Summer Sandals: Fashion Trend Risks Foot Damage Without Proper Support

The flip-flop has a problem with its reputation. It's become shorthand for foot damage—the casual shoe that podiatrists warn against, the thing you slip on without thinking and then wonder why your arches hurt by evening. But the real story is more complicated than a simple condemnation of the summer staple.

This season, flip-flops have gotten a makeover. Fashion forecaster Angela Baidoo points to the kitten heel flip-flop as the trend to watch: low enough to feel effortless, high enough to feel intentional. "It's really kind of easy to just slip in and slip out of," she says. The style has caught on partly because flip-flops themselves are experiencing a moment of investment. People are buying customized versions, paying more for something that feels almost weightless to wear. The appeal is obvious. In heat that makes your feet swell and sweat, a flip-flop is freedom.

Yet the warnings persist. Flip-flops lack arch support. They offer minimal joint stability. They're thin, flat, and offer almost no structure. So are they actually bad for you? Dr. Helen Branthwaite, a podiatrist and chief clinical adviser at the Royal College of Podiatry, offers a more nuanced answer: not inherently, but context matters enormously. The damage comes from transition. If you spend most of your year in structured shoes—sneakers with cushioning, dress shoes with rigid soles—and then suddenly switch to flip-flops for the entire summer, your feet are under strain they're not accustomed to handling. The foot begins to adapt, spreading slightly, changing shape over time. Branthwaite uses an apt comparison: remove a corset after wearing it constantly, and everything shifts. The foot does the same thing.

This doesn't mean abandoning summer sandals. It means being intentional about which ones you choose. Baidoo recommends FitFlops, which are sturdier and contoured, a world apart from the thin foam sheets cut into flip-flop shapes. Crocs, once dismissed as purely functional, have become fashionable again, especially among Gen Z, and they're designed with orthopedic principles in mind. Birkenstocks and similar footbed sandals offer the same structural support. Wooden clogs—the kind worn by doctors and chefs who spend their entire shifts on their feet—are making a comeback. Scholl slider mules, the original orthopedic shoe, have even found their way back into fashion. Wedges work too, providing support through the entire shoe while creating a flattering line at the ankle. For those seeking something less casual, the fisherman-style sandal, that history-teacher staple from the 1970s, offers structure without formality.

The trend toward minimalist barefoot shoes requires its own caution. These shoes promise a return to natural movement, but Branthwaite's advice is simple: ease into them. Don't buy a pair and immediately take a five-mile hike. Your feet need time to adjust.

Beyond shoe choice, foot care itself matters. Pay attention to the sole—it determines how your foot moves and how you walk. If you can bend your flip-flops in half easily, they're probably too flimsy to support the load your regular shoes carry. Open sandals dry out skin quickly; you might not notice until your heels harden and your toenails begin to look fragile. Daily moisturizing with an emollient containing urea helps. And feet change constantly throughout life. A size six at twenty might not be a size six at forty. Getting your feet measured regularly isn't vanity—it's maintenance.

The real lesson is that summer footwear doesn't have to be a choice between comfort and style, or between looking good and protecting your feet. It requires only that you transition gradually, choose shoes with some structural integrity, and pay attention to what your feet are telling you. The flip-flop isn't the enemy. Negligence is.