For a night out with your friends, comfort is key. Shoes are the most important piece of clothing when deciding what to wear to the bar. For women, there are flip-flops, sneakers, sliders, wedges, heels, boots and many more.

The most unattractive and painful thing to do is to wear heels. Men agree because they’re the victims of getting stepped on by the heels the girls wear.

Keep in mind that a bar can get pretty dirty toward the end of the night. Do not wear new white shoes out to the bar and expect them to stay that way. Drinks will get spilled and people will step on them. That is almost a guarantee.

A lot of the time friends will “barhop,” requiring a lot of walking. Wear something that won’t cause blisters and will provide comfort for the whole night, including the walk home.

“I learned my lesson after wearing high heels to the bar,” said Mikayla Nieland, junior in kinesiology. “The heel on my boot gave out and I sprained my hip and I still have pain from it. It got so severe I had to get an MRI done to make sure I didn’t damage any of the joints or tissues.”

Of course, this all depends on the person and their comfort level. If wearing heels is no problem, then why not wear them out every night?

Men have it much easier when it comes to finding shoes that are comfortable. They do not have to worry about falling in heels. They can throw on a pair of boat shoes and call it good.

Clothing is another story.

“I think that short, skintight dresses are a bit extreme for a mug night,” said Melissa Gale, senior in advertising and bartender at Cy’s Roost. “It would be fine to wear downtown in a big city or for your 21st birthday.”

Gale said she thinks it seems unnecessary, but at the same time, “if you got it, then rock it.”

There are many other alternatives that women can wear to the bar. Dresses are usually unproblematic, but it is important to have the dress under control. One thing one can do is to wear a pair of spandex under the dress or skirt. This prevents the public from seeing anything inappropriate if there happens to be an accident.

Jeans, shorts and leggings are always an option too. For men, wear whatever your style is. It’s about feeling confident with what you are wearing and it does not matter what anybody else thinks about your outfit.

The most important thing is to wear comfortable shoes. Not only does this prevent you from being kicked out of the bar for being too sloppy and falling, but your feet will be thankful in the morning.