If you have an Instagram account, chances are you’ve seen a rise in clear heels and boots. But here's the thing: I’ve tried them — and although I did feel like an Instacelebrity, it gets pretty gross after awhile. There’s sweating and fogging, and you never really look as perfect as the influencers do. Ever since that experience I've wondered if plastic shoes are actually doing more harm than good, and luckily, a reporter at Vogue just did some digging.
According to Liana Satenstein's reporting, you may want to chuck your knee-high plastic boots in the trash for good.
Plastic shoes can become more prone to bacteria and fungus, according to Vogue — and that's not the worst of it.
“The foot by itself [without a sock] in a shoe, plastic or not, provides a perfect milieu for bacterial and fungal growth. It is moist, dark, and there is heat,” the director of the Non-surgical Foot and Ankle Service at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York Dr. Rock Positano told the publication. “The combination of those three things make a foot inside a shoe a dangerous place."
Also, surprisingly, plastic doesn't stretch as much as other shoe fabrics. "Feet naturally swell in the afternoon, so a person can go from a size [seven] to a size [nine], and plastic shoes don’t expand with the foot,” Positano said. “A leather shoe, or a shoe that is made out of hide, has the ability to expand a little bit.”
On top of all that, if you're allergic to plastic, you could potentially have an allergic reaction called "hot foot," which is a form of contact dermatitis described as a fiery sensation.
FYI, contact dermatitis is when a rash or allergic reaction forms after having direct contact with a substance, according to the Mayo Clinic.
OK, so none of this sounds appealing. But if you can't bear to part with your plastic heels, Vogue suggests wearing your pair only every now and then or pairing them with socks.
h/T Vogue
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