A ‘smelly’ new trend is taking over Schoolies

Schoolies is a chance for the young people to let loose – but one wild trend has emerged during the 2023 celebrations … and it smells.

COMMENT

From the 18th of November to the 3rd of December, school leavers take over Australia’s Gold Coast, make it a bit worse and reveal what is cool.

They arrive armed with their alcoholic drinks that taste like cordial, their passion for having important debriefs while sitting in gutters and parade around town like they are grown-ups in the clothes their parents bought them.

The photos that emerge from the chaotic week always reveal what the young people think is cool, and this year hasn’t disappointed.

One thing has stood out among a sea of lanyards, men throwing up their hands in photos for unknown reasons and scented vapes, is that Crocs are in.

Crocs are cool. Picture: Media Mode/news.com.au

Crocs are taking over. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The rubber foot coverings have made their way onto the feet of Australia’s future – and it is quite an alarming sight.

Here’s the issue with Crocs: while they look like summer shoes, they aren’t because they make your feet sweat, and those little holes aren’t enough to save anyone.

The holes don’t help matters because they let your foot’s sweat odour escape and then your friends are stuck breathing it in.

Imagine being young and having fun on Schoolies, meeting a guy on the sticky dance floor, going outside to have a cheeky make-out session only to smell a slightly stale aroma, and look down at his hoofs to discover he has the dreaded Crocs on.

The socks and crocs is a safer choice. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The pressing issue isn’t the aesthetic because we all know that ugly shoes are trendy now. So there’s no actual problem with the way the Crocs look.

Gen Zers love stuff that looks a bit wrong but somehow works, like Pete Davidson’s whole general vibe that has morphed him into a sex symbol that wears baggy shorts.

However, they really need to consider the smell before they start parading around in Crocs. I doubt boys are in their half-trashed Schoolies hotel rooms are giving their feet a vigorous foot scrub to stop them from smelling the next day.

The one beacon of hope for the smelly trend is some smart young men are wearing socks with their Crocs.

Their efforts shouldn’t go unnoticed and need to be applauded. Someone needs to give them a General Pants Co voucher or something fun.

The girls aren’t wearing heels. Picture: Media Mode/news.com.au

Comfortable shoes are in. Picture: Media Mode/news.com.au

The other fashion trend that has emerged from Schoolies is that the girls are firmly rejecting heels. Instead of teetering around, they are stomping in sneakers, thongs, boots and Birkenstocks.

It’s heartening to see that the young ladies are having no trouble getting around town because they are in sensible footwear. Sure, they might be in tiny tops and impossibly oversized jeans, but they are wearing the kind of shoe that anyone’s mum would approve of.

Millennial women may have fallen for the Carrie Bradshaw allure and have the bunions to prove it, but Gen Zers are rejecting that and opting for comfort.

The comfy shoe is the uniform. Picture: Media Mode/news.com.au

Now that the girls aren’t being slowed down by heels, you only imagine how efficient they will be without needing to stop because someone needs to take their uncomfortable shoes off.

This would give them ample time to vape, make wide-sweeping political statements and lust after men whose mums’ probably still make their beds.

Plus, when they decide to have deep and meaningful conversations while sitting in a gutter, they’d have no trouble standing back up and hitting the dance floor again.

The young people may have taken over the Gold Coast for two weeks, but their shoe trends will take over the world – and we will be able to smell it coming from a mile away.