Lonely Soles

It is fair to suggest that at some point in our lives, we have all fallen victim to following irrational fashion trends that seemed such a hip thing to do at the time.

However, returning to Exeter for the second, and by far the coldest term of the year, I have felt compelled to speak out against the ever-increasing band of flip-flop lovers… in January.

Having spent all three weeks of the Christmas break at home in rural South Wales (cue the inappropriate sheep comments), a new pair of Ugg boots and a furry winter coat were by far my most valued and functional Christmas presents.

This footwear is definitely not the one

While I appreciate that Exeter is considerably more southern and has therefore significantly more civilised weather than that experienced in and around Cardiff, this does not justify the persistent popularity of wearing flip-flops day in, day out, all over campus, all year round.

The summer-shoe epidemic seems to have swept over campus, infecting a large proportion of Exeter’s students. It has particularly brainwashed innocent freshers, seriously susceptible to following their older and supposedly wiser peers seen wearing this attire around the Forum.

Being a first year in catered accommodation myself, I have noticed the flip-flop-fling replacing sensibly cosy slippers and warm bed socks previously seen at meal-times, with a brand new Breakfast fashion craze consisting of a variety of Birkenstocks and navy Hollister flip-flops.

This could simply be a reflection  of the Halls I am living in, as various unjustifiable trends seem to spread here quicker than chlamydia e.g too rah to get out of their Onesie, too rah to brush their back-combed hair…

Whilst I have always been one to advocate an optimistic glass-half-full attitude to life, I cannot help but feel the promotion of summer wear in mid-January is a little too enthusiastic and frankly irresponsible.

One of the main advantages of living independently at University is the opportunity to shrug off parental nagging, yet here we might do well to heed their advice… PUT SOME SENSIBLE FOOTWEAR ON EXETER!