“The kids were dressed perfectly, unlike the womans field hockey team, whose members mostly wore flip-flops to meet the President.”
It's a generational thing. Flip Flops are the new heels of America's youth. Only “old ladies” and “trashy girls” wear heals with a sundress. Heels are only for black tie events. This mentality is especially common among suburban middle to upper class girls. The girls mistakenly assumed older generations have the same standard for what is trashy. Plus these were college aged girls who don't tend to have a lot of money or occasions to shell out 50-100 dollars for heels when they will at most wear them once or twice a year.
Oh, come on.
They have money for ipods, cds, whatever.
It's called priorities.