We always knew Vibram’s toe-shoes were creepy and ugly, but now we know they’re sinful in other ways, too. The shoemaker recently settled a class-action lawsuit for $3.75 million stemming from claims that their gross shoes for chimpanzees "reduce foot injuries and strengthen foot muscles."
In all fairness, the debunking study didn’t say Vibrams were total snake oil, instead that "[r]unners interested in transitioning to minimalist running shoes, such as Vibram FiveFingers should transition very slowly and gradually [as in, slower than the 10-week transition they tested] in order to avoid potential stress injury in the foot." Still, we’ve never understood why anyone would want to transition into these things in the first place.
And yet, people liked them! They became part of a whole look: the "Aw, dude, I just finished this killer 10K" look. The look that suggests you’ve run straight from the trail to the Greek yogurt section of Whole Foods with this really smug, really active smile on your face. If you are one of these people, you know who you are and you are the worst.
"I’m running like our ancestors did," you said. But you looked ridiculous. And while you can now receive at least a partial refund for the money you spent on these shoes, no cash settlement can buy back your dignity.
[via Deadspin]