Just for Kicks

I am not old enough to remember bell bottoms or platforms, but I am old enough to remember sneakers becoming the "it" fashion trend for our feet.  At age six I took interest in the Jordan 3. Some "too cool for school" teenager was wearing them at the mall while trying to pick up chicks.  

I just knew I would be cooler with a pair of these on my feet.  The next available chance  I convinced my mom I needed the Jordan 4. 

Me, a small white boy, walked into a predominantly black school wearing these!  I now had "street cred." One of my friends, Tyson, brought a sports magazine to school and there was an ad for the Jordan 5.  I had to have them too!

I wasn't getting the attention of the ladies, but all my buddies envied the flames on my feet.  My parents moved, and my new school was filled with predominantly white kids who did not understand my desire for these shoes.  One Saturday morning my parents and I loaded up to drove south in search of the Jordan 6 in my size because on Monday I needed to teach a lesson on sneaker fashion.

I don't want to brag, but these shoes on my feet proved I knew what was up in sneaker fashion.  I now had a reputation to uphold so I proceeded to buy the Jordan 7 even though they were not very attractive.

I wore these to basketball camp and received many compliments, but I felt like something wasn't right.  The Jordan 8 came out and I snagged those up out of habit.  

All of the sudden these shoes were not as cool as I once believed.  The Jordan 3 caught my eye, the Jordan 6 were my all time favorite, and the Jordan 8 served as my last pair of cool shoes.  

Last weekend I watched "Just for Kicks," a documentary on the evolution of sneakers as a fashion icon.  This movie brought back many great memories and caused me to analyze and reflect on my shoe purchases from the last twenty-plus years.  Comfort, support, and price are the contributing factors to all of my shoe purchases today, but once upon a time I was cool.