Sandals and Flip Flops

Which Came First, Sandals of Flip Flops?

Can one say which came first, the egg or the chicken? Ask this question to anyone and you will leave him or her confused. The same is the case with sandals & flip-flop fashion and it is difficult to say which came first or which complimented the other. It is very difficult to find out the exact origin of the shoe and it is as difficult to find out the origin of the flip-flop fashion. Take a close look at history and you will find many instances where shoes resembling the flip-flop have been observed. But does that help to solve the problem of sandals & flip-flop fashion and determining which came first?

In the discussions about sandals & flip-flop fashion there is one common platform where most seem to agree. Most of them agree with the fact that sandals & flip-flop fashion have originated in Eastern countries and more so in countries like New Zealand and China. They are stating this because of the domination of the shoes resembling flip-flop in these countries. However, this does not seem to be the truth as far as the query about sandals & flip-flop fashion is concerned. One can also find mention in Egypt’s history about flip-flop. If one looks carefully at the Egyptian hieroglyphics they will find certain Egyptian figures that are wearing footwear that closely resembles the flip-flop.

For a long period of time people have been using different types of footwear but it is only of late that discussions about sandals & flip-flop fashion have been raised. Many researchers who are studying about sandals & flip-flop fashion are of the opinion that the main reason for the confusion lies in the name itself. According to them the origin of the flip-flop lies in the humble sandal. During the olden days, people might have worn what we now refer to as flip-flop, but they would simply refer to the same as sandals. This is regardless of the fact that what they wore closely resembled what we know as the flip-flop. Due to these reasons it is very tough to ascertain which came first amongst the sandals & flip-flop fashion. Basically a sandal without a back is referred to as the flip-flop because of the flip-flop sound it makes when one wearing them is walking.

If you check up history, you will find such shoes made out of wood with just a knob at the top that was used by two ties of the feet to grasp the flip-flop in. Most of those who are discussing about sandals & flip-flop fashion know that the flip-flop sandals have no back that supports the ankles. In fact those who are debating hotly about sandals & flip-flop fashion should know that the flip-flop is also a sandal. Albeit it is a sandal without the back ankle rest! To determine this one needs to clarify what does sandal mean? Try answering that question and you shall have the answer to the mystery of the sandals & flip-flop fashion.