I would say that this tiktoker's opinion is detrimental to their own nature, and to their own reputation. Why would the rest of us care what their opinion was? Why does their opinion matter one iota to anybody? And who are they to be criticizing the way people dress?

Live and let live and be careful who you judge.

You don’t have to judge the whole world by your own standards. Not everybody is like you, you know.

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. Maxim for life: You get treated in life the way you teach people to treat you. If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.

People are going to judge you anyway, so you might as well do what you want.

A coward judges all he sees by what he is.

Watch over yourself. Be your own accuser, then your judge; ask yourself grace sometimes, and, if there is need, impose upon yourself some pain.

Stop judging others by what you see. Because what you see is what they want you to see. You better focus on yourself.

The TikToker needs to do wife beaters next...

Flip flops and Crocs are okay, though I always wear a collared shirt and long pants while O&A in public in Bangkok. With sneakers and socks.

In my younger days, the sneakers would have been Florsheim's. Sneakers are my concession to old fartism.

13 hours ago, wil iam not said:

When you wear flip flops, it is so easy to remove them at shops or houses which request you to do so.

Very few (if any?) shops in Bangkok demand that customers remove their shoes before entering these days.

5 hours ago, connda said:

Hence the push for dress-codes on sky-trains.

There is no push for dress codes on the sky train. One person's social media post is not a "push".

4 hours ago, pl8lad said:

Or, wear socks & sneakers, and risk smelly feet, and have people block their noses as the pass you !

If you have clean feet, socks and shoes there is no danger of smelly feet.

4 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

As a sidenote, I'm nearing 16 years in Thailand, and I have yet to see a woman with a nice pedicure with toenail polish

You cannot have been looking very hard.

3 hours ago, mlkik said:

Last year I was on the BTS after several beers in Sukhumvit . I was minding my own business when the young Thai bloke standing next to me said to his girlfriend in Thai 'Look at how he is standing' . Well I had had a beer or 3 so was holding on to the overhead strap for dear life. I ignored his comment.

Then he said to his girlfriend 'look at is shoes' and then laughed.

When I said to him in Thai 'These shoes are good shoes and were expensive ,I paid ฿40 for them at the market' He then became very embarrased and said he was talking about his girlfriends shoes. They got off at the next stop !

What?

From what little I have seen about “ influencers “ the overwhelming must have attribute has to be ,you have to be as thick as pig-sxxt.

I hv seen a lot of thais wearing flip flops . So' what's the problem ? U can't wear them in Subways ? Or are they distubing some people ? What about a National Referendum voting the right to use flip flop in Subways? 😅😂 GL

11 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

I totally agree that one should be able to wear any footwear they so desire, but it's difficult for me to understand why such little attention is paid to footwear in Thailand. There's nothing worse than to see a lovely Thai lady all dressed up in casual, semi or even formal attire and wearing ugly dirty flip-flops. Nice, clean and stylish shoes are a very important part of dress and image. First impressions are extremely important, and in my mind, the condition of one's shoes says a whole lot about a person. Back in my professional days in management, if I were to interview a prospective employee, and their shoes were scuffed, dirty and unpolished, they would be out the door lickety-split.

As a sidenote, I'm nearing 16 years in Thailand, and I have yet to see a woman with a nice pedicure with toenail polish. There's nothing that's more of a turnoff than to see a girl wearing two-week-old nail polish that is chipped, and the nails have grown out and left that gap in the polish. I mean....gosh....how long does it take to bend down and put a fresh coat of polish on those bad boys? It's just pure laziness and bad personal hygiene and a pretty good indication that the private parts are also lacking in proper hygiene.

Have you seen the Thai girls walking in their high heels?

Better they stick to flat shoes/ sandals.

6 hours ago, impulse said:

The TikToker needs to do wife beaters next...

Flip flops and Crocs are okay, though I always wear a collared shirt and long pants while O&A in public in Bangkok. With sneakers and socks.

In my younger days, the sneakers would have been Florsheim's. Sneakers are my concession to old fartism.

Theres sneakers and sneakers . Lots at around 150 to 200 €.

Often seen at 600€.

Golden Goose my preferred fashion around 600 €.

I did not say I have any of these, I will say it’s the smart look even when dressed up.

On 3/30/2026 at 6:33 PM, JingerBen said:

Most of the Thais I've known over the years attach great importance to appearances.

Flip-flops are definitely "Lo-so" in their estimation.

But they go back to live in their houses with corrugated metal roofs and their life full of debt.

Yeah Lo-So flip flops are a massive issue.

20 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Flip flops are unsafe footwear in many circumstances. Have a look at the aftermath of large evacuations when there is a fire or an incident on public transit. Lots of abandoned or lost sandals and flip flops. If you don't mind walking barefoot over shards of glass, or burning items or through raw sewage, go for it. Bangkok has all sorts of sticky stinky liquids and substances on its streets. If you are okay walking through it with exposed flesh, enjoy.

#1 who gives a rat's as* what anyone wears on their feet ,, none of ayone's biz

and... if anyone actually gave a hoot about unsafe footwear choices, stop by any construction site

odds are 10:1 that the working crew are wearing flip flops, shorts, no gloves or helmets ( all while climbing on bamboo scaffolds ! )

15 hours ago, Marco100 said:

I hv seen a lot of thais wearing flip flops . So' what's the problem ? U can't wear them in Subways

There is no problem wearing flip flops.

The 'Subways' [sic] have no prohibition on the wearing of flip-flops in their shops, as long as you buy a sandwich they're happy.

2 hours ago, Luuk Chaai said:

#1 who gives a rat's as* what anyone wears on their feet ,, none of ayone's biz

and... if anyone actually gave a hoot about unsafe footwear choices, stop by any construction site

odds are 10:1 that the working crew are wearing flip flops, shorts, no gloves or helmets ( all while climbing on bamboo scaffolds ! )

No one is dictating footwear requirements to you.

If you do not understand basic common sense that's a reflection of your low social standing and nothing worth our concern.

On 3/31/2026 at 10:21 AM, Watawattana said:

Misread this - thought the 'outraged' social media post was because the guy was wearing BTS footwear - merch from that Korean band. Oops.

Come on. This is a serious subject, don't demean it with your inappropriate jollity.

I think the tourists on holiday would be the ones wearing flip flops

On 3/30/2026 at 5:23 PM, snoop1130 said:

The broader debate touches on themes of personal freedom, cultural etiquette, and the expectations placed on locals versus tourists. It also raises questions about societal norms in urban Thailand and how they align with modern, diverse cultural perspectives.

The conversation underscores ongoing discussions about personal choices versus societal expectations in public spaces. As debates continue, it reflects a broader issue of how traditional norms adapt in a rapidly changing society.

The article seems to indicate that wearing flip-flops or other casual feet coverings have something to do with "modern diverse perspectives." I don't think that traditional Thai culture involved wearing tennis shoes or dress shoes. When I first came to Thailand in 1989, plenty of Thai's wore informal shoes; in fact, in Issan it wasn't uncommon to see people barefoot. Thailand can't police road rules and now "netizins" want to make rules about footwear??

On 3/31/2026 at 11:55 AM, fittobethaied said:

I totally agree that one should be able to wear any footwear they so desire, but it's difficult for me to understand why such little attention is paid to footwear in Thailand. There's nothing worse than to see a lovely Thai lady all dressed up in casual, semi or even formal attire and wearing ugly dirty flip-flops. Nice, clean and stylish shoes are a very important part of dress and image. First impressions are extremely important, and in my mind, the condition of one's shoes says a whole lot about a person. Back in my professional days in management, if I were to interview a prospective employee, and their shoes were scuffed, dirty and unpolished, they would be out the door lickety-split.

As a sidenote, I'm nearing 16 years in Thailand, and I have yet to see a woman with a nice pedicure with toenail polish. There's nothing that's more of a turnoff than to see a girl wearing two-week-old nail polish that is chipped, and the nails have grown out and left that gap in the polish. I mean....gosh....how long does it take to bend down and put a fresh coat of polish on those bad boys? It's just pure laziness and bad personal hygiene and a pretty good indication that the private parts are also lacking in proper hygiene.

When is the last time you had a pedicure and applied a fresh coat of nail polish on your feet? What a ridiculous statement. If you judge a women based on whether her nail polish looks good, it says a lot about your foot fetish.

Just a snob

Well wearing them is kinda trashy in a capital city, usually even the lower-class Thais in BKK won't wear them out and about unless at or near home.

Similar with wearing shorts too.

On 4/2/2026 at 11:35 AM, Issan girl said:

When is the last time you had a pedicure and applied a fresh coat of nail polish on your feet? What a ridiculous statement. If you judge a women based on whether her nail polish looks good, it says a lot about your foot fetish.

And the same girls that practice poor feet hygiene with unattended to nail polish likewise do the same thing with their fingernails. Does that make me a hand fetish too? No, it makes me a man who appreciates a woman who is self-aware and presents herself well in public. But don't mind me....you go ahead and knock yourself out and chase the nasty ones. To each his own!

"Self-aware" obviously you do not understand the meaning of what it means to be a "self-aware woman." I have no problem with cleanliness on both hands and feet; however, the expectation that a woman is supposed to have freshly painted nails on both her hands and feet to be "present" herself in public is sexist and a bit of "commercialization" in that noone, male or female naturally has "colored" nails.