flip-flops

File:Two-pluggers.jpg

The term flip-flop has been used in American and British English since the 1960s to describe inexpensive footwear consisting of a flat base, typically rubber, and a strap with three anchor points: between the big and second toes, then bifurcating to anchor on both sides of the foot. "Flip-flop" may be an onomatopoeia of the sound made by the sandals when walking in them.{{cite web|title=Flip-Flop|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=flip-flop|publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary|access-date=18 July 2012}}

Flip-flops are also called thongs (sometimes pluggers,{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2016/01/australian-men-out-drinking-stop-thieves-after-robbery-interview-video|title=Australian Guys Out Drinking Accidentally Come Across Robbery, Stop Thieves|website=Complex}} single- or double- depending on construction) in Australia,{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/society-and-culture/its-time-to-put-our-foot-down-on-thongs-20111029-1mp20.html|title=IT Pro - Information Technology News & Reviews|date=29 October 2011 }} jandals (originally a trademarked name derived from "Japanese sandals") in New Zealand,{{cite web|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/timeline/04/10|access-date=22 February 2017|title=Morris Yock trademarks the jandal|date=4 October 1957|publisher=New Zealand History}} and slops or plakkies in South Africa and Zimbabwe.{{cite web|last=Key|first=A.J.|title=Jandals, Thongs, Flip Flops & G-strings|url=http://www.biggie.co.nz/article/jandals_thongs_flip|access-date=18 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621062559/http://www.biggie.co.nz/article/jandals_thongs_flip|archive-date=21 June 2012}}

In the Philippines, they are called tsinelas.

In India, they are called chappals, (which traditionally referred to leather slippers). This is hypothesized to have come from the Telugu word ceppu ([https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/చెప్పు#Telugu చెప్పు]), from Proto-Dravidian *keruppu,Burrow, T.; Emeneau, M. B. (1984). [https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/burrow_query.py?qs=ceruppu ceruppu], in A Dravidian etymological dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press (ISBN 0198643268), p. 178.Krishnamurti, Bhadriraju (2003). The Dravidian Languages (Cambridge Language Surveys), Cambridge University Press (ISBN 9780521771115), p. 526. meaning "sandal".

In some parts of Latin America, flip-flops are called chanclas. Throughout the world, they are also known by a variety of other names, including slippers in the Bahamas, Hawai‘i, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

File:Egyptian - Pair of Leather Sandals - Walters 73110.jpg ({{Circa|1550}}–1307 BC)]]

File:Granada Relocation Center, Amache, Colorado. Zori (straw sandals) and Geta (wooden clogs) made at G . . . - NARA - 539914.jpg in the United States (1946), direct antecedents of modern-day flip-flops.]]

Thong sandals have been worn for thousands of years, as shown in images of them in ancient Egyptian murals from 4,000 BC. A pair found in Europe was made of papyrus leaves and dated to be approximately 1,500 years old. These early versions of flip-flops were made from a wide variety of materials. Ancient Egyptian sandals were made from papyrus and palm leaves. The Maasai people of Africa made them out of rawhide. In India, they were made from wood. In China and Japan, rice straw was used. The leaves of the sisal plant were used to make twine for sandals in South America, while the natives of Mexico used the yucca plant.{{cite book |last=Kippen |first=Cameron |title=The History of Footwear |year=1999|publisher=Department of Podiatry, Curtin University of Technology|location=Perth, Australia}}

The ancient Greeks and Romans wore versions of flip-flops as well. In Greek sandals, the toe strap was worn between the first and second toes, while Roman sandals had the strap between the second and third toes. These differ from the sandals worn by the Mesopotamians, with the strap between the third and fourth toes. In India, a related "toe knob" sandal was common, with no straps but instead a small knob located between the first and second toes. They are known as Padukas.{{cite book|last=DeMello|first=Margo|title=Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia |year=2009 |publisher=ABC-CLIO, LLC|location=Santa Barbara, California|isbn=978-0-313-35714-5|pages=130–131|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5QdKSxajwP0C&pg=PA131}}

The modern flip-flop became popular in the United States as soldiers returning from World War II brought Japanese zōri with them. It caught on in the 1950s during the postwar boom and after the end of hostilities of the Korean War. As they became adopted into American popular culture, the sandals were redesigned and made in the bright colors that dominated 1950s design. They quickly became popular due to their convenience and comfort, and were popular in beach-themed stores and as summer shoes. During the 1960s, flip-flops became firmly associated with the beach lifestyle of California. As such, they were promoted as primarily a casual accessory, typically worn with shorts, bathing suits, or summer dresses. When they became more popular, some people started wearing them for dressier or more formal occasions.

File:Flip fop vending machine.jpg thong (flip-flop) vending machine in Sydney, Australia]]

In 1962, Alpargatas S.A. marketed a version of flip-flops known as Havaianas in Brazil. By 2010, more than 150 million pairs of Havaianas were produced each year.{{cite news|last=Cain|first=Kathryn|title=The Timeline: Flip-flops|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/the-timeline-flipflops-2039012.html|access-date=19 July 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=30 July 2010}} By 2019, production tops 200 million pairs per year. Prices range from under $5 for basics to more than $50 for high-end fashion models.{{cite web |url=http://blog.iuiga.com/2019/02/28/flip-flop-markups/ |title=Am I paying too much for flip-flops? |last=Koh |first=Joel |date=28 February 2019 |website= |access-date=21 February 2023}}

Flip-flops quickly became popular as casual footwear for young adults. Girls would often decorate their flip-flops with metallic finishes, charms, chains, beads, rhinestones, or other jewelry.{{cite book|author1=Peterson, Amy T.|author2=Kellogg, Ann T.|title=The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through American History 1900 to the Present|year=2008|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location=Westport, Connecticut|isbn=978-0-313-35855-5|page=372|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rQCEF-tG77AC&pg=RA1-PA372}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Modern flip-flops are available in leather, suede, cloth or synthetic materials such as plastic. Platform and high-heeled variants of the sandals began to appear in the 1990s,{{cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/heels-each-year-2018-8#1991-everyone-was-wearing-giant-platform-sandals-31|title=What high heels looked like the year you were born|author=Jessica Booth|date=28 August 2018|publisher=Insider}}{{cite web|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/a27148660/steve-madden-90s-platform-flip-flops/|title=Steve Madden Is Trying to Make Its '90s Platform Flip Flops Happen Again|author=Lauren Alexis Fisher|date=15 April 2019|publisher=Harper's Bazaar}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/thong-heels-spring-fashion-sandals?verso=true|title=Thong Heels—Spring's Sexiest Sandals—Are Back|author=Liana Satenstein|date=26 March 2018|publisher=Vogue}} and in the late 2010s, kitten heeled "kit-flops".{{cite news|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/shows-trends/a28034657/kit-flops-trend/|title=Introducing the kit-flop: this summer's favourite sandal|author=Jessica Davis|date=2019-07-01 |df=dmy-all|publisher=Harper's Bazaar}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/technology/article/kitten-heels-give-a-stylish-lift-to-the-flip-flop-fwm9xjcb2|title=Kitten heels give a stylish lift to the flip-flop|author=Hannah Rogers|date=2020-08-22 |df=dmy-all|work=The Times}}

In the U.S., flip-flops with college colors and logos became common for fans to wear to intercollegiate games.{{cite news|last=Ward|first=Julie|title=Next big step in team spirit: Flip-flops|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/2005-09-13-flip-flops_x.htm|access-date=19 July 2012|newspaper=USA Today|date=13 September 2005}} In 2011, while vacationing in his native Hawaii, Barack Obama became the first President of the United States to be photographed wearing a pair of flip-flops.{{cite news|title=Appropriate? Obama Becomes First Flip-Flop President|url=http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2011/01/05/appropriate-obama-becomes-first-flip-flop-president|access-date=19 July 2012|newspaper=Fox News|date=5 January 2011|archive-date=18 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718090821/http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2011/01/05/appropriate-obama-becomes-first-flip-flop-president|url-status=dead}} The Dalai Lama of Tibet is also a frequent wearer of flip-flops and has met with several U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush and Barack Obama, while wearing the sandals.{{cite news|last=Lister|first=Richard|title=Flip-flop diplomacy with the Dalai Lama|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8523248.stm|access-date=19 July 2012|newspaper=BBC News |date=19 February 2010}}{{cite news|title=Dalai Lama Meets With Obama |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703315004575073133355132918 |access-date=19 July 2012|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=18 February 2010|author1=Weisman, Jonathan |author2=Canaves, Skye}}

While exact sales figures for flip-flops are difficult to obtain due to the large number of stores and manufacturers involved, the Atlanta-based company Flip Flop Shops claimed that the shoes were responsible for a $20 billion industry in 2009. Furthermore, sales of flip-flops exceeded those of sneakers for the first time in 2006. If these figures are accurate, it is remarkable considering the low cost of most flip-flops.{{cite news|last=Bernhard|first=Blythe|title=Flips-flops are bad for your sole |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2009356815_flipflophealth19.html|access-date=19 July 2012|newspaper=Seattle Times|date=18 June 2009|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130071212/http://seattletimes.com/html/health/2009356815_flipflophealth19.html|archive-date=30 January 2013}}

File:Anatomy of Sandals.svg

The modern flip-flop has a straightforward design, consisting of a thin sole with two straps running in a Y shape from the sides of the foot to the gap between the big toe and the one beside it. Flip-flops are made from a wide variety of materials, as were the ancient thong sandals. The modern sandals are made of more modern materials, such as rubber, foam, plastic, leather, suede, and even fabric. Flip-flops made of polyurethane have caused some environmental concerns; because polyurethane is a number 7 resin, they can't be easily discarded, and they persist in landfills for a very long time.{{cite web|last=Bloch|first=Michael|title=Recycling Flip-Flops|date=22 May 2008 |url=http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/227/1/Recycling-flip-flops.html|publisher=Green Living Tips|access-date=19 July 2012}} In response to these concerns, some companies have begun selling flip-flops made from recycled rubber, such as that from used bicycle tires, or even hemp,{{cite book|last=Vasil|first=Adria|title=Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products and Services In Canada|year=2007|publisher=Random House Canada|location=Toronto|isbn=978-0-307-36613-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tGdK6DSQPUEC&pg=PT83}} and some offer a recycling program for used flip flops.{{cite web|url=http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/oldnavy.html|website=terracycle.com|title=Flip-Flop Brigade|access-date=31 May 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518100516/http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/oldnavy.html|archive-date=18 May 2015}}

File:Gyoda Tabi 2020-11 ac (1).jpg

Because of the strap between the toes, flip-flops are typically not worn with socks. In colder weather, however, some people wear flip-flops with toe socks or merely pull standard socks forward and bunch them up between the toes. The Japanese commonly wear tabi, a type of sock with a single slot for the thong, with their zōri.{{cite book|last=Sosnoski|first=Daniel|title=Introduction to Japanese Culture|year=2014|publisher=Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Company|location=Boston, Massachusetts|isbn=978-4805313138|page=|url=}}

Flip-flops provide the wearer with some mild protection from hazards on the ground, such as sharp rocks, splintery wooden surfaces, hot sand at the beach, broken glass, or even fungi and wart-causing viruses in locker rooms or community pool surfaces.{{cite news|last=Csomor|first=Marina|title=Flip-flops present feet with a painful problem|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/18/health/flip-flops-hurting-feet/index.html|access-date=19 July 2012|newspaper=CNN|date=18 July 2012}} However, walking for long periods in flip-flops can result in pain in the feet, ankles and lower legs{{cite web|last1=Kam|first1=Katherine|title=Flip-Flops Fun but Beware of Foot Pain|url=http://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/flip-flops-fun-but-not-great-for-feet#1|website=WebMD|access-date=20 January 2017}} or tendonitis.{{cite news|title=Doctors Warn About Flip-Flops|url=http://www.click2houston.com/lifestyle/health/Doctors-Warn-About-Flip-Flops/-/2597500/2832894/-/12b55xjz/-/index.html|publisher=Click2Houston.com|access-date=19 July 2012|date=10 October 2011|archive-date=18 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118050858/http://www.click2houston.com/lifestyle/health/Doctors-Warn-About-Flip-Flops/-/2597500/2832894/-/12b55xjz/-/index.html|url-status=dead}}

The flip-flop straps may cause frictional issues, such as rubbing during walking, resulting in blisters,{{cite news|last=Watson|first=Nicole|title=Study: Comfortable flip-flops causing painful health risks|url=http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/health/study-comfortable-flip-flops-causing-painful-health-risks|access-date=19 July 2012|newspaper=ABC Action News|date=18 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120814051315/http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/health/study-comfortable-flip-flops-causing-painful-health-risks|archive-date=14 August 2012}} and the open-toed design may result in stubbed or even broken toes.

Individuals with flat feet or other foot issues are advised to wear a shoe or sandal with better support.{{cite news|last=Willingham|first=Val|title=Flip-flops aren't always easy on the feet |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/06/health.concern.flip.flops/index.html |access-date=19 July 2012|newspaper=CNN|date=6 August 2010}}

The American Podiatric Medical Association strongly recommends that people not play sports in flip-flops, or do any type of yard work with or without power tools, including cutting the grass, when they wear these shoes. There are reports of people who ran or jumped in flip-flops and suffered sprained ankles, fractures, and severe ligament injuries that required surgery.

Because they provide almost no protection from the sun, on a part of the body more heavily exposed and where sunscreen can more easily be washed off, sunburn can be a risk for flip-flop wearers.[https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health-news/are-your-thongs-a-health-hazardr/news-story/1500cdebb4287acc46612feeead679fd Are your thongs a health hazard?]

For many Latin Americans, la chancla (the flip-flop), held or thrown, is known to be used as a tool of corporal punishment by mothers, similar to the use of slippers for the same purpose in Europe. Poor conduct in public may elicit being struck on the head with a flip-flop. The flip-flop may also be thrown at a misbehaving child. For many children, even the threat of the mother reaching down to take off a flip-flop and hold it in her raised hand is considered enough to correct their behaviour. The notoriety of the practice has become an Internet meme among Latin Americans and Hispanic and Latino immigrants to the United States.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSicdnahJ7o |title=The Secret of La Chancla |last=Rios III |first=Antonio |date= 5 March 2013 |website=YouTube |access-date=19 February 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/11/04/361205792/la-chancla-flip-flops-as-a-tool-of-discipline |title='La Chancla': Flip Flops As A Tool of Discipline |last=Vidal |first=Juan |date= 4 November 2014 |website=NPR |access-date=19 February 2023}} In recent years, the practice has been increasingly condemned as physically abusive. One essay, "The Meaning of Chancla: Flip Flops and Discipline", seeks to end "chancla culture" in disciplining children.{{cite web |url=https://www.spanish.academy/blog/the-meaning-of-chancla-flip-flops-and-discipline/ |title=The Meaning of Chancla: Flip Flops and Discipline |last=Dominguez |first= Luis F. |date= 6 April 2021 |website=Spanish Academy |access-date=19 February 2023}} The term "avaiana de pau" ({{Langx|en|wooden flip-flop}}, named like wooden spoon),{{Cite journal |last=Aragão |first=Milena |date=2020-04-02 |title=OS MEMES DE HUMOR E A NATURALIZAÇÃO DA VIOLÊNCIA COMO CAMINHO EDUCATIVO |url=https://periodicosgrupotiradentes.emnuvens.com.br/educacao/article/view/4496 |journal=Interfaces Científicas - Educação |language=pt |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=129–144 |doi=10.17564/2316-3828.2020v8n3p129-144 |issn=2316-3828|doi-access=free }} has become a popular meme in Brazilian internet culture, often used to depict exaggerated or humorous scenarios of the mother scolding her son.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-08 |title=7 memes antiquíssimos que vão te fazer rir até hoje |url=https://www.techtudo.com.br/listas/2023/04/7-memes-antiquissimos-que-vao-te-fazer-rir-ate-hoje-edsoftwares.ghtml |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=TechTudo |language=pt-br}} This term gained notoriety through videos and memes created by the Piologo brothers in 2004,{{Cite web |date=2017-10-24 |title=Humorística "Fábrica de Quadrinhos" não terá de indenizar por ... |url=https://www.migalhas.com.br/quentes/267835/humoristica--fabrica-de-quadrinhos--nao-tera-de-indenizar-por-conteudo-supostamente-ofensivo |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Migalhas |language=pt-br}}{{Cite news |date=2007-07-04 |title=Mundo Canibal eleito melhor site de quadrinhos no HQ MIX |url=http://www.jornaldamidia.com.br/noticias/2007/07/04/Caia_na_Rede/Mundo_Canibal_eleito_melhor_site_.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101112813/http://www.jornaldamidia.com.br/noticias/2007/07/04/Caia_na_Rede/Mundo_Canibal_eleito_melhor_site_.shtml |archive-date=1 January 2013 |work=Jornal da Mídia |access-date=19 December 2024 }} who used it for comedic effect.{{Cite journal |last=Kogawa |first=João Marcos Mateus |date=2012-06-08 |title=Ecos do horror no humor: reflexões a respeito da noção de intericonicidade |url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/5762297.pdf |journal=Estudos Semióticos |language=pt |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=53–65 |doi=10.11606/issn.1980-4016.esse.2012.49365 |issn=1980-4016}}{{Cite book |last=Oliveira |first=Érico Fernando de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qF49EAAAQBAJ&dq=%22avaiana+de+pau%22&pg=PT4 |title=ELES MATAM CELEBRIDADES: A (des)construção das celebridades na série de TV South Park |date=2021-08-13 |publisher=Estação das Letras e Cores Editora |isbn=978-65-86088-25-0 |language=pt-BR}}{{Cite book |last=Tigre |first=Rodrigo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hD5NEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22avaianas+de+pau%22&pg=PT7 |title=Podcast S/A: Uma revolução em alto e bom som |date=2021-11-27 |publisher=Companhia Editora Nacional |isbn=978-65-5881-068-1 |language=pt-BR}}

In India, a chappal is traditionally a leather slipper, but the term has also come to include flip-flops. A mother's corporal punishment was often with a chappal, striking the child on the buttocks, hands or about the head and shoulders.{{cite web |url=https://www.mangaloretoday.com/today/-Chappal-meaning-in-India-on-Google-search-shows-device-used-by-Indian-parents-to-reshape-their-kids.html |title='Chappal meaning in India'on Google search shows device used by Indian parents to reshape their kids |last= |first= |date= 8 August 2020|website=Mangalore Today |access-date=19 February 2023}} Throwing a chappal became a video trope, "flying chappal," and "Flying chappal received" an expression by an adult acknowledging that they had been verbally chastised by their parents or other adults.

Flip-flops are "tsinelas" in the Philippines, derived from the Spanish "chinela" (for slipper), and are used to discipline children, but with no mention of throwing. And children play Tumbang preso, which involves trying to knock over a can with thrown flip-flops.{{cite web |url=http://thingsasian.com/story/tsinelas |title=Tsinelas! |last=de Jong |first=Ronald |date= 3 September 2013|website=ThinsAsian |access-date=19 February 2023}}

When the Los Angeles–based Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC joined the National Women's Soccer League in 2022, a leader in an Angel City supporters' group called the new regional rivalry La Chanclásico as a nod to the region's Hispanic heritage. The rivalry name combines chancla with clásico ("classic"), used in Spanish to describe many sports rivalries. The Chanclásico name quickly caught on with both fanbases, and before the first game between the teams, the aforementioned Angel City supporter created a rivalry trophy consisting of a flip-flop mounted on a trophy base and covered with gold spray paint. The rivalry name was effectively codified via a tweet from Wave and US national team star Alex Morgan.{{cite web|url=https://www.thestriker.com/2022/07/13/chanclasico-rivalry-trophy-angel-city-san-diego-wave |title=The story behind the latest rivalry in Southern California and its trophy |first=Joey |last=Balleweg |work=The Striker |date=July 14, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2023}}

As part of Q150 celebrations in 2009 celebrating the first 150 years of Queensland, Australia, the Queensland Government published a list of 150 cultural icons of Queensland, representing the people, places, events, and things that were significant to Queensland's first 150 years. Thongs (as they are known in Australia) were among as the Q150 Icons.{{Cite web |last=Bligh |first=Anna |author-link=Anna Bligh |date=10 June 2009 |title=PREMIER UNVEILS QUEENSLAND'S 150 ICONS |url=http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524033717/http://statements.qld.gov.au/statement/id/64301 |archive-date=24 May 2017 |access-date=24 May 2017 |publisher=Queensland Government}}

Flip-flops (known in New Zealand as jandals) are considered Kiwiana.{{Cite web |last=Pickles |first=Katie |date=2020-12-31 |title=Kiwiana is past its use-by date. Is it time to re-imagine our symbols of national identity? |url=https://theconversation.com/kiwiana-is-past-its-use-by-date-is-it-time-to-re-imagine-our-symbols-of-national-identity-149967 |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}

• List of shoe styles
• Hnyat-phanat (Burmese)
• Sandal
• Slide (footwear)
• Slipper
• Slippering (corporal punishment)

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