35:00Z")
> [@](#): > > But there was a weird family that called them “zories”. Yes, that was us. Mid-Atlantic area, early 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/44 "2014-08-01T19:08:08Z")
Don’t tell that to this guy - he ran a [sub-3 hour marathon in flip flops](http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/pulse/201210/man-runs-246-marathon-flip-flops-runners-world). Altho he says he would never do it again. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/45 "2014-08-01T19:13:21Z")
I just hate seeing people wearing flip-flops in the gym. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/46 "2014-08-01T19:17:29Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > I don’t think the OP means Tevas > > Never ever ride or drive a motorcycle while wearing flip flops. Just saying. Oh HELL no. Spoiler box contains extremely graphic picture, open at your own risk: [And this is why you never wear flip flops on a motorcycle.](http://imgur.com/gallery/G8odAIu) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/47 "2014-08-01T20:23:30Z")
Surely this should be titled “A word of warning about cliffs”. -RNATB, Floridian and every-day flip-flop wearer ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/48 "2014-08-01T20:58:33Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Surely this should be titled “A word of warning about cliffs”. 😃 It’s also very dangerous to wear flip flops in shark-infested waters. NEVER wear flip flops while playing Russian Roulette. And ALWAYS take your flip flops off before running with scissors. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/49 "2014-08-01T21:43:22Z")
> [@Hermione](#): > > On a somewhat less dramatic but still important note: > > I remember reading some comments from a foot doctor who said he’d been seeing more and more orthopedic problems in young adults in recent years. He said that much of it could be traced to the fact that kids/teenagers were using flip-flops as everyday wear, when they were really only meant to be pool/beach wear, and didn’t provide the kind of support that everyday shoes did. Can’t be any worse than heels, though. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/50 "2014-08-01T21:47:06Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Oh HELL no. Spoiler box contains extremely graphic picture, open at your own risk: > > [And this is why you never wear flip flops on a motorcycle.](http://imgur.com/gallery/G8odAIu) Now _that’s_ road rash! And I thought falling off my bicycle in bare feet was bad. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/51 "2014-08-02T18:44:31Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Can’t be any worse than heels, though. I can’t understand why anyone would ever want them or wear flip flops. They seem completely useless and pointless to me. Stupid too. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507/52 "2014-08-03T00:23:08Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > IIRC, it’s actually unlawful to wear thongs when driving a car in Australia. Yeah, so not true. There is no specific legislation regarding footwear while driving. In the case of an accident, where footwear has, or could have interfered with the pedals, it can be considered a contributing factor in not having full control of the vehicle, but there is no law against wearing thongs while driving. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-word-of-warning-about-flip-flops/694507.md?page=2)