Flip Flops and the Threats They Have on the Society
By Madison Giovanni

    Even though flip flops can be cute, comfortable, and quick to slip on before school, they are a huge safety hazard and should be interpreted as one. Even though  some people, like Anjali Panikar would say that “I love wearing flip flops. They make me feel like I am flying in the air and I always feel so free when I wear these beautifully crafted shoes.”, she is unaware of of the extreme safety hazards these shoes bring forth.

Students sitting on steps, wearing flip flops.

    It is a reasonable thing to say that at school,  flip flops pose a serious threat to the safety of the flip flop wearers and their fellow peers. A possible scenario in an average high school hallway could go something like this;hundreds of students pour out of class rooms as the bell rings. Someone wearing flip flops could accidentally be stepped on, and due to unsafe foot ware, fall over. Then, with people hurrying to get to class, the person could be trampled and/or other students could fall over and injure themselves and others too. Some people feel that just avoiding wearing flip flops to school is a much better action,
Sitting on steps, wearing flip flops.
then putting students at risk of being hurt at school.    

Flip flops not only pose a threat in the day-to-day life of an average student, but in the time of an emergency, they can be even more dangerous. Gloria Fleming, the co-president of the Nyack High School PTA says “Not to sound like an alarmist, but we’ve had bomb scares, and when you’re trying to evacuate, wearing flip flops doesn’t seem like a good idea.”Alexis quotes “I think flip flops have risks, but they are comfortable, so it depends on what kind of flip flop it is.”. She goes on to say “I think it would be a better thing to be banned at school, because if there was an emergency, then you could trip and cause an accident and that would hold up everything.”.

    Flip flops provide little support and protection for the feet, and wearing them can result in tendonitis and arch pain. Although there are no studies linking flip flops to long term health problems, evidence does show that they can cause foot discomfort. It is not a wise thing to have growing teens wearing shoes with little support, because that can result in pain and can add onto the stress of day-to-day school life.
    Some people like Emily Purkey who comments “It is our business what we put on our feet! I will not show them my feet!”, haven’t been introduced to the threat that flip flops pose to the safety of students and staff at schools around the world.