As incredible as a cause it is, they’ve really been swallowed up by the limelight,” Alyssa White, a high school sophomore stated about the latest trend: TOMS shoes. While the outward appearances of the shoes themselves attract millions, the charitable movement itself brought the first supporters’ in. “With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for one.”

The company, founded in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie, began after discovering hundreds of children without shoes on a travel trip to Argentina. TOMS shoes then rose from nothing: with every pair purchased, the shoe company sends a pair to a child in need.

“I think it’s a really great organization. It provides people with shoes they need, but at the same time they could be doing more, not just shoes… like clean water or food,” White stated. Soil-transmitted diseases serve as one of the leading causes of diseases in third-world countries, according to the company’s website, TOMS.com. These diseases sink into the skin through bare feet, particularly due to the many cuts and sores acquired from walking, playing, and working without shoes. Even without soil-transmitted diseases, cuts and sores cause pain without proper medical attention.

Other charities other than TOMS provide aid to third world countries. World Vision, Unicef, Red Cross, Oxfam and multiple others contribute to those in need. World Vision particularly works toward ending poverty and disaster relief. TOMS shoes remains, however, the only organization aimed specifically at providing shoes - a pressing issue, indeed. As of September 2010, they reached over one million shoeless children in need.

“They truly do have a really good cause, but it is my opinion that they are getting sold out. The small business feel was lost along the run, not that I can blame them. It’s impossible not to if you have a good product,” high school junior, Anna Waham, stated. Waham voiced an unspoken, but true statement about our culture. Once a product becomes truly popular, it remains hard to maintain the completely true roots that founded the organization.

While founded to provide relief to needy children, a different element attracts consumers. White and Waham both stated that while the organizations purpose has not changed, buyers just see it “as an excuse to buy cute shoes.” “They’ve been swallowed up by the limelight.” But does that really matter? As long as children receive shoes, it does not matter why people are purchasing the shoes. Right?

“Once this is over, we’re going to just move over to the next hype,” Waham said empathetically. As the phrase goes, what goes up must come down. Looking back on the history of any culture, trends rise and fall without the slightest reason or mention. Sooner or later, the “fad” TOMS shoes promises fade away.

“I would get another pair,” Waham said in closing. “It really does contribute to children’s lives, and they’re cute. I just don’t see what will happen when they go out of style.” The TOMS' impact serve as helpful in the meamtime. There remains, however, a large amount of other – hopefully permanent - remedies than buying shoes.