Flip Flops – From Footwear to Politics

The Sandals Are Noisy – The Elected Officials Can’t be Silenced

Jul 23, 2009

Politicians say what voters want to hear. Thongs come in all styles. But can you please everyone all the time? A tongue in cheek look at the dual meaning of flip flops.

History proves that some form of flip flops – the sandals - have been around almost since the beginning of time. Nero wore them, Geishas sported them, they were the hippie’s footwear of choice and a women’s sports team was photographed in them meeting the President.

Political Flip Flops are the Mainstay of Presidential Politics.

The list of famous flip flops is as long and varied as the officials who voiced them. Some of the more well known include American Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin being for the so called “Bridge to Nowhere,” before she was against it. In his New York Times article, "The Nation; A Case For Flip Flops," Tom Wicker cites a similar reversal committed by Senator John Kerry who claimed to have voted for an $87 billion Iraq funding bill before opposing it. "I actually did vote for the $87 billion," he said, "before I voted against it." As governor of California, Ronald Reagan raised taxes and signed a liberal abortion law. But when he ran for President, he reversed his position on both issues. The examples could go on and on.

Flip Flops are the Mainstay of Fashion Footwear

Flip flops have gone in and out of favor over the past sixty or so years. But now it looks like they are here to stay in all their varied forms. There is the basic rubber thong that can be purchased for a little over a buck at the local pharmacy. The tonier name brands, with, for example, a polo pony or crocodile on them are more expensive. One can even purchase flip flops with designer labels like Dolce and Gabbana that would make Sex in the City’s shoe maven, Carrie Bradshaw, swoon.

When Are Flip Flops Not Flip Flops?

Flips flops, the footwear, can be spotted every where from the red carpet to the shower at the gym. Verbal flip flops have been heard from the White House to Bill Clinton’s favorite McDonalds. But when is a flip flop not a flip flop?

According to Elizabeth Semmelhack, curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, “At what point does it stop being a flip flop? Essentially, when it stops being beachwear.”

But Project Runway’s Tim Gunn disagrees, “I mean, once it becomes embellished and dressed up, people start to refer to it as a sandal," Gunn said. "So they take it out of the flip-flop genre – they try to. But once a flip-flop, always a flip-flop."

Can Gunn’s philosophy be applied to the political flip flop? No, according to Jonathan Darman in his July 2008 Newsweek article, “Candidates Should Never Flip Flop,” where he observes that instead of reversing themselves, instead of resorting to the well worn pattern of flip flops, politicians might employ three little words when they know they are wrong. I am sorry. No flip flopping there.

It’s possible that flip flop sandals will never again go out of style, but one can hope that political flip flops might.

The copyright of the article Flip Flops – From Footwear to Politics in Shoes & Accessories is owned by Jan Czech. Permission to republish Flip Flops – From Footwear to Politics in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.