Recently I purchased a pair of Nike Air Jordans. And while I’m excited to have this shoe in my wardrobe today, there have been years of my life where I avoided this brand like Covid-19.
Why is this the case? Continue reading in today’s post to find out.
Let’s begin.
Love
When I was growing up Nikes and more specifically Jordans were a super popular shoe.
All of the popular kids had them in school, and they were definitely a status symbol. Having these on your feet represented several things such as:
- Having money
- Being in the know about streetwear style
- Being down with the “culture”
- Etc.
During a time in my life where I was highly impressionable, I wanted to check every one of these boxes.
A interesting thing about my middle/high school days is that I rarely had the money to afford buying Jordans for myself.
In fact the one pair I wore most regularly was a pair of Air Jordan 12 Retro ‘Nubuck’ I “permanently borrowed from my dad closet.
But there was also a darker side to Jordans that caused me to hate them at times. Despite all of the fanfare they received from classmates, not everyone liked these shoes.
Hate
There were a wide range of people who wore and continue to wear Jordans to this day. The ones who get the most attention for doing so are the people who are famous.
People such as:
- Michael Jordan himself
- Athletes from various sports
- Rappers and musicians
- Actors and actresses
What does the list above even matter for? I’ll explain.
Athletes may be known for their physical abilities, but their lifestyle off the court or field isn’t always a shining example of how to raise your children.
Rappers albums may sell by the millions, but the topics of much of their music isn’t rated E for everyone.
Actors and actresses may be easily recognized when in public, but sometimes they act out things in movies at times that can make even adults blush in embarrassment.
Another group of people who wore these shoes and became famous (or rather infamous) were people who made the nightly news.
The kind of people who involved themselves in criminal behavior. The kinds of groups who intimidated others and used force to get their way in streets, neighborhoods, and cities.
But did the shoes make any of these people do any of these things that many people traditionally consider bad behavior?
No.
And this leads me to why I have such a complicated relationship with this brand.
The Relationship
While Jordans don’t make people do bad things, it seemed that the people who got the most attention for wearing them were people who lived alternative lifestyles.
Yes there were lots of people who just wore and enjoyed them for what they were without causing harm to anyone. I’d even say the majority of people enjoy Jordans in this way.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s that bad news travels faster than good news.
The “negative” people were the ones who got the most attention for wearing these shoes.
And for me to put them on my feet would attract that same kind of negative attention.
To be clear, I’m not speaking hypothetically. I’ve heard and experienced these things for myself.
- “People who wear those shoes are thugs”.
- “I’d never allow my children to wear Jordans.”
- “Those shoes are for rappers and gang members.”
- “Jordans look ghetto”.
As you can imagine I was in quite the predicament.
Here is a globally recognized brand that so many people want to have and wear the latest version of. A shoe I genuinely enjoyed myself.
But if I wore them, I risked some very negative attention coming my way.
Not because of the color of my skin, or the content of my character, but because of the things other people had done while wearing this brand.
Where I Am Today
For many years I avoided this brand like the plague.
To me, it was just a battle I didn’t want to have to fight.
Was I automatically become a thug just because I wore Jordans? Of course not. Neither Nike or Jordan brand endorse that kind of behavior they don’t represent that.
Nevertheless I didn’t want to hear snide comments or get dirty looks from anyone either. Even though I knew they were harmless, I still decided not to wear them.
To be specific, from about age 22-28 I didn’t wear Jordan branded shoes.
And for context, I couldn’t even afford Jordan shoes until I graduated high school. So I enjoyed Jordans for about 4 years (age 18-22) and stopped wearing them until now (I’m 28 at the time of this writing).
So what changed?
I’m further along on my style journey now. I use the word journey because what I wear even today may not be in my closet in 5 years.
Today I proudly own a pair of Jordans for several reasons.
- I like how they look
- It satisfies that youthful desire to be able to afford my own pair
- I realize that this shoe brand itself doesn’t represent anything negative
The shoes are just leather, rubber, plastic, and fabric. They don’t make people curse, fight, steal or kill.
It’s what’s already in a man or woman’s heart that causes them to do such things.
Shoes are just shoes. You represent yourself by the things you say, do, and believe.
Conclusion
As of November 2022, I’m a proud owner of the shoes you see pictured above.
Will I always have a pair of Jordans in my closet? I don’t know. But I do know more about how to represent myself now.
Clothes and what I wear are definitely a part of that equation. But the other part of the equation is what I say and do while wearing those clothes.
Right or wrong, people will always judge us based on how we look and dress. But don’t be afraid to wear something that’s harmless because of fearing a stereotype.
Hopefully my experience will help at least one person.
So dress well, be great, and always put your best foot forward (see what I did there).
Until next time, y’all have a good one.
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