by Nick Somoski

Created on: May 01, 2009   Last Updated: June 17, 2010

My daughter and I were shopping for new summer shoes. She said she REALLY wanted a pair of "Crocs." I didn't even know we were still talking about shoes, to be honest. As we were walking up and down the shoe aisles, she showed me these pair of ugly, green shoes, seemingly made out of hard foam-like rubber. And yes, they were the ugliest shoes I've ever seen.

My daughter looked at me, and said that those were the shoes she wanted to wear all summer. They were cheap, very cheap, actually, and so I agreed she could have them. Why she wanted them, though, was the question. I just couldn't understand it.

I couldn't understand it, that is, until her 3 girlfriends walked up to our door the next day, and I immediately noticed they were also wearing Crocs on their feet. My daughter went and got hers, put them on, and they all walked their way doing whatever they did. That was when I realized just how these Crocs, these little ugly shoes, had become an instant fashion craze that was sweeping the nation.

I guess it's easy to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Either you love the zany look Crocs possess, or you just can't understand what people are seeing in these things. They do have an odd design, but that odd design is also eccentric, and original, which is hard to argue against. They aren't like anything else on the shoe aisles, and that's probably why they're popularity has reached new heights.

Crocs were at first meant to be water-type shoes, to wear in the lake, or on a boat, or on the beach. They're very lightweight, made of rubber, and therefore hard to lose in the water. That was their original purpose. But now, they are hardly used for that. Girls of all ages wear them because they're the "in" thing to wear on your feet.

From taking a quick glance at them, you'd probably think they're also extremely uncomfortable. But, that's not the case at all. They are actually very comfortable to wear, even for a foot the size of mine. That's probably the main reason why their popularity has reached new heights. They allow the foot to "breathe." All the holes in them allow for air to circulate inside them, making your feet remain cool and odorless. They are just better to wear for most people than flip-flops, which are hard to keep on, lack any kind of support, and constantly fall off your feet.

But still, why are they popular? In all honesty, there is no definitive answer for that question. They're probably popular mainly because they're popular, if you can understand that. They are a fashion craze, and what young girl doesn't want to wear what all her friends are wearing?

Word-of-mouth got out. "You have to buy these awesome shoes" is what girls across the country were saying to one another. And, they listened. They went to the stores and bought their favorite color Croc shoe, wore them, and instantly joined the craze.

You also can't count out that they are a comfortable shoe to wear, even if they do come with their downsides. But, what shoe doesn't? They're inexpensive, they're fun to wear, and they're the top-selling shoe on the web. Crocs are the shoes that are slowly growing on me and many others, and who knows - maybe I'll just go out and buy a pair sooner than I thought I would.

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