Today, the New York Times ran an article that outlines the insane lengths to which women will go to be able to cram their feet into a pair of designer shoes.

Women across this great land of ours are electing to have their feet surgically altered so they can wear $850 shoes. #whitegirlproblems much?

"My practice has exploded because of Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Nicholas Kirkwood," Dr. Neil Blitz a NYC-based podiatrist told the paper. "There's nothing like opening a shoe closet that's been closed to somebody for years."

Sadly, this proliferation of a movement geared to cure "toebesity" (that I wrote about months ago), seems here to stay and, while I'm not here to judge, I thought it might be helpful to point out that you can be stylish and comfortable this summer without spending obscene amounts of money, undergoing surgery or trying to jam a round foot into a square shoe.

For instance, you could travel back in time to a gentler, more "I buy my cool shoes at the drugstore" time by wearing the cool-again Dr. Scholl's wooden sandals. Designed originally to help beautify your calves (I swear my best asset are a result of these puppies), the Dr. Scholl shoe has been around since the 1960s but has just been re-gentrified by hip fashion designer Steven Alan (Mary-Kate and Natalie Portman adore the guy).

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Alan has taken the traditional wooden base of the shoe and lacquered it into instant hip. He's also done two other twists on the classic design. The 4-shoe collection is affordable, comfortable, on trend and will fit your very own feet.

If wooden shoes are too Little Dutch Girl for your aesthetic, how about picking up a pair from Jack Johnson's eco-friendly flip flop line? Produced by globally conscious footwear peeps, Feelgoodz, Johnson's first pair of rubber flips were released yesterday in a nod to Earth Day, with the full line slated to hit mid-May.

Interested? You'll need to act quickly. The singer's line is limited to 2,500 pairs per design and all proceeds will be funneled into the environmental non-profit Johnson and his wife Kim started a few years back.

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