People are quick to comment when someone is inappropriately dressed, especially in puritan oriented
and moralistically in-pruriant Massachusetts. I couldn't help myself here, as living and working in Boston and environs, you often get the feeling that you are being talked down to or considered less qualified of intellect simply because the majority of Massholes, their own term for themselves, are exclusionary and provincial in their view of anything non-New England ( I once asked a police officer in Boston why there wasn't a street sign and he simply said "if you don't like it leave!" Nice!).
Of course, this view isn't shared by everyone (different things to different people with different
sensibilities and tolerance), as the incidence of being unique, rebellious and all things introspective, with died hair, tattoos, piercings, alternative lifestyles, etc... are just as, if not more prevalent in Massachusetts than in any other part of the United States. That disconnect between the more monied echelons in Boston and Massachusetts in general who like to judge and rail against open sexuality, giving into commercialism and style, opting instead to go the way of being fashionably awkward and gross at worst is especially obvious during the summer, when the heat inspires some even more awful choices.
On a recent trip up to the Western part of the state, I had the displeasure of noticing just how
anti-fashion these people are. Apart from a prevalence of straggly graying hair, the need for women to dress like tattered, frumpy old men (trousers, boxy shirt tops), short hair cuts (not bobs, that suggests an intent to style your hair, these people didn't style anything) and a general lack of interest in physical attractiveness, my wife pointed-out how scary many of their feet were.
I'm all for individualism, independence and self-esteem, but when I am confronted with "shockingly ugly" I have to ask why!? Why impose the sheer ugliness of "shoe-ooze" on the rest of the world? Why slip into something so much of a fashion-affront that it's image is so ugly that the sight of it can kill someones appetite in an instant? I was first introduced to 
this shockingly malevolent habit that these Massholes had while having lunch with my wife. She herself was blown-away by just how disinterested people seemed to be about their appearance all the way down to their feet. No makeup, not even looking to brush their hair and for their feet, she pointed-out a woman (we guessed) who had stuffed her large feet into a pair of sandals with all of her skin squeezing through all of the openings. It was immediately vomitacious and I was hooked on this form of "feetography", after spitting my food out.
I spent the next day looking at peoples feet on this college campus and town, most with common
"feetures" of peoples attire, personal grooming and lack of affect, outdone by the shockingly poor taste in shoes and the gnarly, puss-induced, scraggly oozing of foot-fat. We asked why?! We didn't understand how people could go outside with these painfully ugly feet. Indeed, they all chose some of the ugliest shoes to complement their equally ugly feet. Most people don't even get to the feet after being horrified by the head-to-toe indifference, but if you can get that far, the site is so disturbing as to offer a unique perspective on the mentality of someone who would display these examples of "sandalism" on the world!
One of the most prevalent examples of this Massachussetts education institution parent fashion insult is what I call "frankenstocking". This is the need to wear socks in sandals in over 90 degree weather. I might be convinced that someone, somehow might think it a good idea to wear sandals with socks in sub-zero weather, but in the summer! There must be something in the water here as I saw it on both men and women. I would simply say; "buy a shoe!"
It would seem that this "Mass-confusion" on footwear stems from the overall lack of interest in fashion
and appearance that is stereotypical of university parents and women overall in this part of the United States. This is simply a warning of what to expect if you wish to visit the beautiful part of the country. Just keep in mind that for some reason, there is nothing beautiful about the "footage", feet and general attire of the men and women 
and to not look down when you are eating on your next visit!
