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A pair of low-heeled slippers.

A slipper or houseshoe is a semi-closed type of indoor/outdoor shoe, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by a strap running over (or between) the toes or instep.^[1] Slippers are soft and lightweight compared to other types of footwear. They are mostly made of soft or comforting materials that allow a certain level of comfort for the wearer. This can range from faux fur to leather.

Most slippers are worn in late autumn and winter and on occasion in other seasons.

Types[link]

In Japan, slippers called Uwabaki are meant to be used indoors.

There are many different types of slippers in the world today, each with varying styles, materials and purposes.

Slip on slippers; These slippers are usually made with a fabric upper layer that encloses the top of the foot and the toes, but leaves the heel open, allowing the wearer to slip into them casually. They are most likely the most common type of slipper as they are quite easy to put on.

Slipper boots; These slippers are made to look like boots. often favoured by females, they are typically furry boots with a fleece or soft lining, and a soft rubber sole. These slippers sometimes are worn outside of the house, as they resemble the sheepskin boots that have been the fashion lately.

Novelty slippers; These slippers are typically made to resemble a character to novelty item. The slippers are usually made from soft and colorful; materials and commonly come in the shapes of animals, vehicles, cartoon characters etc.

Sandal slippers; or Birkenstocks; cushioned sandals with soft rubber or fabric soles. They are designed to be worn like sandals, but are made of fabric which indicates their use as house shoes.

Moccasins; These slippers closely resemble shoes, and are often made of a soft leather or pelt. They are typically found to have a hard rubber or leather sole,The slippers often have beads and are quite often made to look tribal and indigenous. These slippers seem well suited to outdoor usage as they are associated with the outdoors and are designed to do so.

Closed slippers; The slippers closely resemble open slippers, only these have a heel guard that prevents the foot sliding out from the slipper.

Soft-soled/soft-sided slippers; The slippers are made entirely of pliable materials, such as cotton, leather, or suede. The name is typically associated with children's indoor footwear since medical research suggests that a rigid sole is less advantageous to the proper development of newborn, infant and toddler feet. These slippers are also commonly referred to as bootie slippers (booties), padders, or treadders.

Ugg Slippers; Popular expensive designer sheepskin boot that comes in slipper variety. Most often the slip-on brown, tan or black sheepskin slipper shoe or the grey, pink, violet,cream knit pump with sheepskin on the inside.

Slipper Socks; Though not technically a slipper, these versions of socks are usually thicker, more fluffy and have a set of rubber grips along the soles to provide traction. They would not be used as other socks would while wearing shoes.

There are many different categories and subcategories one could place slippers in. The above are the most common.

Health Issues[link]

There are certain issues with wearing slippers that can arise in some situations. Some people also find slippers to be a type of safety footwear if they are the large overstuffed novelty variety because the stuffing can preclude injury from stubbing one's toe while walking in a dark room at night. Another form of safety can come in the protection from pathogens on the walking surface. Wearing slippers can be used as a way to keep feet clean.

There is also a sizing issue, as novelty slippers do not usually come in individual sizes, merely a sizing guide (e.g. 9-12). This can cause issues when trying to find a pair that fit properly. Also, the sheer size of the slippers can cause issues when walking.

Most styles of slipper offer little or no support for the tender arch of the human foot. This is essential to children, whose young feet are still developing. The lack of support can allow the foot to roll inwards during walking, which can cause many health issues. Of course, opposing studies suggest that the introduction of rigid heels in slippers and shoes of infants and toddlers can actually inhibit a child's ability to learn to walk as quickly as they would otherwise.

Some British schools have rules that enforce the wearing of slippers indoors. While this is a good method of regulating hygiene, some rigid-soled slippers can inhibit the correct growth of the child's developing foot. This has caused some concerned parents quite some grief. While wearing slippers can offer comfort, it can also be a danger, in both terms of walking and movement, as well as the development of the young foot.

Slippers can also be essential to the health of the foot. Some Diabetics may be advised to wear slippers, as diabetes can have effects on blood flow to the extremities of the body. Wearing slippers can offer warmth and comfort that will allow a good flow of blood.

Usage[link]

Though slippers are primarily a type of footwear reserved for the home, it is noted that many people have taken to wearing various slippers in public.

It seems to be becoming increasingly popular to wear slippers out in public, ranging from modest sheepskin boot slippers and moccasins, to vibrant, colourful and fluffy scuffs and even large novelty slippers.

University and College Campuses are common places in which slippers can be seen worn outsite, mainly due to the elevated levels of both comfort and convenience, as it can be much more comfortable to wear them when moving short distances across campus.

Slippers are also seen to be acceptable to wear when making short trips, or on small errands. It is very common to wear slippers when walking a family pet short distances, making a trip to the local supermarket or fast food outlet, or even when making a longer trip to larger supermarkets.

Some young people have also taken to wearing slippers when "hanging out" in the nearby street or area. This is mainly down to comfort, or warmth, though can also be attributed to a statement of either fashion or personal attitude. The wearing of slippers in public can be seen as an act of passive aggression or even rebellion against society, though this is in no way an extreme act, merely a statement that the wearer holds no care for any person who disapproves of this.

With the rise in popularity that wearing slippers in public has gained, some supermarkets has taken action against this. A branch of Tesco in the UK has banned any customer from wearing slippers or pajamas when inside the store^[2], due to a high influx of people doing so. This can be seen as controversial as some parties may argue that wearing slippers or pajamas is "sloppy", while others may argue for the right to wear whatever a person sees fit, and to wear what makes a person comfortable.

Another growing trend is to wear slippers while at work. some office workers have found it to be more comfortable to wear slippers when working at a desk for long periods of time. while some companies may issue warnings against this, wearing slippers can be seen as a health precaution when an alternative can be the wearing of heeled shoes which can cause health issues.

The popular sheepskin boot is very similar to a slipper, and the varieties that are slippers are often worn in public, either by accidental confusion with the outdoor variety, preference over the outdoor variety in terms of comfort or style.

Some hospitals provide a form of slipper sock that can be classed as a slipper. the sock will be thicker than a common sock, and more sturdy. a hallmark of this sock that places it between sock and slipper is the set of rubber grips along the sole that provide traction for patients, while also providing the comfort and sizing requirements of large scale usage by hospitals.

In popular culture[link]

The fictional character Cinderella is said to have worn glass slippers; in modern parlance they would probably be called glass high heels. However, this is generally acknowledged to be a mis-translation into English of "fox fur".

Derek "The Slipper Man" Fan holds the Guinness World Records record for wearing a pair of dress slippers for 23 years straight as of June 30, 2007.[2] Surprisingly, Derek had very little success in achieving sexual congress due to his odour. People do not generally wear slippers for more than a few hours at a time.

The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz sold for a record $165,000.[3]

Some schools in the UK have a slipper rule, where children must remove outdoor shoes upon entering the school, and wear slippers. This is mainly to encourage the children to protect the flooring, but could also be due to the dirt being brought into the classrooms on the outdoor shoes.

Some households in certain cultures, like in Japan, operate a "shoes off at the door" rule. This may be simply the removal of outside footwear and/or socks. Though it can also include the forced wearing of slippers.

In certain cultures it can be a social obligation to remove shoes and wear slippers when entering a place of residence. This is due to tradition and respect for the house.

In some areas, a slipper can refer to a flip flop sandal, instead of the soft household footwear.

Wearing slippers can be viewed in different ways by the general public. When wearing slippers in the home, the general opinion is that of comfort and warmth, and nothing significance. Children and women are commonly thought to wear pink fluffy slippers at home, while men are stereotyped to wear either novelty slippers or leather slippers, if any. When wearing slippers outside, however, the general opinions seems to change. Since the majority of people wearing slippers in public are female, the opinion is likely to be more extreme when a man wears slippers outside. The general opinion is that of slovenliness, or unkemptness.

See also[link]

Look up slipper in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Flip-flops
• Adidas Sandals
• Birkenstocks
• Lady's slipper
• Slippering
• Ruby slippers
• Moccasins
• Philippine English

References[link]

Peter Neil Slipper (born 14 February 1950) is an Australian politician who has served as the 27th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives from 24 November 2011, after serving as Deputy Speaker following the 2010 election. Previously he had served as a Parliamentary Secretary, Whip and Committee Chairman in the Howard government. In April 2012 he stepped aside as Speaker while charges of fraud and sexual harassment were investigated.

Slipper is an independent member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Fisher, Queensland, a seat which he has held since 1993. He previously represented the same division for the Nationals from 1984 to 1987. Slipper was affiliated with the Liberal Party's Queensland division from 1993 until its merger with the Nationals' Queensland division to form the Liberal National Party of Queensland in 2008, continuing to sit in the federal Liberal Party room until he became an independent upon his election as Speaker in 2011.

Early life[link]

Slipper was born in Ipswich, Queensland, and was educated at Ipswich Grammar School and the University of Queensland. He has worked as a solicitor, barrister and businessman.

Parliament[link]

Slipper was government whip from 1997 to 1998, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and Administration from 1998 to 2004 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003.^[1]

In both Government and Opposition, Slipper served on a number of parliamentary committees including the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, where he was Deputy Chairman (2007 to 2010), the Joint Standing Committee on Public Works, the House of Representatives Standing Committees on Family and Community Affairs where he was Chairman (1996 to 1997) and the Legal and Constitutional Affairs (2007 to 2010).^[1]

Alleged abuse of travel entitlements[link]

In 2010 Slipper drew significant local and national media attention over the alleged overuse of his parliamentary travel entitlements.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Slipper denied any claim of abuse, and it was reported in the local newspaper, Sunshine Coast Daily, that ".... (Slipper had said) nearly every incident was a consequence of either a misunderstanding or a disputable interpretation of the rules."^[7] Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, initially backed Slipper,^[8] but later publicly stated that it was up to each member to adhere to the rules regarding entitlements.^[9]

Slipper has said that he has been cleared of these allegations.^[10]

Attempted disendorsement[link]

On 14 August 2010, just as the travel abuse allegations were gaining momentum, it was revealed in the Sunshine Coast Daily that a move had been made to attempt to disendorse Slipper in favour of former MP Mal Brough for his seat of Fisher at the next election. However this move was rejected due to an agreement between the Liberal and National parties about guaranteed endorsement for existing candidates.^[11] It is claimed that the Sunshine Coast Daily has led a "savage" campaign to remove Slipper from his seat since the 2007 election when the Coalition lost government.^{[citation needed]}

On 28 September 2010, Slipper accepted Labor's nomination to serve as Deputy Speaker of the House of representatives and was elected to that position by 78 votes to 71, defeating the Coalition nominee, Bruce Scott of the National Party.^[12] In December 2010, Brough confirmed his intentions to seek preselection, by running against Slipper.^[13]

Concerned about the damage to the LNP's reputation in the electorate, in March 2011 a motion was moved at the party's Federal Divisional Council "that this Council notes the actions of the Member for Fisher in accepting nomination by the Labor Party for the position of Deputy Speaker and competing for this position in opposition to Mr Bruce Scott MP nominated for this position by the coalition parties and expresses its concern over the ongoing negative publicity directed at the Member for Fisher and the resulting damage to the Liberal National Party and requests the Applicant Review Committee to take note and take action as deemed appropriate." According to media reports, the matter was deferred without discussion to the party's state director.^[14]

In September 2011, Slipper raised concerns of alleged branch stacking by Brough,^[15] and there was growing pressure over how the LNP would determine preselection of candidates for the seat of Fisher,^{[16][17][18][19][20]} with Slipper threatening to resign from the party if not re-endorsed.^[21]

Speaker of the House of Representatives[link]

In November 2011, Harry Jenkins, a member of the Australian Labor Party, unexpectedly resigned as 26th Speaker of the House of Representatives.^[22][23][24] Slipper was nominated unopposed and installed as Speaker on 24 November 2011.^[25][26] As a member of the opposition, Slipper's acceptance of Labor's nomination as Speaker was considered a "renegade" action and opposition leader Tony Abbott threatened to expel him from the Liberal caucus for his action. Slipper resigned from the Liberal National Party on taking the Speaker's seat and continues in parliament as an independent representative.^[26][27]

Upon his election as Speaker, Slipper moved to restore various traditions of the office of Speaker such as wearing elements of the traditional speaker's dress by not only wearing the gown but also the QC's bar jacket underneath his business attire. Slipper has also taken to wearing a white long tie or bow tie, in a variation from the lace jabot or bands.^[28] He also moved to reinstate the longer and more formal Speaker's procession into the House, involving the Serjeant-at-Arms and the Mace.^[28] Slipper soon established a no-nonsense reputation in the house, cutting short question time questions and responses and expelling members from the house without warning.^[29] Slipper then returned to wearing the wing collar with white bow tie and bands on the occasion of his first formal procession into parliament.^[30]

Sexual harassment and new expenses allegations[link]

On 20 April 2012, Slipper was accused of misusing Cabcharge vouchers—an allegation acknowledged as being investigated by the Federal Police.^[31] He was also accused of sexually harassing a member of staff, James Ashby. Ashby (a 33-year-old openly gay man)^[32] has alleged that Slipper sexually harassed him on a number of occasions, via mobile phone text messages and in private conversations.

The Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, as well as other senior Opposition figures such as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Eric Abetz,^[33] called for Slipper to resign until Ashby's claims are investigated.^[34] The Government said it is a legal matter and that they would not be asking for Slipper's resignation. However, on 22 April 2012, Slipper stepped aside from the speakership, meaning he would not take the Speaker's Chair (and therefore not enter the chamber of the House), while investigations into the alleged travel-related misconduct are conducted.^[35] The Coalition, as well as Rob Oakeshott, Andrew Wilkie and Tony Windsor,^[36] have called on Slipper to continue to stand aside pending a resolution of the sexual harassment claims.

On 27 April 2012, Slipper released copies of Cabcharge documents for at least two of the dates in question (a third group of documents contained illegible dates) along with a written statement saying they were clearly in his handwriting, therefore disproving the allegation he handed over blanks.^[37] The Government initially agreed, but various questions about the documents, including whether the payments were inflated^[38] and even whether Slipper signed them all,^[39] were raised in the media. Julia Gillard announced on 29 April 2012 that she had spoken to Slipper and he had agreed to stay away from the House for "a further period".^[40]

On 8 May 2012, Slipper resumed the chair as Speaker, and read out a statement denying the allegations against him. He then formally requested Deputy Speaker Anna Burke take the chair in his absence.^[41]

Priest[link]

Slipper is chancellor of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), having succeeded Michael Atkinson.^[42] In 2008, he was ordained as a priest of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia which is a member church of the Traditional Anglican Communion and considered part of the international Continuing Anglican movement.^[42]

See also[link]

	Australia portal
	Politics portal

• Politics of Australia

References[link]

External links[link]

• Slipper's biographical information on the Parliament of Australia website
• Slipper's first speech to Parliament (28 February 1985) on the Parliament of Australia website