Jesus sandals. Mandels. Old man shoes.

Only a few of the hurtful things I've heard about the loves of my life over the course of our relationship. Birkenstocks, fondly referred to as Birks by myself, are German made sandals praised for their versatility and ultimately, how freaking comfortable they are. Birks have always interested me, but it was one of those things where I was a poor naïve child who's mother bought their wardrobe for them. This was a stellar system, with the only stipulation being that if Mom didn't like it, she didn't buy it. And she still to this day thinks that Birks are the ugliest things she's ever seen. So when I got a job of my own and started having some extra money to spend, I bought my own, and have never looked back. I wear them all the time, and yes, I've even committed the horrid fashion faux pas of wearing socks with sandals *shudders*. Here's a list of some things most proud Birk owners will experience from haters everywhere.

1. "Ew, they're so ugly."

I've actually had complete strangers come up to me and comment about how ugly my shoes are. Am I offended? No way. Do I find it concerning that strangers feel the need to tell another stranger their shoes are ugly? A little bit.

2. "Nice Jesus sandals."

Jesus wore the same shoes as me? He must've been a pretty stylish guy.

3. "You're actually wearing Birkenstocks? Wannabe."

Wait, so I'm trying to be cool because I have a pair of shoes that are super comfortable and go with everything? Oh yeah, my feelings are really hurt.

4. "You're kidding right?"

This one is gonna divide some people, for good reason too. But hear me out for a sec, okay? If you like me live in colder climates, sometimes your feet get cold. When your feet get cold, you wear socks. And then your mom asks you to run to Target cause she needs detergent, and you don't feel like tying shoes. So you slip on your Birks. Boom, you're still warm and comfy. Plus, ever worked on your feet all day or just get done a killer gym workout? Take your sneaks off and slip those bad boys on, you'll thank me for it, I promise.

5. "You can't wear them with anything."

Okay, this is not me saying wear Birks for your next job interview, or to a black tie event (I'm not a monster). This is me saying that you can wear Birks with anything, all types of jeans, shorts, dresses, skirts, everything. Birks are a comfy fashionable choice for any occasion (except the aforementioned, those are always a no, sorry.)

So for all of you Birk lovers out there, be loud and proud! There's always gonna be people trying to bring you down, but live your Birk filled life to the fullest! And to all you haters out there, do me a favor and go try a pair on. I'll say there's about a 99.9% chance you'll have to eat your words, but what do I know? They're only the shoes that Jesus wore... just saying.