Kanye West knows how to attract attention. Just not always the kind from adoring fans.

On Thursday, Yeezy Mafia, an unofficial social media account that tracks news of Mr. West’s sneaker brand, posted a photograph of the latest style in the singer’s Yeezy line. It wasn’t the white shoes’ first appearance on the internet; Mr. West’s daughter North was seen on Instagram in June wearing a child-size prototype.

But this time the chattering cognoscenti of social media had plenty to say. Not much of it was nice.

One person compared the shoes to a plastic colander. Another said they looked like hospital shoe covers. Many others compared them to Crocs, the foam clogs favored by chefs and gardeners. “King of Country Crocs,” one Twitter user wrote.