What’s the fuss about shoes?

Shoes. The rubber in them originates from a petroleum based monomer. The nylon or polyester that is needed for the shoelaces and other material are all meet in a factory that is usually in China or Indonesia or Korea. From there they are shipped thousands of miles to distributors and then the shoes end up at your favorite store. They have become a big part of American culture. Many people have upwards of twenty pairs (I usually have around five or six). For a lot of people however, the shoe in the store is much more than a shoe. It is a representation of everything from economic status to personal identity. People want something affordable, but that will also express who they are as a person. I find this to be especially true in sports footwear. Every other day a new gimmick comes out. A lighter shoe to make you faster, bubbles of air to make you jump higher, plastic hairs to make you control the ball better and many, many others. Although most of us realized that a shoe will not make you a better player, I found that my soccer team was always interested in what kind of new shoe each kid had, how much they cost, and whether the new “technology” actually works. Often times the pair of shoes you wear is part of how people judge you. I wonder why we put so much meaning into what boils down to just a mish-mash of materials. I don’t think we’ll ever know.