Dear Flip & Flop,
I was so happy when I came across your site, finally, somebody is talking openly about flip flops.
My marital bliss comes to a screeching halt every summer as my husband refuses to wear anything but sneakers and socks even in temps over 100, even running out to grab the paper…even to the beach!
We are endlessly waiting for him to put on shoes and socks while the rest of the family has slipped on their flip flops in a matter of seconds. I bought him a pair of Cobian’s for Father’s Day this year in hopes of ending this madness.
He looked at them confused and said: “yeah, I won’t ever use these”.
I finally talked him into keeping them to wear on the hot sand instead of burning his bare feet.
Yes, you read that right, he will wear no shoes on hot sand in protest of flip flops as his sweaty sneakers and sock look on from the sidewalk limp and sweaty in the hot sun.
Anyway, I’m desperate to see him actually relax and cool his feet in the warm summer breeze. How can I encourage him to cut the tags off of his new flip flops and actually enjoy summer in comfort?
Dear Socks,
You have come to the right place.
What you are experiencing is much more common than most people know.
This typically occurs in middle-aged men, most often Dads, who just don’t feel that they can be themselves without their socks and shoes, no matter the conditions.
Like his favorite watch or T-shirt, he feels most himself when wearing them.
In fact, the pain of walking on burning sunbaked sand feels less agonizing to him than would the loss of identity that could result from slipping on the wrong pair of flip flops.
Before reading your letter, we were not familiar with Cobian flip flops so we did a bit of research and discovered the crux of your husband’s reluctance to wear them.
Cobian is what is known as a social platform lifestyle brand.
Much like TOMS, Cobian uses flip flops as a means to support and advance their larger social platform.
This makes these an advanced flip flop meant for experienced flip flop folks.
By wearing them, your husband would be calling attention to his solidarity with the goals and values of the brand.
Now, whether he agrees or disagrees with said values is irrelevant.
The issue for a cautious flip flop wearer is that the last thing he wants is to draw attention to his flip flops.
Just as he may support a specific political candidate or party he would never slap their bumper sticker on the back of his Toyota Sienna.
In light of this, we suggest you start with an approachable entry-level flip flop that better fits with his overall public aesthetic and caries very little baggage – the Croc flip flop.
These flip flops will likely open the door to how wonderful and freeing flip flop life can be without drawing undue attention to his footwear. Given time, I’m sure he will blossom into his newfound flip flop life.
Do life right,
