The Greek geographer Strabo recounts the story of Rhodopis, a Greek slave girl who, while bathing in Naucratis, Aegypt, had one of her sandals stolen by an eagle. As the tale goes, the eagle flew all the way to the capital of Memphis and, while the king was administering justice in the open air, let the sandal fall right into his lap. Naturally, the ruler was intrigued and had his subjects seek out the woman who had lost her sandal and bring her before him. It goes without saying that upon seeing the beautiful slave girl the Pharaoh fell in love with her and-as is always the case with fictional slave girls-had mutual feelings for him.
The tale of Rhodopis (1st century BCE to 1st century CE), is in fact one of the earliest versions of the story of Cinderella, long before it was retold by Giambattista Basile, Charles Perrault, the brothers Grimm and Walt Disney. The story of Cinderella and her greedy step sisters who bled their toes trying to fit them in the glass slipper is firstly a lesson in management: don’t try to take hold of a position unless it really fits you.
Rhodopis, in her turn, teaches us that even the humblest means, such as a single wicker sandal can take you places. For her it was a trip from poverty right into the Pharaoh’s palace- and his heart. But for the millions of people that were using plant fiber shoes for walking throughout history, items such as sandals, slippers, jipsins and flip-flops are a means to travel cheaply without having to worry too much about destroying their footwear.
CHINESE HANDMADE STRAW FLIP-FLOPS
A light version of the sandal, worn as a form of casual footwear, the flip-flop consists of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap. The strap passes through the first and second toes and around both sides of the foot. The English term “flip-flop” is derived from the characteristic sound a person makes when walking around in them. Primal flip-flops versions can be seen in Ancient Egyptian murals dating back to 4000 BCE. A pair of such sandals found in Europe dates back to 1500 BCE and is made of papyrus.
The flip-flop was introduced into western culture right after the end of WWII, with American soldiers bringing home Japanese zori.
It really caught on after the end of the Korean war in the 50’s, with a multitude of now synthetic flip-flops available in the bright colors of post war fashion. The connotation of wearing a flip-flop changed as well. It was no more a humble, comfortable shoe rather than a fanciful leisure item that was sold in beach-themed shops along with bathing suits, shorts, dark glasses and summer dresses. It quickly became a part of California beach culture as well as casual footwear for young adults. Flip-flops marketed to young girls would now be decorated with metallic finishes, charms, beads and even jewelry.
THE FLIP-FLOP: TO WEAR OR NOT TO WEAR
However, the question of whether flip-flops can be used for dressier and formal occasions still remains. Controversy arose in 2005 when members of the USA national women’s lacrosse team visited the White-House with flip-flops on their feet. But it wasn’t long before the American President followed suit with Barack Obama photographed in flip flops, nothing but a few inches of plastic separating him from the ground of his native Hawaii. Obama’s choice of shoes was heavily criticized by adverse media but, after all, he wasn’t doing any different than the Dalai Lama of Tibet, who wears flip flops when meeting with world leaders.
