With all this summer weather (long may it continue), there is a storm brewing about the state of men’s feet. British men have traditionally failed to dress down elegantly. Mind, you, some of those I’ve worked with manage to look like they’ve spent the night in a skip when wearing expensive suits, but that, I guess, is another matter. It used to be that at the first hint of decent weather, men would wear sandals over feet shrouded in socks with the most inelegant, shapeless shorts they could lay their hands on…
Now, things are a changing…
It’s summer, it’s hot, and everywhere you look you see bared flesh. And it’s not just women in short shorts or men with no shirts at all. In the streets of Britain, sandals and flip-flops have become de rigueur, feet showcased as if on display. Pop into a shoe shop and you will find sports sandals, all-terrain sandals and sandals with names like the Wraptor alongside the thongs and Birkenstocks. There are even toe-capped sandals for the more demure man about town. Even the most kneejerk stereotypical of Guardian readers would have to admit that “sandal-wearing” no longer does it. Sun readers wear sandals now.
So there you go, the Guardian is no longer the sole domain of the sandal wearers… yeah, I know, it was bad, but I couldn’t resist.
Not everyone is pleased by this, though.
One anti-sandal blogger (and there are many) sums up the issue as “the shoe God never finished and the men who don’t care”. There appear to be two main branches of objection. The first is that men look stupid in sandals, and that men’s sandals are themselves stupid-looking. The second is that men have ugly feet. Men’s feet are shaped like spades. They smell. The toes are hairy, the toenails are often cracked and yellow.
Can’t say I’ve looked that closely, myself. My first reaction is probably along the lines of “so what?” Why should anyone get worked up about people allowing their feet to be seen? Plenty of other countries are full of men wearing sandals. Bad feet are no worse aesthetically than beer bellies. Is it anyone else’s business? But, then, I would say that, wouldn’t I?
Tim Dowling takes a look for himself and finds that the stereotype isn’t necessarily the case out on the streets:
Wandering the streets in recent weeks, I did notice how surprisingly well groomed were the feet of many besandalled men: the toes tanned, the nails smooth and peachy pink, the feet shapely and clean.
Well, yes, that comes as no surprise. Some of us take care of our feet just as we take care over the rest of our appearance. I wear sandals from the first hint of spring to the first tendrils of frost. As a consequence, my toes are nicely tanned, well pedicured and I’m happy for them to be on display. There may well be unnamed bloggers and journos out there who object. Be my guest. Object away. See if I care.
And advice from the Graun if you are thinking of wearing sandals:
The brighter the colour, the better your tan will look. Be aware that sandals with big straps will leave you with tan lines. “Just like swimwear, keep the thong as small as possible to avoid a tan line,” Dauvergne says.
Don’t buy sandals with Velcro on them either – you’re not backpacking in Australia.
Oh, bugger, That’s all of those rules broken…