Are Flip Flops and Sandals Considered Shoes or Not?

I can no longer recall from which season, but I can still remember watching an episode (of Gossip Girl) wherein Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester’s character ) tells someone that “sandals are NOT shoes”.

So, what do you think shoeaholics? Are flip-flops and sandals shoes or not?

Sam Edelman Bay Slide Sandals, $18.27 – $100.00 at Amazon

To anyone who is wondering, YES, contrary to what Blair Waldorf said, sandals ARE shoes. To be more specific, a sandal is a type of shoe.

Fashionistas will most probably contest this, but allow me to break down the explanation for you by first giving you the definition of ‘sandals’ according to the dictionary.

In my Merriam Webster pocket dictionary, it says:

“a shoe consisting of a sole strapped to the foot”

Also, Dictionary.com defines the sandal as:

“a shoe consisting of a sole of leather or other material fastened to the foot by thongs or straps”
“any of various low shoes or slippers”
“a light, low, rubber overshoe covering only the front part of a woman’s high-heeled shoe.”
“a band or strap that fastens a low shoe or slipper on the foot by passing over the instep or around the ankle”

With these definitions in mind, you can pretty much say sandals are indeed shoes (thong sandals included). If you want to go as far as look up the definition of shoes, you will also find that sandals (whether heeled or flat), much like boots (and even rubber slippers/flip-flops), are considered types of shoes.

In a way, if you think about it, these definitions do hold. Why else would stores classify all types of footwear (whether it’s heels, sneakers, flip-flops, or sandals) under the SHOES category?

So there you have it, sandals ARE shoes. Generally speaking, sandals leave a lot of the feet exposed, that’s why they’re popular during summer.

They come in many styles these days, and even hybrids exist so to keep yourself from getting confused, just remember that sandals always come with straps. I will end this entry with a couple of sandals for you to check out.