I Don’t Understand Shower Shoes

img_shoe-11052v-big-1This topic has eluded my memory for quite a long time, as the only time it ever occurs to me is the moment when I’m stepping out of the shower.

However, recently the topic came up as part of a joke in Pitch Perfect 2, so I wrote it down, and now we can finally talk about it.

Shower shoes. I don’t understand them.

The idea–as it was explained to me–is that when you share a shower with a lot of people (like in your freshman dorm), your feet are going to come in contact with all kinds of fungi and bacteria. Shower shoes supposedly protect you from that nasty stuff.

So I followed protocol and wore sandals in the shower the first time I showered in college. But I instantly discovered that the sandals weren’t protecting anything. The same water that came in contact with the shower grime was sloshing through the sandal, touching my feet almost just as much as if I wasn’t wearing them at all.

The next time I showered, I left the shoes outside the shower curtain (which, suspiciously, never stopped Aldi from peeking in. You knew the shower was occupied, Aldi! You knew!) I prefer not to wear clothes in the shower if I can help it, and I never got any kind of foot fungus.

What am I missing here? Why are shower shoes universally recommended when they don’t keep any of the bacteria-laden water from coming in contact with your feet?

10 thoughts on “I Don’t Understand Shower Shoes”

  1. I think the idea is that it’s not the water that’s the issue, but the ground you’re standing on.

    Fun fact – the items in the picture are called “thongs” in Australia 🙂

    Reply
  2. “This topic has eluded my memory for quite a long time, as the only time it ever occurs to me is the moment when I’m stepping out of the shower.”

    How long has it been since you’ve showered, Jamey?

    Reply
    • Kara: A fair question. I was alluded to the idea that I think about various things in the shower, but I rarely remember to write them down after I finish the shower.

      Reply
  3. After the first time Aldi peeked into your shower, perhaps the shower shoes just became the way that he could tell that it was YOU in the shower, so he knew which one to peek into each time.

    Reply
    • Trev: Aldi was a curious fellow, in that I suspect he was curious about naked men. I’m not sure if it was just me or men in general.

      Reply

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