# Another ? for the ladies- re: birkenstocks **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875 **Category:** In My Humble Opinion **Created:** [August 8, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875 "2002-08-08T00:14:57Z") **Posts on this page:** 20 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/1 "2002-08-08T00:14:57Z")
So I was reading [this](http://www.salon.com/sex/feature/2002/08/07/deal/index.html) article in Salon about how women view sandals, especially Tevas and Birks, with much disdain. “Woe is me” is all I could think of. Does this explain my recent dryspell? I love wearing my Birks, even w/socks, yes white socks even (but only w/pants, never shorts) especially in the summer. Is that really so repugnant as to be a deal breaker? Or are these women exceptionally shallow? Honesty is appreciated. ---
### Author: ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/2 "2002-08-08T00:41:10Z")
Guys should not wear sandals unless they’re on the beach. Unless you have exceptionally beautiful feet and get regular pedicures, your feet are ugly and we don’t want to see them. As for the socks… if you’re going to wear horrendously unfashionable clothing, a lot of women are going to seem shallow to you. To me, Birkenstocks shout out, “I don’t give a damn about my appearance - all I care about is comfort!” I guess you can find a few women in Berkeley who go for that. ---
### Author: ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/3 "2002-08-08T00:49:32Z")
It wouldn’t be a deal breaker with me per say, but I’d definitely make fun of him for wearing socks with sandals. It’s not personal, I give other women a hard time about it too (yes, I actually know women who were socks and sandals together). The whole _point_ of sandals is not having to wear socks! ---
### Author: ![Winnie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e480ec/32.png) [@Winnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winnie) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/4 "2002-08-08T00:54:34Z")
I agree with **chula.** Sandals on guys are weird, and man feet are generally scary to look at. Birks make feet look weird too – all splayed out. Socks with Birks? Ugh… ---
### Author: ![Jessity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jessity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jessity) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/5 "2002-08-08T01:05:41Z")
Sandals are fine with me. I’m comfortable with a man who is comfortable with what he is wearing. (It IS a good idea to trim the toenails first, boys.) Socks with sandals are just wrong, on men _or_ women. ---
### Author: ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/6 "2002-08-08T02:30:13Z")
I read that article, too, and it rather annoyed me. The women in the article seemed both picky and petty. I’ve got no problem at all with Berkenstocks or Tevas. And if you want to wear socks with sandals, honey, they’re your feet, not mine. Look at it this way, **Great Dave** , would you really want to date women so shallow that they’d refuse to go out with you based on your footwear? ---
### Author: ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/7 "2002-08-08T02:43:55Z")
What? Sandals on guys are weird?! No they’re not. I think nothing looks dorkier on guys than tennis shoes and socks on a hot summer day. Go for the sandals, fellas. And I think socks with sandals look kinda cool in the cold. It’s saying “I can’t give up my birks yet, damn the changing seasons.” They make real cute polartek socks for this very purpose. I wear toe socks with my Eccos sometimes. ---
### Author: ![whistlepig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/73ab20/32.png) [@whistlepig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whistlepig) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/8 "2002-08-08T02:45:40Z")
I’d like to follow up on the OP and ask - “For those of you against sandals, do you live in a big city?” In Montana, most guys below the age of 50 wear Tevas in the summer. Even when we’re not fishing, boating, sailing, rafting, etc. They’ve replaced tennis shoes as summer wear. I’m just curious if this is one of those urban/rural things. Whistlepig, the guy. ---
### Author: ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/9 "2002-08-08T02:48:59Z")
I an be quite shallow and I admit it. Sandals ESPECIALLY these two in question, are just … just so … so \ ick! Why? IMHO many reasons. First off, I give a guy credit for delving into the sandal arena, but come on, get a little creativity going here. a Birkenstock in the summer, with socks is so … ack it’s difficult for me to even type these very thoughts. Ya might as well just put on a pair of walking shorts, and black dress socks with tennis shoes and go to the beach. I’m willing to cut a guy some slack if it’s winter and he’s got socks on with them. Okay, then there’s the whole hairy toe thing. \ I know I have an unusually adverse reaction to this sandal, but it reminds me too much of someone I knew in college who was rather stuck in a time warp. Bad Karma, pass the granola, carry on. The whole Teva thing, well those things just start smelling nasty. If it’s got better tread than my goodyears, it should not be on a foot. While Bubba does where these, I wouldn’t hold this lapse in taste against a guy. Afterall, I am not as traumatized by these, and well … face it, men tend to have issues understanding why women need to have more than 1 pair of black shoes. The teva wearer I see as an opportunity to educate in the fine art of footwear. The Birkenstock wearer … oy, no hope. ---
### Author: ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/10 "2002-08-08T03:13:42Z")
I’d never even consider caring about this. Dark socks with sandals looks weird, but sandals in general are lovely. I adore sandals (I have a pair of flip flops, a pair of Birkies, and two pair of dressy strappy sandals) and wear them all the time. It seems unfair for guys not to be able to wear the same comfy shoes I do. I’m an egalitarian kind of girl. Of course, I tend to see fashion trends useless and random. The people who answered this survey are probably hipper than I, but I must admit I feel just the littlest bit of contempt for anyone who would care about something as inane as this. ---
### Author: ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/11 "2002-08-08T04:06:37Z")
Birkies rock on men or women. Although I gave my teenage son a great deal of grief about it, I have even been known to wear socks with my Birkies. (OK, so I may need a 12-step-program) I agree with **burundi**. The “rule” seems a bit shallow. I know that appearance is the first part of being attracted to someone but to rule them out just because of their choice of shoe just isn’t right… ---
### Author: ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/12 "2002-08-08T04:14:15Z")
I don’t have anything against guys in sandals. Actually there’s a certain active/comfy style which often included Birks or Tevas that I find appealing. And once again I find myself defending Seattle culture by asserting that there is nothing wrong with socks under sandals. ---
### Author: ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/13 "2002-08-08T04:15:56Z")
> [@](#): > > are these women exceptionally shallow? I think so. Sandals, esp. the kind that are athletic-looking, look masculine to me. ---
### Author: ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/14 "2002-08-08T04:26:43Z")
I’m a gay man, a Libra even, and I’ve never seen what’s so wrong with socks in sandals. I think it looks kinda Scandinavian. ---
### Author: ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/15 "2002-08-08T11:45:35Z")
I don’t care what a man has on his feet, as long as those feet are clean. ---
### Author: ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/16 "2002-08-08T11:57:31Z")
Looking for fashion advice in _Salon_ is like asking for cooking suggestions from Jeffrey Dahmer (and never mind that he’s dead). According to those kinds of magazines/web sites, I should also be plucking my eyebrows and have a gigantic letch for Russell Crowe. Sandals on men…sure! Sandals with socks and shorts…I think it **looks** kinda stupid, but a deal-breaker? Nah. Birks with socks and long trousers? As long as you’re not also wearing patchouli, we’re good to go…but that’s because I’m _really_ not fond of patchouli. ---
### Author: ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/17 "2002-08-08T12:22:31Z")
Of all the things I notice about men, footwear isn’t one of them. Frankly, if a man is clean and he has a sense of humor and at least some intelligence, everything else is window dressing. Of course, I’m not exactly a fashion plate either, but externals are pretty unimportant to me. Be comfy and cover the essentials - makes me no nevermind. ---
### Author: ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/18 "2002-08-08T12:30:32Z")
I don’t dig socks with sandals, but socks with mules is OK. Sandals on a guy look cute, and I like Birks. I have a pair of Watt Bequem (similar to Birkenstock) mules in pale blue suede. I love them and wear them a lot - including to the latest Londope. And everyone knows what a shallow little fashionista **I** am ;). ---
### Author: ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/19 "2002-08-08T12:44:47Z")
Prerequisite: CLEAN feet and TRIMMED toenails Sandals: Acceptible Sandals w/socks (wearing pants): Acceptible Sandals w/socks (wearing shorts): Unacceptible ---
### Author: ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative) #### Post date: [August 8, 2002, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875/20 "2002-08-08T12:57:39Z")
Sandals are for the beach or the lake. Otherwise, they’re just dorky. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-for-the-ladies-re-birkenstocks/122875.md?page=2)