Havaianas lovers, read this (especially made for BENG)

There seems to be no difference between this over claimed rubber slippers and the average ordinary one. They both bend as it rubber's nature to do so. It is durable and delivers the same kind of treatment to our soles. The only difference is that one has a tiny 9 letter name on the lift thong, other than that all its "incredible" qualities are all media hyped.
Fashionistas have nothing but praises for these otherwise lowly slippers. Havaianas have also raised the acceptance for slippers in places where they are usually considered taboo. Havaianas are flexible enought to blend from good old pambahay to beachwear to killer party attires. In extreme cases, some would even claim to have worn the dark-hued versions of these to black-tie affairs with their cocktail dresses. All that, with just a common tsinelas.
VIT: Very-Important-Tsinelas
So just how special have Havaianas become? For one, gone are the days when wearing slippers would merit no entrance in bars. Well provided they are Havaianas of course. A story goes about a girl who was stopped outside a club for wearing slippers, but when reasoned out that these slippers were Havaianas, she was granted instant access into the club.
Status Symbols
It's no secret that Havaianas have subtly replaced the status symbol throne once ruled by cellular phones and other gadgets. After all, these slippers have cushioned the feet of no less than the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, and Sting, to name a few. But then again, the ground these celebrities walk on don't have any bearing. It is incredible indeed to imagine a person who can afford to buy slippers, regular slippers presumably for indoor use, which cost 600 pesos at the very least. Proof of the iconic status of Havaianas is the proliferation of rip-offs and imitations like Havanas and Hawaianas which can be bought for the minimum of 50 pesos to a maximum of 200 pesos. It's funny how their official website stated that "top athletes, rock stars and celebrities demanded the butter-soft comfort of these inexpensive flip flops" considering how pricey these things can get for monetarily-challenged Filipinos. But it's also easy to understand why we still buy and don them.
Overrated slippers or shallow consumers?
This hoopla surrounding Havaianas is very peculiar considering the fact that slippers have been in the Philippines time immemorial. These slippers were clothing staples and there were definitely no magazines that featured it or people who collect it in every color or style. But suddenly, everyone from the President to office workers to students began paying attention to these slippers. Is this boiling down to those flip-flops or to what Filpinos have become? I'd say the latter. Havaianas are mere symptoms of a social malady that plagues this nation, perhaps not a single disease but rather an accumulation of several ailments. Would these "click" if they weren't made by foreigners? Would fashionistas still hail them to the high heavens if international celebrities didn't wear them? Would people still insist on donning them in their workplaces or classrooms if they weren't the "in" accessories? Fascination for this footwear could possibly be vestiges of colonial mentality and herd mentality. Filipinos are after all often touted as "Brown Americans" and appreciation of products that aren't ours is not new. It is sad that such still occurs indicating how Filipinos, instead of emulating patriotism, turn their backs on their country by making such a big fuss over rubber slippers.
Best Foot Forward
Buying or wearing Havaianas is not wrong nor is it condemnable. Regardless of the reasons for buying or owning a pair, be it for comfort, for fashion or simply for being "in", it is imperative that people employ critical thinking. It is one thing to compromise values for fashion and another to sacrifice virtues for bigotry. So remember, they're not just slippers.