Looking at the great PAIRS section of The Bodega and it got me thinking about the importance of one’s kicks – both men and women.

Growing up your shoe game had to be tight or you would be teased mercilessly. I remember one time my pops bought me some fake Fox’s (I think that is what they were called – they looked like Asics) from Buster Brown or something. I thought they were fresh to death, but quickly they were exposed for the skips that they were. Backhanded compliments that I took as the truth in my ignorance later resonated as the insult they were intended to be. Broke my little heart. Hudson didn’t take me shoe shopping until I was in high school.

My man Todd was that dude who kept every sneaker he ever had in pristine condition. Lottos with the removable patches, the first Jordans, shell toes, Spot Bilts. The whole shebang. And, no offense, but his family was not paid. There were about 9 people in a 2 bedroom joint on the 17th floor. He may have rocked hand me downs and the same jeans for three days, but his shoe game was the envy of the crew. Now of all things he could have spent the little bit of money he had he spent it on sneakers. Why? Bobbito has a great answer in his book, but we can still discuss here.

And for the ladies. There is no bigger turn off for me than a girl with a corny shoe game or chewed up dogs. You could be a dime in the face, but bunions and corns kill it for me. Conversely you could be a Shirley but if you have a tight pedicure and/or some fly kicks your weight problems are irrelevant.

I have some real egghead theories on why people take their kicks and feet seriously but before we get into that…

I think you can tell a lot about someone from how they handle their business at ground level. My theories:

· A dude with some fresh kicks usually has style. Someone who can appreciate the art of the Air Max ’97 or Mowabb’s has good taste all around
· Someone who is bold enough to rock the rainbow Air Max ‘95’s is confident in himself and not afraid to express himself. Probably a cool dude to build with
· A girl with a tight pedicure and flip flops is laid back enough to not stress the external, but still knows how to treat herself right. And will most likely respond well to a dude who will treat her right
· Chicks who wear 6 inch heels to walk the dog are high post and loves to emit the unapproachable vibe. No thanks
· A cat who rocks a fresh pair of basketball shoes just to chill appreciate the fine art of the shoe and is most likely not a sucker hipster who buys $200 Dunks because he saw Pharell with them
· A dude with Bathing Apes on the train or worse the bus is 1) a sucker rocking fakes to impress people 2) a knucklehead who simply pays too much for sneakers
· A cat who rocks some beat up Chucks or any other beat up classic is a laid back dude who is just happy not to be wearing wingtips. Or who is holding. Either way, a good guy to party with.
· The woman with hammer time in or out of heels has spent way too much time torturing her feet. Either in the club or at work and has a high chance of being wound up
· Now the lady in heels with a fresh pedicure and no hammer time knows when it is time to dress up and when it is not time. These are my favorite. They rock the heels when it’s time to get fresh and when it’s time to chill they take them things off before they scar their feet. This woman has her shit together.
· A girl with a tight sneaker game may be the jackpot. Push up on these fellas. She is cool. Sexy. And can talk about the artistic merits of “Illmatic” over a Brooklyn Lager. Make sure she has some fresh heels as well or else you may have tomboy, which is not bad unless you are on the prowl
· A man or woman in sensible shoes has realized how silly all of this is and spends his money on real estate or his kids. A much better use of the dough. He is out of the game and does not want to be bothered. These people are harder to read and are probably the coolest cats of all

Now why are feet and shoes so important? Because they are the part of your body is in most contact with the Earth. So on a metaphysical level they are what physically connects the spirit to the earthly plane.
That’s all for the egghead theories today

Have a good weekend