Scrolling through thousands of videos on TikTok with #dogsout in the caption, you’re unlikely to see any furry canine friends. Rather, you’ll find toes—or people ranting about how much they hate seeing toes.
A trend emerged among Gen Z in 2022 of criticizing individuals who show their bare feet in public, referring to observable toes as “dogs” being “let out.” Originating from a surge in people selling pictures of their feet online, this movement mocks displays of feet as gross and connected to foot fetishes.
While the internet frenzy has died down in the past two years, the debate continues at M-A, with students and staff holding strong beliefs on both sides of the issue.
Disgust serves as one reason some decide to refrain from wearing open-toed shoes. “If you’re at school, you should wear socks,” junior Gaelen Booth said. “I don’t want to see that. Some people have weird toenails.”
I don’t want to see that. Some people have weird toenails.
Junior Gaelen Booth
Booth explained that open-toed shoes can be tolerable in more private settings. “I wear flip-flops around my house on weekends,” he said.
Junior Isaac Chuang echoed Booth’s sentiment, saying, “If you have smelly feet, then you’re gonna annoy everybody at school. You’re a huge distraction.” While Chuang likes to wear arguably open-toed Crocs, he wears socks to cover up the dogs.
On the other hand, some forgo flip-flops as a simple personal preference. “The strings that go through your toes kind of bother my toes, so I prefer something like Crocs,” Principal Karl Losekoot said. “Socks are definitely a no-go,” he added when asked if individuals should wear socks with open-toed shoes.
The strings that go through your toes kind of bother my toes, so I prefer something like Crocs.
Principal Karl Losekoot
Some students fall in the middle of the spectrum, including freshman Mohamad Abdel Halim, who believes open-toed shoes can be acceptable under certain circumstances. “It’s alright, but some people just look stupid,” he said. “Unless you’re a senior, because I’ve been seeing a lot of seniors do that.”
“I think seniors just don’t care as much about what they look like,” senior Isabella Kha said, while wearing flip-flops herself. It’s true that a quick glance at the Green—a lunch spot for many upperclassmen—shows more flip-flops than popular underclassmen spots like the G Wing. Perhaps letting dogs out has become a symbol of seniority and casual confidence on campus.
Despite such ardent opinions on wearing open-toed shoes at school, some stand in defiance of the judgment of others.
Senior Ruby Pence can be seen wearing flip-flops nearly every day. “I love flip-flops,” she said. “I don’t think they’re weird at all. Everyone should wear flip-flops.”
Math teacher Kristen Bryan similarly supports letting the dogs out. “Shoes are like little prisons for your feet,” a poster on her classroom wall reads.
“I hate this trend,” Bryan said when asked about open-toed shoes with socks. “That would not have flown when I was your age.”
After moving to the Bay Area from Hawaii his sophomore year, senior Daniel Farrell became infamous in his classes for his rainbow-patterned flip-flops. “At first, I caught a lot of heat for it,” Farrell said. “People would talk, make jokes, and try to bring me down for something as simple as what I chose to wear on my feet.”
People would talk, make jokes, and try to bring me down for something as simple as what I chose to wear on my feet.
Senior Daniel Farrell
Farrell realized the opinions of others did not need to influence him. “I learned to stop caring what people think. I found confidence in just being myself,” he said.
Farrell attributes the seeming rise in flip-flops on campus over the past few years to his bravery in sophomore year, “It’s pretty cool seeing more people embracing that same vibe, wearing flip-flops, being chill, and just doing them. I like to think I helped inspire that shift,” he said.
But while some people maintain strong opinions, perhaps the entire conversation is foolish. “Be your own person, express yourself how you want, and don’t let anyone take that away from you,” Farrell said. “Life’s too short to be anything but free, right?”
In the spirit of celebrating an open-toed shoe renaissance, Leadership is hosting Dogs Out Day on Friday, Sept. 27.
