Very Disturbing Trend All Over the World

[Mr. Mike]

It really started in the Asian countries a few years back, but now it’s showing up everywhere. I search most of my stuff all over the world from game shows to talk shows, political shows…what I’m seeing is so many women in dresses and fucking tennis shoes. It’s everywhere. Girls wearing feminine suits but wearing ugly freaking tennis shoes. It’s a real bummer for us shoeplay lovers…but besides that, why can’t women dress like women anymore?
Very disheartening

[pumplover]

I remember when I saw Maria Taylor wearing sneakers and a really nice knee-length dress on an NBA show a couple years ago instead of her heels. I knew that couldn't be a good sign. Thankfully (I hope) trends are trends and this will pass. I just wish we could get more women here in the states to start wearing hose again. I blame the modern feminist movement.

[Footsiefreak]

I just don't get it either just so tacky. Weird thing is some guys/girls find it sexy like we find dippable shoes sexy

[Footsiefreak]

It's like a dude in a fine suit wearing flip flops. It's joke attire

[JWCooley126]

I've definitely noticed this trend too, hopefully its just a seasonal thing. The weather is starting to cool where I live so boots, sneakers etc are making a return sadly. A silver lining is I'm also noticing women starting to wear these thick, warm looking shoes that almost look like slippers (not sure what they're called). But I'm seeing a lot of women in nylons or even bare wearing them on cold days. It was pretty cold the other day and woman was bare dipping in a pair of them...winter saved?

[MelFresh]

Mr Mike, you are not the first who notice it. Last time I saw an avant-garde pianist who performed in sneakers. Can you imagine it? Philharmony and sneakers!!!

I hope that it will pass, but on the other hand there are so many symptoms of huge cultural change these days. Men and women have never been so similar in their casual attire. I am shocked that ballet flats are so unpopular today. I completely cannot understand why young women, who still want to be good-lucking and fashionable, could decide to wear sport shoes wiht skirts or suits. Just ten years ago the situation was completely different. Flats, even very low cut ones, were seen everywhere. What a sad times for us...

[Footsiefreak]

It's like most women don't want to look feminine anymore

[paradigm88]

I think women are fine with femininity. The world just doesn't demand that 24/7 anymore. At least fashion looks a lot closer to 20-30 years ago than movie producers and costume designers thought the future would look like.

I've written it to death on other threads but the pandemic accelerated a trend toward athleisure and less of a demand to preen for the workplace in a lot of fields. And it's not exclusively a female thing. Two of my favorite casualwear retailers, Van Heusen and G.H. Bass, shuttered their retail operations during the pandemic. Both are finally rebuilding after a year and a half on ice, but I imagine the storefronts are gone forever.

That's two staples out of my fashion toolbox. There are other options out there, but Van Heusen had a good marriage of style and quality at a decent price, and I've missed that.

On the womens' side, I look at Payless, which was my wife's favorite shoe store. They sold a ton of cheap ballet flats. My wife would buy the same $15-20 ballet flat in four different colors for different outfits. (Also, they sold a lot of their shoes in wide sizes, and my wife finds the major labels to be too narrow for her toes.) But they were owned by some kind of equity firm, and they went bankrupt in 2017 and finally in 2019 - predating the pandemic even. At that point, even they had kind of become subdued in style; where my wife would buy purple and blue and green and black lace flats there in 2014, in 2018 you could have black or nude. Or black and tan. Maybe a dark blue, as a treat.

But that was your entry point for younger women trying to be stylish. Now the entry point is a $30-40 ballet flat. Or more than that, if you want to go for something more fashionable (think the knit Rothy's flats everyone is copying). My wife will think twice about a $45-50 "nice" ballet flat, where she'd probably have grabbed two pairs at $20 a piece. I imagine a student would have an even harder time there.

And no one has really brought back the "rainbow" approach yet, either. Which I understand, because having boatloads of inventory just so someone can own a shoe in five different colors (when 90% of customers would probably just buy black or nude) is a big financial risk. Just because it's good for my wife's collection doesn't mean it's good for business.

[Mr. Mike]

I get what you’re saying but I’m talking about women on TV…these people have the means and the finances not to mention some of them are provided wardrobes…and these women are the ones that help “jump start and sustain” trends. You are correct in the term “athleisure”….hence the tennis shoes with dresses and suits. Hell it’s just more and more acceptable, especially in big cities to see more “androgynously dressed” people anymore. Half the time I don’t know if I’m looking at a man or a woman…and there is ZERO sexiness to any of it out there. Very sad

[llama]

ESPN has both men and women wearing sneakers with nice clothes. Most women don't wear sneakers but the chances for shoeplay are very small . I stay away from the news channels.

[Mr. Mike]

Llama when I say “news channels “ it’s obscure ones from foreign countries…not CNN or Fox here in the US. It’s awful, especially in Vietnam and Thailand. But I’m starting to see the clunky tennis shoes with dresses in Eastern Europe as well

[MelFresh]

Just look what that this lady says. She criticizes all bad trends in contemporary fashion like masculine looking shoes or ugly shoes. We definitely need more influencers like her

[Mr. Mike]

This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. It's reached our Russian preacher who likes to shoeplay. What the fuck kind of outfit is she wearing? Who wakes up in the morning and looks in the mirror and says..."yes, I look sharp and professional in my way oversized suit and clunky ass tennis shoes"

[fibersixtysix]

I too hate this trend. A few weeks ago I saw a huge group of college kids that were staying at a hotel and clearly going out for a group dinner. The guys all wore business casual with jackets and dress shoes but of the 20ish girls there all but two were wearing short dresses or skirts and tennis shoes, and all but a couple of those were white shoes. Two girls were wearing pants and one had tennis shoes, the other had some sandals on.

[christo]

I might be the minority here but I don't mind women wearing sneakers. I think it's better for their feet and I like the way it makes their feet smell (mostly). Heels are great but I fear women standing too long in them just does damage to the feet. I know you guys love them cause of shoeplay but I just get so worried about what the heels are doing to their feet, like crunching their toes.

[Mr. Mike]

You definitely be. Women have been wearing heels for 100 years…it’s sexy. They know what’s up…just gotta be smart about.
Christo, just curious, are you under 35 years old?

I might be the minority here but I don't mind women wearing sneakers. I think it's better for their feet and I like the way it makes their feet smell (mostly). Heels are great but I fear women standing too long in them just does damage to the feet. I know you guys love them cause of shoeplay but I just get so worried about what the heels are doing to their feet, like crunching their toes.

[christo]

You definitely be. Women have been wearing heels for 100 years…it’s sexy. They know what’s up…just gotta be smart about.
Christo, just curious, are you under 35 years old?

I might be the minority here but I don't mind women wearing sneakers. I think it's better for their feet and I like the way it makes their feet smell (mostly). Heels are great but I fear women standing too long in them just does damage to the feet. I know you guys love them cause of shoeplay but I just get so worried about what the heels are doing to their feet, like crunching their toes.

lol, Mr. Mike you have known me here for years. No, I am in my upper forties. I do find heels sexy but again I have more concern for the health of their feet from standing in heels for long periods of time.
I am fully aware of the love women have for them as it gives them height, makes them feel sexy, and makes their butt pop. I also see the classy and sexy appeal. So wearing them for a short period of time or even swapping them for flats or going shoeless I have no issues with. Yet for me flats or sneakers are better. Might not be as sexy or classy but it makes for better healthier feet. So I get why women have resorted to more comfortable shoes as it's just overall healthier. So I guess what I am trying to say is I prefer healthy pretty feet over shoe play.

[tobydole]

Seeing women wear heels or flats at my university was like finding a unicorn, barring the once-a-semester career fair day. Tights just as rare.

[ShoeplayJ]

I do find heels sexy but again I have more concern for the health of their feet from standing in heels for long periods of time.

Same (and early going on mid thirties here). Nothing still quite turns me on like the the combination of hose (dark, white or nude) and heels, but I've seen what years in such shoes can do to the feet. I'm fine with flats — they get the same point across aesthetically, aside from the height thing.

[MelFresh]

I might be the minority here but I don't mind women wearing sneakers. I think it's better for their feet and I like the way it makes their feet smell (mostly). Heels are great but I fear women standing too long in them just does damage to the feet. I know you guys love them cause of shoeplay but I just get so worried about what the heels are doing to their feet, like crunching their toes.

Lol. Sneakers are not the alternative to high heels . There are almost hundreds of styles of flat female footwear which are comfort and still feminine