# What Happened to "Earth Shoes"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 24, 2006, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971 "2006-08-24T00:37:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971/1 "2006-08-24T00:37:34Z")
Those funny heel-less shoes beloved of hippies in the 1970’s-are they still made? They were supposed to do all kinds of good things for your back and posture…and people bought them-for a while, anyway. Are they still sold? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b782af/32.png) [@Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_And_Candy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971/2 "2006-08-24T00:40:45Z")
They’re still [around](http://www.earth.us/). Maybe not as popular as they once were but… meh. My Mom wears them, anyway. If that tells you anything. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971/3 "2006-08-24T01:35:00Z")
Well, for one thing, they’re expensive. I tried on a pair once and they were not especially comfortable to me. And despite what the ad implies, normal shoes do not cause you to stand with your shoulders hunched and your gut sticking out. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971/4 "2006-08-24T01:36:21Z")
I’d always assumed they morphed into Wallabies and then disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971/5 "2006-08-24T02:36:43Z")
Not everyone likes them. However, my wife got a pair last year to wear to work and finds they’re more comfortable than anything else she’s had. They just barely had a style that wasn’t too casual for standard office attire. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971/6 "2006-08-24T04:17:34Z")
It’s odd… there are still the [original expensive "Earth Shoes](http://www.planetshoes.com/Shop/Control/fp/cat/30140/SFV/29538/order/asc/order_by/title/RID/119656?gclid=CKi9l6u594YCFSZ1NAoddy_eaw)" around, and now they are named simply " Earth", but there’s also a cheap made in China “Earth Shoe” you can get in Department stores & it’s just a regular cheap style of shoe. (Original) Earth shoes can be great for some people, but IIRC the negative heel can aggravate other conditions & they are generally not recommended by all podiatrists. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971/7 "2006-08-24T12:16:22Z")
Yes, they’re still around, and yes, they might hurt your back. Back in the 70s I wore some for a while and developed lower back pain. It might have been a coincidence, but might not have, given the weirdness of the shoes. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971/8 "2006-08-24T12:23:16Z")
There was a much earlier thread about this: [SDMB Earth Shoes](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=339662&highlight=earth+shoes) As I said in that thread, I had a pair and they almost wrecked my feet. I can’t believe I fell for the BS theory under which they were marketed. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-earth-shoes/369971/9 "2006-08-24T12:25:27Z")
In the UK there’s [Masai Barefoot Technology](http://www.mbt-uk.com/), which seems to be the same thing. My wife has a pair of MBTs that I wore all last week (we have the same size feet) when I had bad lower back pain - and they really did seem to help, despite my skepticism. However, I made the mistake of hiking up a hill in them last Saturday, nearly collapsed from leg fatigue, and was hardly able to walk for the next couple of days. They really do seem to work you out.