The Flip Flop Girl

"New best blogger friend"? I'm absolutely honored!

I also think one of the most subtle but telling aspects of the lyrics is the equating of sexxxy open-toed shoes with spending power ("Swipe that card i'm good") and the priveleging of 'designer' goofs ("I'm a sucker for a name-brand"), as well as the act of shopping and consumption itself ("Skip the rack/ And stick to the game plan").

So the process of sexying up her feet becomes casually related with all the aspects of consumer culture that are criticized by various groups who are opposed to crass materialism (whether they're religious fundamentalists, hippies, individuals from the Left and Right alike). However, 'revealing' footwear (and the sexualization of feet, in general) has arguably been an aspect of various traditional cultures, from around the world.

So (at the risk of sounding like a Marxist) it feels like the kind of foot lust being articulated by the song is related as much to the desirability of the open-toed shoes as a *product* ("Another pair in leather and wood") as it does with the person who's wearing them, or appreciating them. They are truly as "commodity fetish", as Marx described it.
 

I think we keep picturing this girl as having written the song. Well, at least, she sang it with passion and made it her own. I can't wait to listen to it sometime.

Paolo, I do thank you for your thoughtful comments.
Truth to be told, I could never just talk about feet. I do need to turn this into a much more involved discussion.

Yes, obviously, you are spot on in your observations. Capitalism and sex are inextricably linked, in general, and in this song. The lyrics exert an extra charge from the brazen attitude: she's going to flaunt her feet but only in the very best shoes. She gets off as much from displaying her toes as she does from spending money in order to display them to the very best effect.
 

So, I finally did a quick search on YouTube. I love the song. As I said, I'd never kept up with American Idol until this season but I should have noticed that song elsewhere. It's much better to listen to. When you also see her, she seems to just go through it mechanically. There's no conviction, no connection to the lyrics. (Is she treating it like a breezy pop song or is all her singing mindless?) It's not like she's really thinking about what she's singing which makes me wonder if she wrote it.
 

You wrote:
(Is she treating it like a breezy pop song or is all her singing mindless?) It's not like she's really thinking about what she's singing which makes me wonder if she wrote it.


Okay, I decided to look it up, once and for all. The Wikipedia entry for McPhee's self-titled debut album states that "Open Toes" is "written by Nate Hills, Kara DioGuardi, The Clutch, Balewa Muhammad, Candice Nelson, Katharine McPhee". Yup! It took no less than six people -- including McPhee herself -- to write that song. There are no individual lyrical credits litsted, so who actully penned the words remains a mystery.

I haven't seen any of her performances of the song on YouTube yet. However, it's quite revealing that you described it as "mechanical", because my (from the ever-reliable PopMatters.com) snidely judges it as "product, expertly delivered. You can buy it if you please. Like a pizza or a Big Mac." And it places the blame squarely on American Idol's tendency to standardize and professionalize musicianship, to the point where all contenstants are equally hit-worthy -- and thus equally bland and uninspired.

So if McPhee is just playing a role -- acting out the fantasies of the record industry puppet-masters and bling-wearing sven galis -- then maybe "Open Toes" is not an expression of one song-writer's individual desires. On the contrary, it may well indicate a belief in a target market for sexualized footwear. The song could have been written with the conviction that McPhee's audience is willing to (literally) buy into the idea of sexing up their peds. In that light, "Open Toes" may be regarded as a kind of "non-branded" ad for revealing footwear, based on the premise that it will (a) attract guys' attention ("Cuz I know them boys/ They like/ Those open toes"), and (b) increase the wearer's own self-confidence ("Work or play/ Night or day/ Do my thing/ Too cute in my open toes").
 

It does seem to me that she's just doing what good marketing advises her to do.

If you want the gold standard in singing a sexy pop song like you mean, heart and soul, you can make a very strong case for Madonna.

McPhee is no Madonna.
 

Capitalism is an expression of power. Sex can be an expression of power. Therefore it is not suprising to find any kind of alignment between the two. Their expression through the foot fetish in some interations could be interpreted as an attempt to subvert or circumvent said power, or to co-opt it.
There's my deep two cents.
T
 

Sex sells. Corporations take the middle ground so you'll have corporate money backing a project that brings out the inner foot fetishist in us all right along with a project mocking that interest. Whatever seems to be riding the highest tide of acceptance. Some artists seem to manage to use corporate money and circumvent the system, slip something past a "censor," or maybe the powers that be just allow it, like Borat's antics, since they figure they will profit.
 

Talk about overcomplicating. Indeed, it is a pop song of the Nelly type, who has a similar poppy song devoted to open toeds, targeted at the -just wanna have fun- teen to 30 something female, and anyone who likes feet really. It should be known by now after countless mentioning of feet surrounding Mcphee, she loves them. I saw her on Tyra Bank's show and Trya (Chingy's foot girl) took off her shoes for some reason and showed them to Mcphee, then she said "you have pretty feet". Right then I noticed her eyes alone immediately turned to the crowd as her head followed in the same way when someone says something and they are unsure how or if they will be judged or also when ego is checking if relation is apparent, kind of like when someone lies but thats just because the crowd was directly to her right side. Well her expression was cheekier than usual and to me thats enough proof. I hear Tyra is pregnant and due, also think its Chingy's, also think they only hooked up because of her feet, now isnt that a stupid reason to bring a kid into this world, a ditsy exmodel and an untalented pop rap star letting lust be the apex of their relationship. You might think I'm just speaking speculatively and overcynical of the latter but lets get real, an idiot showed another idiot her feet maybe so she can leech off the synergy and please her sex life simultaneously, rubbed meat, now a human being is set to join the world. Just like the rest of America, and yes I'm American and as I am dissappointed. A divorce anytime would not surprise me either, I dont think they are even married.
 

In response to the last post about Tyra and Chingy, I have to say that I really liked it. I think you're spot on. Feet are such an easy tool for instant titillation. In Tyra's case, you're absolutely right that she is enjoying a little thrill. I think she's also doing whatever she can to keep the show moving. She is trying to be interesting and provocative as best she can. She doesn't have the same talent of someone like Oprah so she's going to resort to her sexuality. The foot conjures up so much in us so fast that it is a perfect symbol for our age of ultra-instant gratification.