When looking through the hallways, you see all types of shoes.
Worn shoes. Practical shoes. Fancy shoes. And shoes that are clean enough to look brand new.
People tend to look only at the appearance or brand of shoes rather than considering how the shoes represent a person and oftentimes people wearing the shoes aren’t exactly sure how they reflect their personality either.
“I feel like I don’t really need nicer things. I feel like I can just stick with what I have,” said freshman Kaleb Worthman who plays basketball. Worthman’s Nike Air Force Ones reflect the simplicity of his footwear, and his choice of shoes shows his peers that he values living in the moment rather than moving on to the next best thing.
It is hard to think about shoes reflecting one’s personality; they are such a mundane object. A person usually purchases a pair of shoes because they are cute, cool, or trendy.
“They appear blank on the outside, but trendy, showing how I try and fit in with current trends,” said sophomore Effie Edgington. As an artist, Edgingtons gray Adidas may seem bland, but they show how she fits in with the crowd and represents the current trends in her own way. Edgington’s shoes represent her value in trends and fitting in.
Similar to clothing, someone can tell a lot about a person from their shoes. Worn-down shoes may emphasize someone who values activity and hard work. More exclusive shoes may infer a value in trends. People may not typically buy shoes based on their personality alone, but sometimes the shoes showcase their most important character traits.
“I’ve been wearing [these shoes] every day since sixth grade, so I can’t stop now… I think it shows my loyalty, even to simple stuff,” said sophomore Taylor Townsend who is a violinist. Townsend’s Converse are not just shoes but mirrors that reflect who she is as a person. Wearing the same shoes for four years reflects her value of loyalty to others.
Often students laughed when asked how their shoes reflected their personalities because these two topics do not seem to correlate; however, simply looking down at a person’s shoes can lead to a deeper understanding of what a person values most in this world, and how those values shape the personality they hold.
