These shoes are actually really thick socks, made out of a fabric that reminds me of a shoe insert.  I also would describe it as a really wimpy slipper.  They have absolutely no form if held up nor any padding at all. For some people if your feet swet a lot, the fabric does not breathe and could develop an odor. However, they worked great for what I wanted. In the play my daughters were in they needed something that was as near to the barefoot experience without actually going barefoot for health reasons. Now, I own several of them and wear them at home all the time.  I also throw them in my purse to put on at other people's house when they have a no shoes rule. I love them and I wear mine all the time.  I find that the shoes keep my feet warm in the air conditioner without any smell or wetness. The grippy soles are not perfect in that they are not as preventative as the rubber soles on my real slippers which I can wear outside. (My daughter wears hers for her swing dance class as well.) While these wear fine on dance floor, carpet or hardwood, they would be completely useless as outdoor wear and would hold water and fall off it worn as aqua shoes  IMHO.