Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook have been cracking down on traditional nudity, which has contributed to the wild rise of foot fetish accounts, featuring well-manicured feet in skimpy fishnets, strappy high heels, slinky anklets, or completely bare. A lingerie thong shot – even if it is not technically showing anything – might bump up against Instagram’s new restrictions on “suggestive” content, while a petite foot in red nail polish falling out of a flip flop is free to appear on the Explore tab, generating thousands of likes – the hashtag #footfetishnation alone, has close to 4 million hits on Instagram. While there is nothing wrong with having or appreciating sexy feet, the ugly sandals trend provide an outlet for foot expression, for those of us whose feet are known for their personalities rather than their looks.
There are no hard and fast rules about what makes a sandal ‘ugly,’ but they are usually a bit chunkier than a delicately braided gladiator sandal. Beyond bulk, they are referential. Many of the silhouettes stem from hiking sandals, sneakers, gardening shoes or footwear designed to prevent fungal infections in public showers, while others are reminiscent of a simple childhood, where brightly coloured gel blistered our feet and Velcro or plastic push-buckles were the most sophisticated closure options. Still, some are a bit surreal (see Rombaut’s lettuce and cabbage slides). For extra modesty or warmth, the ugly sandal lends itself well to a sock combo – be it a gauzy pair of monogrammed Saks Potts tight or a thick cotton sports sock from the French athletics brand le Coq Sportif – because after all, you aren’t ruining any elegant lines.
Not convinced? We took the liberty of rounding up some of our favourites from this season:
