The White House Flip-Flop Flap

Northwestern University’s national champion Women’s Lacrosse Team was invited to meet President Bush at the White House on July 12. Because several of the ladies chose to wear comfortable flip-flop sandals in the scorching DC heat, they were criticized by staffers and created a groundswell of emails –– both positive and negative about their choice of comfy footwear. In short, it’s now known as the “Flip-Flop Flap.”

When I was a kid, we called them Thongs, but now that phrase is used for another type of clothing. We called them Zorries, too. It’s like calling soda “pop” in some parts of the country or “Coke” in Atlanta. Anyway, today, flip-flops are more popular than ever for wearing to the beach, the pool, with shorts, skirts and pants, by men, women and kids.

Dozens of stores sell all kinds of flip-flops for $2.99 to $12.99 and up, including Nordstrom, Target, and Old Navy,