Croc-ed out

Published Jul 16 2007, 06:18 PM by Caitlin E. Curran

In a way, Crocs and Paris Hilton have a lot in common: both are plastic-y and make unreasonable amounts of money; people are obsessed with them (or rather obsessed with talking about them), and no one can really figure out why. The ugly croslite gardening clogs have been the subject of newspaper trend and business stories for well over a year now - we first spotted the apparently widespread fad in its early stages, via Allstonian hipster feet in and around the Harvard Ave area two summers ago - and now they’re experiencing a media resurgence, due mainly to the facts that business is still booming for the Crocs company, and, more importantly, George W. Bush donned a pair recently (with shorts and black socks, no less). Isn’t this something that the Crocs crew would want to keep quiet? Last time we checked, Bush is no fashion icon, and his approval ratings are in the gutter - that makes him the opposite of celeb spokesperson material. In the past month the Washington Post, New York Times Magazine Consumed columnist Rob Walker, Slate, and a smattering of others (check Google News) have analyzed, experimented, theorized and otherwise contemplated the ugly-as-beautiful shoe fad. Enough with the Crocs coverage! News outlets everywhere, we beseech you - put the shoes down and find another trend to investigate. And don’t cop out and rehash the Guitar Hero craze... unless it involves some sort of Boston vs. New York face-off.