Everyone says, "Oh, they're so comfortable." Maybe, for a few minutes. Until your feet start to sweat (which they will because, as I've noted above, they're plastic, and they have no absorbent lining). Then, if they aren't uncomfortable at that point, you'll at least have smelly feet.
But today I've learned of a new reason to hate Crocs. They're dangerous. This past summer, a 4 year old boy, on an escalator at Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, had his toe almost severed from his foot after his Croc-laden foot got caught. I heard a report this morning about that Atlanta family suing Crocs for $2M. And there have been previous instances of similar occurrences.
This is happening so frequently that "[t]he Colorado-based Crocs released a statement July 22 announcing an escalator safety initiative. Over the next year, Crocs will be packaged and sold with educational hang tags, the statement said. Among other tips, it said, 'New language added to the hang tags reminds consumers to use care when riding escalators and moving walkways.'"
So, Crocs even concedes that they should essentially put WARNING LABELS on their shoes. Do any of my shoes need warning labels? No - because I don't wear Crocs. Nor do I let my children wear Crocs.
On an AJC blog, people were commenting on the lawsuit report that the parents were careless - they should have been watching their child. Hello? Do these people not have children? Come on! You know how easy it is for your child to be perfectly fine one second and in the next your child is doing something completely and utterly childish. They're children! And no parent since the dawn of time has been able to control every move their child makes - short of putting their child in a cage, which is not a good idea, according to my husband and his law partner (who represent DFCS).
This morning, I also learned that the mother of this child is none other than Belinda who is often on-air with Neal Boortz. Her child has had 2 surgeries and faces at least one more, plus he will probably have a lifelong disability as a result of his injury. He was millimeters away from losing his big toe.
So, before you slip that pair of Crocs on your child's precious toes, read this with regard to Crocs safety (although, at this point I must seriously question your judgment if you haven't thrown away those Crocs by now), and read this with regard to how truly unattractive these shoes really are.
Go ahead... have a Crocs bonfire. NOTE: Scratch that. They may produce noxious fumes or something.
6 comments:
Not only are they not safe for children, but my husband got his feet stuck in the escalator at IKEA last November. Fortunately, he was able to pull his shoe out of the escalator prior to it sucking his foot in. Love your blog!
I have never understood the popularity of Crocs. I think if you told people they HAD to wear them, they would refuse.
They are about the ugliest shoe on the face of the planet.
No Crocs here. bluch
Preach it sister!!!!! I detest crocs. They are hideous! I often threaten my children with buying them crocs if they don't take care of their shoes (albeit an empty threat because I could never buy those things). We need a Mommies against Crocs Unite group! :-)
Patricia in WA
Im not a parent, I'm 11, and I totally agree with your raid against crocs, their an utter disaster, their ugly, disgusting, AND dangerous, I absolutly hate them. I'll be sure to tell everyone how much they suck!=P Thank-you for caring enough to write your thoughts out on crocs, and warning everyone who comes across this page of their danger.
-Angie, 11, ontario.
Crocs are very comfortable. I only wear mine with socks, so I don't have a sweaty-foot problem. If I wore my New Balance shoes without socks I would have equally sweaty feet. The reason that Crocs are the shoe of choice for my 2-year-old is that she can easily take them on and off herself, but they don't fall off while she walks around in them. I can't find any other style of shoe this is true of (sneaker, sandal, flip flop, etc.). I do agree they are ugly, but I prefer function to fashion.
They may be plastic shoes but I live in Hawaii (Kauai) and my feet do not smell. My Mum (Boston) did have a BIG foot odor problem, I told her to buy Crocs cause of the holes, her foot odor is gone. I should also mention that I would be far more scared to wear flip flops on an escalator or anywhere else. Kids have had far more foot injuries over the years do to a $2 pair of rubber flip flops than Crocs. You don't hear about it as often, but I think that has more to do with not having a high profile company to sue. That and there are inherent risks associated with loose fitting shoes and parents should be aware of that. I can't count the number of times my mother said to me, "Keep away from the sides of the escalator, do you want to be one of those children who loses a foot?" Parents are too lazy these days, they want childern to be cute accessories that don't require work.
That said I own around thirty pairs in many different styles, and I've only worn another kind of shoe twice in the past two years. I no longer buy other shoes. I suffer from tactile sensitivity so I can't stand most shoes and socks. On top of that my feet are mostly flat (one has a little bit of an arch, the other is flat) and I used to suffer horriable foot, knee, and back pain but not anymore. I'll never switch.
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