CROCS: Wear or Nightmare?

May 9, 2016

 

By:  Grace Green and Jackie Latimer

Croc shoes used to be a fashion staple at every elementary school.  Nowadays, these foam clogs are reappearing among people of all ages ranging from young children to adults.

These lightweight shoes, dubbed Crocs for their Crocodile-esque characteristics, are made of a closed-cell resin called Croslite. This material makes the shoes comfortable, soft, and odor-resistant. The Croc franchise has grown since it began in 2002 and now sells over 300 different styles of shoes alongside their classic clog. The company also sells “Jibbitz”, a small piece that snaps into the holes of Crocs. Popular superhero symbols, animals, and TV show characters are among the many options for these “shoe charms”.

In the early 2000’s, most kids would have agreed that Crocs were the type of shoes everyone wanted.  Deciding which color, how many Jibbitz to put in the holes, and whether or not to wear the strap behind their heel proved to be some of the most difficult decisions for a child. These days, this generation that grew up wearing these colorful shoes are torn between still wearing them and being repulsed by them.  One sophomore deemed these shoes “ugly” even after admitting wearing them as a young kid; however, another sophomore openly discusses her lifelong love for crocs describing them as “comfortable”.

Some of the sports teams at WHS have began wearing the same colored crocs, and they are even going as far as getting matching jibbitz.  Many athletes in the volleyball program decided to get neon magenta crocs with matching pink ribbon jibbitz to support breast cancer awareness.  Coach Anderson appreciates this gesture and jokes that “if the girls want to wear crocs, that’s fine, but not during games.”
Adults around the school are also sporting Crocs, most notably Mr. Noonan. When asked why he wears crocs, Noonan replied, “sunk heel, zero drop”. Coach Anderson also added that he has a pair at home that he wears for gardening and after beach volleyball tournaments.

Students around the school still have mixed opinions on whether Crocs are a fad or if they’ll stick around forever.  Sophomore Marisa Papagelis hopes they will be around forever, but  also expressed her doubt regarding their immortality.  Sophomore Kate Katz commented that “some people will always think they look good and some people will always think they look ugly.”  Still, many people agree to continue wearing crocs, and as sophomore Emily Hannan stated, “Yes they will always be fashionable because there will always be people who feel comfortable and confident wearing crocs – it’s our style.”