Manolo says, here is yet another article on the rise of the consuming evil that is the Croc, this time from the Christian Science Monitor.
Foot comfort, apparently, appeals to a broad demographic. Fans include celebrity chef Mario Batali, actor Jack Nicholson, and country-music stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. Recently, President Bush was photographed sporting black Crocs, which he paired with black socks and shorts. In nations as diverse as Israel and Iceland, 1 in 4 people own a pair of the shoes.
The Crocs phenomenon is not purely a love-fest, however. Detractors abound, and they aren’t diplomatic with their diatribes. On Manolo’s Shoe Blog (http://shoeblogs.com/), Crocs are termed “the hot trend in footwear for the lazy person.” And on ihatecrocs.com, Vincenzo Ravina and Kate Leth devote an entire website “to the elimination of Crocs and those who think their excuses for wearing them are viable.”
Ask Mr. Ravina why he finds Crocs so objectionable, and then take a breath. “They are exceedingly ugly. They are chunky, luridly colored, perforated, and overall, an eyesore,” he replies. “They are to your eyes what second-hand smoke is to your lungs.”
Ravina, a college student from Halifax, Nova Scotia, scoffs at testaments to the comfort of Crocs. “My bathrobe is comfortable,” he says. “But I don’t wear it to the supermarket. You have to respect other people’s aesthetic.”
[…]
Even in Boulder, where you can buy Crocs at the grocery store along with celery and soy milk, there’s something of a backlash. “I don’t have any friends who wear Crocs,” says Rachel Losowski, a style-conscious senior at the University of Colorado. “They’re just really bad. Really weird.” As for claims to their comfort, she winces. “When I go out, I want to look nice, not comfortable,” she says.
Once, she was out with friends and saw an attractive male heading her way. Then she spotted Crocs on his feet. “I said to him, ‘I thought you were cute, but then I saw your shoes!’ ” she says, laughing.
Well done, Ms. Losowski!
It so sad that it has come to this point, and yet, the Manolo fears that we have not yet plumbed the depths of this depravity.