Croc-rage

70% of the internet is just a giant ball of rage...

While I was struggling my way through the rain on my daily walk yesterday, I noticed one of my feet was getting particularly wet. When I got home, I checked, and yes indeed, the bottom of my shoe had worn through. I was a little upset, as these are undeniably very cute shoes, but then I remembered I had bought two pairs and retrieved the other from the wardrobe.

My eczema and psoriasis get worse with a number of things – sunlight, certain foods, and the most annoying one: the glue in shoes. That means my options for footwear are slippers or crocs/crocs knock-offs. Given that I have arthritis in the joints in my feet, slippers do not give enough support, so crocs are my only option.

There is an irrational amount of rage directed towards crocs. There are comedy routines, facebook posts, entire blogs dedicated to croc-rage.

I don’t understand it. No-one is making you were crocs, so your comments about how ugly they are etc. etc. are bullying to people who do. Plain and simple.

Seriously people, get over yourselves!

Usually if I’m in the room, when someone starts an anti-croc tirade, they will eventually realise and say “oh, but it’s okay Helen, you have an excuse to wear them.”

The last time I wore high-heels, I had pain so bad in my feet and lower back, it made me want to vomit. Before I discovered I was allergic to the glue in shoes, I had to sleep with my feet covered in steroid cream and wrapped in gladwrap because the rash was so bad and subsequent infections were causing a serious risk to my health. So no, wearing crocs is not a choice for me, but what if it was? 

Why exactly do I need an excuse to wear whatever footwear I want? Sometimes I think your shoes are ugly, but I don’t say it because that’s mean and I’m a nice person. When people make these kinds of comments, I usually laugh along and pretend I find it funny. I don’t. It’s mean. And honestly, it makes me like you a little less. Okay, I’m kidding about that last part, but it certainly doesn’t make me like you more!

You don’t know why someone is wearing crocs. Maybe they have chronic pain too, but are not “out.” Maybe they have a skin allergy which you don’t know about. Or maybe they just want to be comfortable, and you actually don’t have the right to make them feel bad about that. I really like my crocs. My growth was stunted when I was younger, and so I have to shop in the children shoe department. I love that I can wear pink shoes with butterflies on them, and if you think that makes me childish or immature, you live in the land of no imagination.   

I think the thing that frustrates me most about croc-rage is how do you have enough energy for it? I barely have enough energy to put my own shoes on in the morning, let alone care about what someone else is wearing.

If you don’t like my shoes, just look at my face. I know sometimes tall people are confused by the fact that my face and feet are closer together than yours, but seriously, it’s not that hard.

- Little Miss Autoimmune