(1/) Cash vs. comfort: The entirely unimportant (sneaker) bloggers dilemma...
What is 'sex for my feet'?
One of the last *good* conversations we had on my IG before it was deleted a year or so ago was the conversation surrounding something that no one really highlights...
Back in the day, I used to try to put a ‘sneaker spending limit’ on myself. It made (and still makes) no goddam sense to have as many pairs of shoes as I have…but back when the addiction and collection was still mostly manageable, I used to talk myself into the ‘comfort’ of different shoes. I remember this one time, the wifey and I were in Chinatown (NYC) and took a quick dip into one of my favorite spots on Canal Street (I never knew the name butit was located right around here). I picked up a pair of Air Max 360 ‘Kashima Antlers’…360’s were relatively new and I wouldn’t say they were particularly eye-appealing, but for whatever reason, I felt like I needed to own a pair. Wifey says to me ‘do you really need another pair of shoes?’ No. Of course not. But. I’ll never forget my response as I slipped my foot into the shoe: ‘These feel like sex for my feet.’
I honestly believed it at the time…they felt comfortable to me at the moment I said it. But it’s weird because they never felt that comfortable the moment after I bought them. They were actually a bit too tight. But back in the day, the wife and I (and my friends and I) would frequently walk miles and miles and miles all over Manhattan and Brooklyn on the weekends and at the end of every day my dogs would be barkin’. It makes sense that maybe I was wearing some dunks the day we stepped into that shop and an Air Max just felt WAY better than a pair of dunks after 5 miles of schlepping along.
Another time I remember walking around Manhattan in my OG Penny II’s and my feet were on fire and we took a dip into a Burlington Coat Factory and I seriously considered purchasing a pair of Rockport Wallabys for $54 just to make it home (seriously). Walking around NY for hours on end really put my shoes to the comfort test.
So when I asked the question a couple of weeks ago (which someone else had DM’d me) - I was kind of surprised to hear a lot of us were in agreement. For Jordans - we all really liked the 12’s and 13’s. And I know that I liked those because of the carbon fiber shank... I mentioned a few others, all conditional to the activity…here’s an excerpt:
Really, to a connoisseur (or an *ahem* SAVANT), there is no real single answer to that question. The answer depends on the context.
Playing basketball? I’m most comfortable playing in Shox BB4’s. I also like playing in Jordan XII’s.
Jogging? I wear Vibram Five Fingers KSO Trek (seriously). And Hoka’s. Depending on the day.
Walking and/or just chillin? Shiiiiiit. Huaraches, Footscapes, Innevas, Internationalists, Waffle Racers, Prestos, Boosts, etc…
Skateboarding? I’d rather wear Jordan 1’s than Dunk SB’s.
Hot weather? Adidas Climacool. Or Nike Chalapuka.
Inclement weather? Anything that keeps my feet warm & dry.
Stuntin? Air Maxes. ALL. DAY. EVERY. DAY.
What would I wear to Sneakercon? Hopefully something no one else is wearing. Maybe some Diadora’s. Or New Balances.
I’ve worn enough shoes to know that ‘comfort’ has a lot of layers, and it rarely ever ends with ‘a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.’
I think we had more than a hundred comments on this topic, alone. Everyone shared their experience…most people agreeing that there are, indeed, certain models that are MUCH more comfortable than others.
And then the following week, I posted about how Air Max 97’s and 98’s, and Air Jordan III’s & IV’s are like super uncomfortable for me - although they’re all some of my favorite shoes aesthetically. I go a full size up on most Jordan IV’s and will definitely suffer for the sake of style, but I haven’t had much luck with finding comfortable pairs of ANY of those listed.
There are a million reasons as to why what I might find comfortable is much different than what you might find comfortable - namely the fact that we each have something like 25+ bones, 30+ joints and 100+ muscles…and we all come in different shapes and sizes and our gaits are all different and…the possibilities are endless. But I DO find it interesting that so many of us found so many similarities between models.
But, 700+ words later, I’m not here to rehash the conversation…but I’m curious as to why no one else asks it…I’ve heard nothing but good things about Nightwing Weartesters but I rarely - if ever - hear any of these other influencers or blogs talk about how shoes actually feel on foot. Maybe there is a corner of the internet where the hypebeasts talk about the merits of the latest pair of Nike x Travis Scott x Playstation x SB x Jordan x Yeezy x Off-White EU Exclusives, but I have yet to find it…
I dunno…I guess the question I’m asking…what function are the sneaker blogs and the influencers in the space actually serving? Do they exist for us to know more about shoes? Or do they exist for us to BUY more shoes?