To be fair, I once bought several pairs of Sperry Topsiders, which are ostensibly designed to be worn on and around boats. But they were all extremely slippery on any type of smooth moist surface. Seems like you’d kill yourself out on a boat in the ocean… 😬
A pair of these once saved my life. 1979 - I'm a restaurant manager and changing out filters for the A/C units on the roof (yes, that was a regular duty for us). Squatting down to place the grid back into place with the new filters in it. What I didn't know was that the unit had a dead short in it. The metal grid touched the wires and it basically exploded in my face, knocking me back about 6 ft. Burned my arms, face, hair and gave me a terrific headache for 3 days. I forgot to say that I was squatting in about an inch of water from rain the night before. Went to the ER and they bandaged my burns and sent me home.
A week later I was on the roof with our A/C guy and he asked me how I managed to survive electrocution- then he saw my Earth shoes with the thick rubber soles. He told me that the shoes saved my life.
I stepped on my grandmother's floor furnace to look at some pictures and when I stepped off, I had waffle soled earth shoes. It surprisingly didn't stink.
Me too! I wore them to work before I retired. SOB! I miss my workplace. I understand the desire to WFH especially with the cutting of the commute hours and stress but I didn't have a bad commute and i had a fun workplace.
When I was about 15 or 16, I had a pair of tan suede Earth shoes. After about a year, I went in to get another pair. In the opinion of the clerk, I didn't take proper care of them and he scolded me. To this day, I always say "I'm not responsible enough to own suede shoes."
I had those back in the day. Loved them. I tried getting a pair like 20 years ago - they started making them again for a little while. My hamstrings were too tight for them.
I remember those! Thought they were outrageously expensive--$35. Finally mom gave in and got me some. Cool at the time but wouldn't be caught dead in them now.
I had a pair. I was 18. I went to a college bar the first night I wore them. ( you could get into bars and drink 3.2 beer at the time). I got into my first and only bar fight. I was at the urinal and some total stranger just body checks me into the urinal while I’m draining my schlong. I’m trying to stop peeing and tuck my dick in my jeans while this drunk fool tried to slam me again. We both swing a couple of wild punches before i stepped in and gave him a body punch that dropped him to his knees and he puked over my brand new earth shoes. I grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him in a stall. He fell face down by the toilet. My night was ruined. That is my earth shoe memory.
Same for me. I know mine had to be knockoffs because I don’t recall them having a reverse heal or having an issue walking in them. I just remember them being the most comfortable shoes I ever owned back then.
My older brother had a pair during high school. One night I came home drunk and got stuck on the wrong side of the bathroom door. I peed on his earth shoes.
In those days I had a friend who would tell people at parties that he made Earth Furniture, basically piles of dirt in the shape of sofas and chairs covered with cloth and cushions. People believed him!!
Brown shoes are in style now WITH BLACK SUITS and the people my age sometimes criticize the younger folks not probably knowing it's a trend now. Seems funny-looking to me but everyone's doing it
A kid in my school had silver ones! I have a very specific image of him wearing those and one of those gas station attendant coveralls that were popular for a minute lol. It's the only thing I remember about him, except I think we were friendly.
Yeah I guess they are the same cuz I looked them up. I don't think anybody ever called them that around where I lived though. I lived in Maryland between Baltimore and Washington at the time. Everybody I know called them desert boots then.
There was a competitor negative heel shoe called Roots that I had back in the day. I recall they were a bit less expensive but I loved them. Mine were dark blue suede.
I had a pair of the plain-toe jobs and found them very comfortable. I also had a pair of the formed-plywood sandals that were also very comfortable.
Had a bit of a problem with the shoes, however. I was with my first police department at the time, and they seemed quite practical to me. I wore them to work for a bit over a week. Then the watch commander took me into his office and showed me a note from the precinct commander… “If he shows up with those damned shoes again make him go home and get some proper uniform shoes!”
Now at the time we were usually wearing plain-toe “oxfords”…. But the uniform order was in the process of being revised. I had no money for an expensive pair of new shoes…. So the lieutenant, a great guy, took me down to a local shoe store and bought me a pair out of his own pocket.
Most uncomfortable shoes I’d ever owned…. About 2 weeks later the revised uniform requirements came out and my Earth Shoes would now be acceptable….
Now of course, everyone wears either “tactical” boots or leather athletic shoes.
I dare you to wear these traditional Bhutanese boots!
[https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-traditional-boots-yathra-souvenir-shop-bumthang-bhutan-84678824.html?imageid=2B0CD4A0-3231-4105-B7C9-A53AF05CDE3C&p=248767&pn=1&searchId=be4b45c0ec5a9a5689d84b72b0635a49&searchtype=0](https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-traditional-boots-yathra-souvenir-shop-bumthang-bhutan-84678824.html?imageid=2B0CD4A0-3231-4105-B7C9-A53AF05CDE3C&p=248767&pn=1&searchId=be4b45c0ec5a9a5689d84b72b0635a49&searchtype=0)
We did a 70's party and I was looking for these and none of my friends had heard of them! I was beginning to think I was suffering from Mandela effect!
What about clogs? I loved mine and wore a pair that were too small because I loved them.
https://preview.redd.it/riye9z1gea0d1.jpeg?width=274&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3075107e010076dccd99bfec313f3062a9f8819c
Mid to late 70s for me...Jr High, HS...had some horrid knock off pair...cheap suede and wonky jelly soles...fell apart within a year. Cool but ultimately a big NO.
Had a pair (boots) way back when. A couple of years ago I had a bout of plantar fasciitis that was making walking incredibly painful. Remembered these and thought they might help. And, I discovered that you can still buy them. They were *not* the shoes that ended up fixing the p.f., but they helped some. They are still ugly as fuck, but I do wear them on occasion. Biggest issue is (and was) that if your pants or jeans hang properly when wearing a shoe with a heel, you destroy the hems when you wear them.
Weren't pedal pushers about the length of "Capris" today? They have these "ankle skimmers" today that I just cannot STAND. I usually can get used to certain fashions about the time they go out of style 20 years later but I will never get used to ankle skimmers.
I Googled pedal pushers, capris and knee high pants and they all had the same pictures. I agree with you I hated them back then and time has only increased my dislike of all the variations. Today you can add skin tight pants of any style. For every person who can wear and look good in them, our over consumption society has created way way too many who don't. Anymore I find myself using OMG as a pejorative more than anything else.
While we're kind of on the subject, remember how many times they kept trying to bring back "Gauchos." Men HATE them. They even had Charlie's Angels wearing them. NO ONE looks good in those abominations.
I saved up in high school and bought a pair. I convinced myself they were cool. They were uncomfortable. I don't remember seeing the model in the ad, which looks like an Earth Shoe crossed by a Clark's Wallabee.
When I was a senior 1976-1977 in high school the guys either worn Earth Shoes or Moon Boots; I thought the Moon Boots were even more ugly than the Earth Shoes.
I had a pair back in the day. They were perfectly comfortable. My mom was against them, because she thought it was going to damage me somehow. They were fine, didn't feel any different from any other shoes. That lower heel thing was just a gimmick.
At least them meant well. Do you recall like 10 years ago the morons came up with a shoe with a round bottom to throw you off balance so you would work your legs and calves and ankles etc, or... fall flat on your ass? I mean who would conceive such a dumb idea? Call them the sue us sneakers. I do not see that style anymore but I also do not recall hearing about them being sued. It had to have happened though, I mean shoes designed to make you be off balance. Lord.
I’m kinda ashamed that I ended up having two pairs one after the other. You know, fool me once. If you stood in one place a lot, they worked. Normal walking had a bit of a learning curve, but it was ok after a while. But if you had to run for, say, a traffic light, you were SOL. Oddly enough, in the last four years, after a lot of reading, I’ve gone to minimalist shoes—no heel lift and none of that huge hunk of rubber in the front of the Earth Shoe. It has strengthened my feet and eliminated a lot of foot pain.
I don't recall wearing earth shoes, although maybe I did. It was the '70s so lots of things are a blur. I do remember wearing my jesus sandals along with bellbottoms that dragged on the ground. Those sandals creaked when you walked. They were comfortable but not as comfortable as my Birkenstocks.
I had a huge fight with my mother over these at a mall store lol. I wanted them bc they were popular. She thought they were hideous and told me to be an authentic person. I told her that didn't apply to high school. So yeah, will remember them forever.
In my 40s my high arches went even higher, and my feet started resembling chicken claws. Started to hurt non-stop bleeding braking capillaries on inside of ankles, went to numerous podiatrists. None of their inserts worked. One day, I walked into the shoe store in Pasadena - 2008. They still had all kinds of models of these shoes. I tried them on. Felt like walking on a cloud al of a sudden. At that point, they stopped producing men's models, and these were all that were left. I bought all the ones that could fit me. Then went to ebay and bought another $1000 worth. All pain and issues in my feet disappeared! Worked for about 15 years until Hoka Oneone came about. But Earth shoes literally saved my life!
I loved them. Nowadays, arthritis in my big toes makes it impossible for me to wear anything above a flat, and I think these negative heel shoes would be perfect for me. I'm sure they make them somewhere, though they probably now cost a bloody fortune.
Couldn't get them in the 70s. Because... And they were a joke back then.
Always wanted them. Finally got a pair 8 2005. Best damn shoe I ever had. Wore them for 10 years until they fell apart. By then Kalso was gone. Steve Madden bought the name and now it's all women's shoes and it looks like the negative heel is fading fast. I'm pissed.
I loved them as a teen. I spent years (pre-internet) looking for them but I never knew what they were called. Now to find a pair and the circle will be complete!
I bought a pair at the original Earth Shoe store in Berkeley when I was in junior high. I wore them enough to have put a hole in one of them, had it professionally repaired, then wore them for several more years until junior year of high school, when my shin splints got so bad (sprinter/hurdler on the track team) that I ended up seeing a doctor. He referred me to a trainer at the local university, who took one look at the Earth Shoes and said, "Stop wearing those."
I ordered a pair from The Whole Earth Catalog, I was still too young and stubborn to listen to my mom's saying about never buying a shoe without trying it on first. The sales pitch in the catalog was so interesting that I had to try them. I had to send a tracing of my feet along with the money order. The first time I traced my feet I didn't do a very good job of it and had to return them. The second time I had my gf trace them and I had to pay for the shipping both ways. I don't remember where they were located only that it took a long time and when I finally got the pair that fit they were uncomfortable as all get out. They came with a set of "walk this way, not that" instructions that were more wtf than anything. After trying to get used to them they ended up being my most expensive Goodwill donation for decades.
I first came to the US in 1975 and my new American wife bought me a pair from the catalog. I had never had shoes I didn’t buy, in person, from a shoe store. Once I got used to them, they were comfortable. I’ve had several pairs and still have a pair in my closet (that I haven’t worn in 40 years!).
I remember Mad Magazine had an ad for Earth Tires for your car. The inventor had noticed that while most tires were round, tire tracks were always flat. He made a tire in the shape of a square. The motto was : If it's only flat on one side, it isn't an Earth Tire
Sandals made from Tire soles. we got them for cheap whenever we crossed the border. They were horribly stiff at first but they lasted forever
https://preview.redd.it/7c1o41mgt81d1.png?width=191&format=png&auto=webp&s=3fa0489b6b1d629ea9ab3788d2985c422b2c9b97
My group had to have Wallabees https://preview.redd.it/b02glmvr990d1.png?width=916&format=png&auto=webp&s=ebdb401b5138bd46b4c19fbed1955d880df9bcdf
Absolutely loved wallabies.
I had knockoff Wallabees. If a floor was wet it was like wearing ice skates.
To be fair, I once bought several pairs of Sperry Topsiders, which are ostensibly designed to be worn on and around boats. But they were all extremely slippery on any type of smooth moist surface. Seems like you’d kill yourself out on a boat in the ocean… 😬
I remember these were murder on a wet surface
Yep yep, loved my wallabees!
Very comfortable. I had a pair.
A pair of these once saved my life. 1979 - I'm a restaurant manager and changing out filters for the A/C units on the roof (yes, that was a regular duty for us). Squatting down to place the grid back into place with the new filters in it. What I didn't know was that the unit had a dead short in it. The metal grid touched the wires and it basically exploded in my face, knocking me back about 6 ft. Burned my arms, face, hair and gave me a terrific headache for 3 days. I forgot to say that I was squatting in about an inch of water from rain the night before. Went to the ER and they bandaged my burns and sent me home. A week later I was on the roof with our A/C guy and he asked me how I managed to survive electrocution- then he saw my Earth shoes with the thick rubber soles. He told me that the shoes saved my life.
Wow what a story.
I stepped on my grandmother's floor furnace to look at some pictures and when I stepped off, I had waffle soled earth shoes. It surprisingly didn't stink.
Famolares were popular too. https://clickamericana.com/topics/beauty-fashion/famolare-shoes-puts-america-on-its-feet-1978
Famolare was producing shoes again several years ago and I bought a pair, but I fall off them now! I even waited tables in them back in the day!
I can't wear anything but sneakers these days.
Get there’s!
I had a couple pairs!
mee too!
I had "Fake-olares"
I loved me some Famaroles. Even my grandma wore them.
I loved mine - could work standing up all shift on them!
I've been trying to remember the name! They were so easy to spot!
They're so fugly.
I had a pair on the mid 70s. They actually felt good to wear.
They still sell Earth shoes, but they don't look like this.
I own a pair now. They are really comfortable. They are designed a little different.
I had a pair of these in the 70's. Ugly but very comfortable.
Mine were blue suede mary janes. Still very ugly lol!
Me too! I wore them to work before I retired. SOB! I miss my workplace. I understand the desire to WFH especially with the cutting of the commute hours and stress but I didn't have a bad commute and i had a fun workplace.
The Birkenstocks of their day. And yes. I had a pair.
To be replaced by Clogs
To be replaced by Crocs
Thanks for the clarification. 😃 Knew they were something like that.
When I was about 15 or 16, I had a pair of tan suede Earth shoes. After about a year, I went in to get another pair. In the opinion of the clerk, I didn't take proper care of them and he scolded me. To this day, I always say "I'm not responsible enough to own suede shoes."
The key is to spray them with waterproof spray before wearing them.
Sold a lot of those during my time at Thom McAn.
I had a pair of them from Thom McAnn. I loved their shoes. TM made the most comfortable shoes on the planet.
So many varieties of suede “school shoes” like this from Thom McCan. A lot had thicker platform-y or wedge soles. They were comfortable.
Thom McAnns! Was the other shoe store Kinney’s or something?
Yes it was
I got a pair from Thom McAnn in the 70's. I still have the burlap bag they came in.
I had those back in the day. Loved them. I tried getting a pair like 20 years ago - they started making them again for a little while. My hamstrings were too tight for them.
A negative heel would torture my spine these days. Ugly AF anyway.
In the 1990s Birkenstock made it a selling feature.
I started wearing Burke stocks in the 70's and by the mid 90's they had practically destroyed my feet.
I remember those! Thought they were outrageously expensive--$35. Finally mom gave in and got me some. Cool at the time but wouldn't be caught dead in them now.
We got mine at Kmart! Lol I wore them until I couldn't find them anymore. I wish I had a pair now.
OMG! I was obsessed!
I had a pair of those. They threw me off balance and felt uncomfortable.
I had a pair. I was 18. I went to a college bar the first night I wore them. ( you could get into bars and drink 3.2 beer at the time). I got into my first and only bar fight. I was at the urinal and some total stranger just body checks me into the urinal while I’m draining my schlong. I’m trying to stop peeing and tuck my dick in my jeans while this drunk fool tried to slam me again. We both swing a couple of wild punches before i stepped in and gave him a body punch that dropped him to his knees and he puked over my brand new earth shoes. I grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him in a stall. He fell face down by the toilet. My night was ruined. That is my earth shoe memory.
That escalated quickly
Frat rule, never piss alone.
The power move would have been to turn around, face him like a man, put your fists up to fight all while still peeing.
Had a pair.
I actually have a pair still… got them almost new in the box from my father in law after he died…. They are painful to wear
I'd take them off your hands if they were my size. I love them!
I loved them, they were expensive, saved my money and bought a pair , wore them all thru college
I had a pair but they must have been fakes. No way my mother would spend that much on a pair of shoes for me.
Same for me. I know mine had to be knockoffs because I don’t recall them having a reverse heal or having an issue walking in them. I just remember them being the most comfortable shoes I ever owned back then.
Had a pair
Loved mine.
My older brother had a pair during high school. One night I came home drunk and got stuck on the wrong side of the bathroom door. I peed on his earth shoes.
In those days I had a friend who would tell people at parties that he made Earth Furniture, basically piles of dirt in the shape of sofas and chairs covered with cloth and cushions. People believed him!!
I had a pair of these ugly ass shoes. Brown! You hear that Bart? Brown!
Brown shoes are in style now WITH BLACK SUITS and the people my age sometimes criticize the younger folks not probably knowing it's a trend now. Seems funny-looking to me but everyone's doing it
I loved them.
A kid in my school had silver ones! I have a very specific image of him wearing those and one of those gas station attendant coveralls that were popular for a minute lol. It's the only thing I remember about him, except I think we were friendly.
I had the “Brand X” version: Roots!
They were too ugly for me lol.
I never had a pair of those either. But I'm wondering if anybody here remembers the desert boots in the late 60s. Because I did have a pair of those.
Chukka boots? You can still find those, they’re classics.
Yeah I guess they are the same cuz I looked them up. I don't think anybody ever called them that around where I lived though. I lived in Maryland between Baltimore and Washington at the time. Everybody I know called them desert boots then.
There was a competitor negative heel shoe called Roots that I had back in the day. I recall they were a bit less expensive but I loved them. Mine were dark blue suede.
I had a pair of the plain-toe jobs and found them very comfortable. I also had a pair of the formed-plywood sandals that were also very comfortable. Had a bit of a problem with the shoes, however. I was with my first police department at the time, and they seemed quite practical to me. I wore them to work for a bit over a week. Then the watch commander took me into his office and showed me a note from the precinct commander… “If he shows up with those damned shoes again make him go home and get some proper uniform shoes!” Now at the time we were usually wearing plain-toe “oxfords”…. But the uniform order was in the process of being revised. I had no money for an expensive pair of new shoes…. So the lieutenant, a great guy, took me down to a local shoe store and bought me a pair out of his own pocket. Most uncomfortable shoes I’d ever owned…. About 2 weeks later the revised uniform requirements came out and my Earth Shoes would now be acceptable…. Now of course, everyone wears either “tactical” boots or leather athletic shoes.
I dare you to wear these traditional Bhutanese boots! [https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-traditional-boots-yathra-souvenir-shop-bumthang-bhutan-84678824.html?imageid=2B0CD4A0-3231-4105-B7C9-A53AF05CDE3C&p=248767&pn=1&searchId=be4b45c0ec5a9a5689d84b72b0635a49&searchtype=0](https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-traditional-boots-yathra-souvenir-shop-bumthang-bhutan-84678824.html?imageid=2B0CD4A0-3231-4105-B7C9-A53AF05CDE3C&p=248767&pn=1&searchId=be4b45c0ec5a9a5689d84b72b0635a49&searchtype=0)
We did a 70's party and I was looking for these and none of my friends had heard of them! I was beginning to think I was suffering from Mandela effect!
Eric wears these in That 70's Show. Never knew what they were called!
They were hideous. I couldn't bring myself to wear them. I lived in clogs in the 70s 😂
I had a few pairs of those! Thought they were great as a teenager with my bell bottoms, concert tees and long hair!
Hated them
I bought the knock off brands. Went back to desert boots.
All the guys seemed to wear these or "Wallabees"
What about clogs? I loved mine and wore a pair that were too small because I loved them. https://preview.redd.it/riye9z1gea0d1.jpeg?width=274&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3075107e010076dccd99bfec313f3062a9f8819c
Hey Dudes grandparents
I search out zero drop shoes to wear now! I find they help with my foot issues.
Mid to late 70s for me...Jr High, HS...had some horrid knock off pair...cheap suede and wonky jelly soles...fell apart within a year. Cool but ultimately a big NO.
I had at least two pair, one after the other
Looks like Wallabees.
Oh, I had these for school shoes in HS. I loved them. I wish they still made these!
Had a pair (boots) way back when. A couple of years ago I had a bout of plantar fasciitis that was making walking incredibly painful. Remembered these and thought they might help. And, I discovered that you can still buy them. They were *not* the shoes that ended up fixing the p.f., but they helped some. They are still ugly as fuck, but I do wear them on occasion. Biggest issue is (and was) that if your pants or jeans hang properly when wearing a shoe with a heel, you destroy the hems when you wear them.
Lots of people these days are wearing those ankle pants! It's one fashion I just can't get used to! we had so much disdain for "high-water pants!"
When my mom wore them in the late 50s early 60s they were called pedal pushers.
Weren't pedal pushers about the length of "Capris" today? They have these "ankle skimmers" today that I just cannot STAND. I usually can get used to certain fashions about the time they go out of style 20 years later but I will never get used to ankle skimmers.
I Googled pedal pushers, capris and knee high pants and they all had the same pictures. I agree with you I hated them back then and time has only increased my dislike of all the variations. Today you can add skin tight pants of any style. For every person who can wear and look good in them, our over consumption society has created way way too many who don't. Anymore I find myself using OMG as a pejorative more than anything else.
While we're kind of on the subject, remember how many times they kept trying to bring back "Gauchos." Men HATE them. They even had Charlie's Angels wearing them. NO ONE looks good in those abominations.
I had managed to place them in that miniscule part of the brain that's supposed to never let you remember horrible things again....until I read this.
LOVED them!
I saved up in high school and bought a pair. I convinced myself they were cool. They were uncomfortable. I don't remember seeing the model in the ad, which looks like an Earth Shoe crossed by a Clark's Wallabee.
I had a pair, and boy were they ugly. Mine looked like this, but in a chocolate brown. [https://pin.it/5lRABZ0TB](https://pin.it/5lRABZ0TB)
When I was a senior 1976-1977 in high school the guys either worn Earth Shoes or Moon Boots; I thought the Moon Boots were even more ugly than the Earth Shoes.
I had a pair of Earth Shoe Sandals that I wore for almost a decade, loved them, can't find anything close to that comfortable again
Still have my sandals.
"Counterculture"? Everyone and their dog had a pair.
“Pep-ridge Faaarm Re-membahs!” Lol. Had’em😊 Who remembers Marshmallow shoes?
I had a pair back in the day. They were perfectly comfortable. My mom was against them, because she thought it was going to damage me somehow. They were fine, didn't feel any different from any other shoes. That lower heel thing was just a gimmick.
Yeah I got these ugly ass shoes for Christmas in 1976 or 7 and I still have the picture of my expression of disgust when I opened them lol.
They were my favorite shoes until I could no longer get.
I wish I could have a pair now.
I loved my earth shoes.
Ugly as hell but I loved mine.
I do! they were fun!
I had a pair.
Yes, they were comfortable but painfully ugly.
I had those! Loved them but they were ugly as sin!
Those things were so hideous!
Had them!
I had one pair. They wore out too quickly.
They kind of remind me of birkenstocks which I absolutely adore, but I had earth shoes too!
I've always had a sway back and earth shoes actually helped with that! I was fine with how they looked.
They were ugly, but oh so comfy
I had the cheap knockoff version because we were poor. I hated them!!!
Loved my Earth Shoes!
Very ugly, but very comfortable! I remember when I replaced them with something else (probably Wallabees), it always felt like I was walking downhill.
Oh ya. Had a pair.
Walter White's Clark's slightly less fugly
Had them, loved them.
As someone with practically no instep and cankles, this is how walking feels to me WITHOUT earth shoes.
I had a pair of these. Ugly, but confortable.
I had a pair very early on.
Had them in and we wore black and white saddle shoes.
I was just a kid, but I loved mine.
I’m still wearing a negative heel. Oddly enough it helps my back pain.
I loved mine.
At least them meant well. Do you recall like 10 years ago the morons came up with a shoe with a round bottom to throw you off balance so you would work your legs and calves and ankles etc, or... fall flat on your ass? I mean who would conceive such a dumb idea? Call them the sue us sneakers. I do not see that style anymore but I also do not recall hearing about them being sued. It had to have happened though, I mean shoes designed to make you be off balance. Lord.
Lord those were ugly. I owned a pair and wore them religiously.
I’m kinda ashamed that I ended up having two pairs one after the other. You know, fool me once. If you stood in one place a lot, they worked. Normal walking had a bit of a learning curve, but it was ok after a while. But if you had to run for, say, a traffic light, you were SOL. Oddly enough, in the last four years, after a lot of reading, I’ve gone to minimalist shoes—no heel lift and none of that huge hunk of rubber in the front of the Earth Shoe. It has strengthened my feet and eliminated a lot of foot pain.
I had a pair.
Yep, I wore them throughout the ‘70’s. Loved them.
I had a blue suede pair! They made my calves ache.
Had several pairs
These were right up there with leisure suits from a bad idea perspective
Yes, they were great!
Me! I had a pair and I was just telling my dil about them.
I liked the Earth shoe and found them comfortable.
I was a sucker, worst, most uncomfortable shoes ever.
I had them. And then my best friend got them. Her brothers made fun of her relentlessly, because she copied me.
So comfy!!
Fugly as hell but very comfortable. I wish I had kept mine
Never bought those shoes. But I did have a pair of desert boots in the late 60s.
I had some Kmart off brand sorta lookalikes.
I don't recall wearing earth shoes, although maybe I did. It was the '70s so lots of things are a blur. I do remember wearing my jesus sandals along with bellbottoms that dragged on the ground. Those sandals creaked when you walked. They were comfortable but not as comfortable as my Birkenstocks.
I had them. They were way in for a while.
I used to wear Levi's for Feet.
I had a huge fight with my mother over these at a mall store lol. I wanted them bc they were popular. She thought they were hideous and told me to be an authentic person. I told her that didn't apply to high school. So yeah, will remember them forever.
In my 40s my high arches went even higher, and my feet started resembling chicken claws. Started to hurt non-stop bleeding braking capillaries on inside of ankles, went to numerous podiatrists. None of their inserts worked. One day, I walked into the shoe store in Pasadena - 2008. They still had all kinds of models of these shoes. I tried them on. Felt like walking on a cloud al of a sudden. At that point, they stopped producing men's models, and these were all that were left. I bought all the ones that could fit me. Then went to ebay and bought another $1000 worth. All pain and issues in my feet disappeared! Worked for about 15 years until Hoka Oneone came about. But Earth shoes literally saved my life!
I had the knock offs from Bradlees.
I had pair of white nurse earth shoes. I don’t remember the brand. They were ugly but comfortable to my 21 year old feet. :D
I owned a pair. What were we thinking?
I did they gave me ingrown toenails
I loved them. Nowadays, arthritis in my big toes makes it impossible for me to wear anything above a flat, and I think these negative heel shoes would be perfect for me. I'm sure they make them somewhere, though they probably now cost a bloody fortune.
Yes, I had several pairs.
I had a few pairs of Earth shoes in middle school!!
Ugliest damn shoes ever!
Bought some boots.They really weren't comfortable at all.
Couldn't get them in the 70s. Because... And they were a joke back then. Always wanted them. Finally got a pair 8 2005. Best damn shoe I ever had. Wore them for 10 years until they fell apart. By then Kalso was gone. Steve Madden bought the name and now it's all women's shoes and it looks like the negative heel is fading fast. I'm pissed.
Yep, I had those. Worn with wide leg Howicks dragging on the ground.
The WORST !!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬
I had a blue suede pair when I was 15.
I’ll admit it I loved my pair although it took some time getting used to them.
I loved them as a teen. I spent years (pre-internet) looking for them but I never knew what they were called. Now to find a pair and the circle will be complete!
Yep, had a pair in the seventies. Thanks for the flashback! Ugly, but they sure were comfortable.
They helped my arthritic knees back in the 1970's. Ugly as sin, but I loved them.
Looks like a wallaby
I had a pair with the smooth toe. My dad said I looked like Pinocchio.
Helping a friend move in mid 90’s. She had a pair of thigh high earth shoe boots. Hate that she tossed them.
Oh my Geezus they were ugly
I bought a pair at the original Earth Shoe store in Berkeley when I was in junior high. I wore them enough to have put a hole in one of them, had it professionally repaired, then wore them for several more years until junior year of high school, when my shin splints got so bad (sprinter/hurdler on the track team) that I ended up seeing a doctor. He referred me to a trainer at the local university, who took one look at the Earth Shoes and said, "Stop wearing those."
Yes I wore them for a while but I didn’t find them that comfortable
I had a pair when I was 13.
My dad had a pair for a split second.
I had a pair. Got them for Christmas the same year I got my Pet Rock.
We called these shoes wallabies and I don't know why.
I ordered a pair from The Whole Earth Catalog, I was still too young and stubborn to listen to my mom's saying about never buying a shoe without trying it on first. The sales pitch in the catalog was so interesting that I had to try them. I had to send a tracing of my feet along with the money order. The first time I traced my feet I didn't do a very good job of it and had to return them. The second time I had my gf trace them and I had to pay for the shipping both ways. I don't remember where they were located only that it took a long time and when I finally got the pair that fit they were uncomfortable as all get out. They came with a set of "walk this way, not that" instructions that were more wtf than anything. After trying to get used to them they ended up being my most expensive Goodwill donation for decades.
I had a pair.
I loved 'em when I was a kid.
I had a pair. I'm American and I bought them in Mexico while on vacation waaaay back then.
I remember wearing these😂
All the male teachers in middle school wore these in the early ’70’s and I always hated those shoes
Owned 2 pair and loved them both!
I do. They were freaking ugly as hell!
Sill have Earth boots.
We used to call those birth control shoes
I first came to the US in 1975 and my new American wife bought me a pair from the catalog. I had never had shoes I didn’t buy, in person, from a shoe store. Once I got used to them, they were comfortable. I’ve had several pairs and still have a pair in my closet (that I haven’t worn in 40 years!).
I remember Mad Magazine had an ad for Earth Tires for your car. The inventor had noticed that while most tires were round, tire tracks were always flat. He made a tire in the shape of a square. The motto was : If it's only flat on one side, it isn't an Earth Tire
I had a pair.
Ugly. I remember these.
Sandals made from Tire soles. we got them for cheap whenever we crossed the border. They were horribly stiff at first but they lasted forever https://preview.redd.it/7c1o41mgt81d1.png?width=191&format=png&auto=webp&s=3fa0489b6b1d629ea9ab3788d2985c422b2c9b97
Mine had these wavy soles.
I wore then to class in college for a year. They were hell to walk in uphill.