Flip- Flops Essay

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Don’t you just love how easily it is pronounced? Unfortunately for people in USA and Australia where they are called thongs, it is not, and furthermore it is sometimes confused for something totally different. They are also called sandals in some countries, which many people don’t approve of because they do not secure the foot around the ankle like sandals do. Being a very basic type of footwear, they are essentially a rubber sole connected to two simple straps running from the side of the foot, in a Y shape and connecting between the big toe, and the second toe. The popularity of wearing flip-flops to the beach and such had spread through the whole world, and today people wear them with really anything. An English man, John Cowie, was inspired by the wooden Japanese sandals and started manufacturing the plastic version in the late 1940s. It is also said that John Cowie invented the name ‘jandal’ which was and still is used in some places for flip-flops. It is the shortened version of ‘Japanese sandals’. However the modern design, that we use today was invented in New Zealand by Morris Yock in 1950s and patented in 1957. Anyhow the shoes gained real popularity when celebrities started wearing them and high-end designers started producing them. In most developing countries rubber flip-flops are the cheapest footwear available, usually costing less then a dollar and because of their low cost they are worn by people as typical footwear rather than a fashion statement. In developed countries, however, flip-flops are worn as seasonal or short-lasting footwear. An average flip-flop lasts a year or less. The strap between the toes can snap very easily after normal use, it can of course fixed but most people don’t bother because they are very inexpensive and can be easily replaced. As normal and innocent as this may look it is not. These disposable habits can

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