Heeled Flip Flops
Flip flops come in all sorts and sizes, and have gone through quite a remarkable evolution, which started during the seventies and continues even today. One of the most important breakthroughs in the development of flip flops is without a doubt the invention of heeled flip flops, which led to the creating of thong sandals that could be worn casually on the streets, and are just as easy and comfortable to take a walk in like regular shoes and boots, while remaining very affordable. Obviously this also contributed greatly to the ever rising popularity of this type of foot wear.
Evolution of the basic thong sandal
The original thong sandal which would be called flip flops in the mid sixties, had no heel and the toes were used to keep a grip on the foot wear. This made them suitable for wearing in and around the house, on beaches and anywhere where no real distances had to be covered on foot. Walking distances on sandals like that, can cause serious damage to the foot, resulting in foot pain, and after prolonged usage could even cause deformities of the foot, so in order to make flip flops suitable for walking distances, a few alterations were made to the original concept.
Improved Flip flops
Heeled flip flops are the answer to the shortcomings of the original thong sandal. While keeping all the characteristics of the original foot wear intact, the added heel supplies support which lifts the strain on the toes on which the person no longer has to rely to remain a grip on the foot wear. This results in an overall more relaxed posture and makes the flip flops suitable for regular walks. With the addition of a heel, the whole posture improves, and the risk of injuring the feet from wearing flip flops to cover long walking distances is with this simple addition eliminated.
Heeled flip flops as a fashion statement
Besides the obvious advantages of the added heel, heeled flip flops also opened up a whole new world of possibilities for design which has made flip flops more fashionable and trendy than ever before. One thing however did not change, and that is the fact that even heeled flip flops remain among the least expensive foot wear available on the market, that is considered to be fashionable and stylish. Flip flops are as fashionable and trendy as ever and can be purchased for prices starting as low as $10.
Overall, the invention of heeled flip flops has made a serious contribution in making flip flops healthier to wear, but also paved the way to introduce this type of sandal as regular casual foot wear, which can just as well be used for the average walk in the park, to a store or anywhere else, then regular shoes and boots. Add to this the open structure of flip flops compared to closed footwear, and it is safe to say that flip flops are now the healthier alternative for foot wear during the hot summer season, as they are now healthy to walk I while allowing the feet to breathe.