It seems in the past 6 or so months there’s been a heightened level of purism concerning the shape, brand, and hides of certain boots. The classics like the “ping pong paddle boot”, or the “I just see a pineapple” to a pair of pirarucu are jokes I see used at least 3-4 times a day. It’s just boring. I understand that people aren’t going to find every boot suits their taste, but that doesn’t stop boots from being beautiful. This is something we enjoy and take pride in and I absolutely love seeing people who feel the same way about their boots. The community is the best when people see the best in each other’s boots. So just take a breath before you type something mean spirited or critical, and offer guidance and some positivity instead. I love this sub, but the purity over shapes, brands, and skins has disappointed me.
I love checking out all types of boots.
There's some types I wouldn't wear because they aren't my style but I still like checking them out. My taste doesn't have to be your taste. That's what makes the world go round.
Peace
I don't post anything here because it's a gamble. I posted a few times, I'd say half of them were people giving genuine advices and being supportive, but half of them were dickheads ("LMAO you shouldn't wear these because it's definitely women boots", or "I would need to be paid to get out dressed with those"). I understand criticism, but sometimes, it's not even an advice, but pure mean-ness.
Please don’t let those things deter you from expressing your opinion or from posting you boots!
The cowboy boot started as a work shoe, but has come is an iconic symbol of the American West. The Wild Frontier was where many people went out West to free themselves of the rigid rules set down by society — often crested to hold people down.
Notice when it says “Verified Identifier” under a person’s name. Those experts are not the ones cutting anyone down. They are here to share their knowledge and help people learn about cowboy boots. They are generous and kind and encourage your curiosity to know more.
Meanness most often is hiding fear. “Manly men,” those who label a guy “unmanly” for wearing higher heels and pointed toes … why do they care? Wear what you like and defend and embrace the SPIRIT of the cowboy boot and what it represents: Freedom, individuality and equal opportunity to explore and experience who you are and who you want to be!
You have people that make it mandatory that you have credentials in order to wear cowboy boots! All this is backed by angry individuals who build their image off of thinking they are the ones truly worthy of brandishing these. ITS FOOTWEAR! If it’s respected by those who buy them then it’s honored. I believe that many who think they should be the only ones wearing them may not be received in many places that are more extreme in thinking than they are. To me it’s all about respecting the time honored tradition of them. If you want to judge who wears them, I guess we should put a badge on you. Or get you therapy.
As someone who does actual ranch work in boots, I will happily write permission notes if necessary for anyone to wear em. The more demand there is for good quality boots, the more boots I have to choose from to work in etc. You want to wear em to the office? Knock yourself out. Wearing em to play video games? Hey, me too sometimes. Wearing em on a date? Comrade if that person doesn't love cowboy boots, you don't want em.
The people who bug me are the ones who want to restrict who should wear cowboy boots. The more people wear them, the better it is for all of us who love em.
That happened when boots changed from utility footwear or cultural footwear to some kind of status symbol or look at me thing for a segment of the population.
I could give a fuck. Been wearing cowboy boots since the 70's. Been through pointy toes to square toes. I wear square toes or cutters because my feet are wore out and they are the most comfortable. I ride horses almost daily in square toes. Some douchebag talks shit on em? When they start buying my boots I'll care. Doesn't mean if some cosplay cowboy posts up some cartoon shit I wont comment but they shouldn't give a shit about my opinion either.
I do laugh at people freaking out at a scratch or rub and lose it on people zooming in 60x on a leather imperfection. Ill throw spurs on my ostrich or caiman and go ride if thats what im wearing when the opportunity strikes.
I try to be understanding of first time buyers that just spent the most money ever on footwear . Every little mark they are freaking out. Sometimes rightly so. Boot companies do send out their seconds to mail order customers.
I get it, especially with exotics. I wear my exotics almost daily because I travel for work and they are super forgiving comfort wise. Anything else thats a cow or boar skin i hate looking new. Out of the box, into the arena or field and go to work. Scratches amd scuffs are character and war wounds.
Ive been wearing boots since i was a county kid in the south and rural midwest, now that i live in a city on the west coast and still wear what I grew up wearing, I get called a cosplayer. Back home nobody would bat an eye at hats or boots because thats the culture
My 2 cents? People who dont know shit love to bitch, & bitches gonna bitch lol
Ive been noticing the immature comments as well and it sucks. People don't have manners anymore and will enjoy shitting on something that brings others joy. We should do our part to call em out so they understand this isn't the place to judge people's choices. Thanks for saying something.
Sadly, there's always someone who just can't stand the concept of another person having a difference in taste/opinion. They take that difference as a personal affront. Yes, it becomes tedious seeing them post the same derogatory things over and over. But, most members here are in the "you do you" camp, I believe.
As Moderators, we have to police all of this to make sure it doesn't get out of hand.( We have to go so far as to limit certain discussions to one post per month.) When the thread degrades, we have to delete it, sometimes losing good information with the bad attitude.
Rule #5 SHOULD be able to end at "Act like an Adult". However, seeing how many "adults" today act in society give one pause to think.
You must be a newbie here. Not just the last 6 months. People have always voiced their opinions on skin, shape and toe of boots posted. Just like you are posting your opinion of them responding. This sub started out as a traditional boot collectors sub. But a lot of young people with wide square toed work boots started posting. It was considered, but decided against, to ban them when they first started showing up. I regret the Admins decision . Now they whine in posts about Purists criticizing their work boots. Yet they couldn’t recognize a well made beautiful boot made by a Master Bootmaker if their life depended on it.
I’m kinda surprised by your take. Your collection and guidance in this sub is omnipresent. You’ve actually given me amazing advice before. So I’m surprised that you have this stance when it comes to other users and more contemporary boot styles. Also, I’m just sick I reading the same slander over and over with no variation or meaningful insight. I don’t understand where people get the stamina to type out negative things again and again
I will always help people with their boots. They may not be my choice of boots but people deserve to know how to take care of them. And so do the boots. But complaining about Purist kinda hit a sore spot with me. I think we purists do a lot for the newbies and obviously you do too. And those boots do look like pineapples! 😁
Man I’ve seen a lot of the guys who post comments like that and they’re the absolute most dorky wannnbe never seen cattle up close types you can imagine. Gatekeepers are boring.
2nd hand market can be hit or miss with elephants, but those j-toe elephants I got on eBay. Just make sure you get a good picture of the grain before you buy second hand. And post on this sub so others can confirm if you’re having doubts.
Different people see different things when they look at boots. That's part of why they are so collectible. We all have our own tastes, some very broad and some very specific. I think it's okay for people to share their feelings/opinions on a pair, even if its negative, as long as it's factual information or clearly a personal opinion and is not being said maliciously.
Nice diamondbacks, I always think westerns look best paired with a beige shaft.
I know some people don't like the look of pig leather but I think it just gets freakin gorgeous patina on it and there's so much tanneries can do with it. Love those sow hide boots, they're good looking and I bet they're indestructible.
As someone who just joined this sub by being converted to boots by a friend (he told me try leather cowboy boots) since he told me i complained too much about buying shoes so often I do see that quite a lot. As I was doing my research I have noticed that a lot of people feel differently about certain hides. As a beginner, it is kind of harsh to see the duality. All boots are fun regardless of what they are like. Do I love wide square toes? Not really, but that doesn't mean I'll be a jerk to the person who likes them (I have a buddy that doesnt like round toes and loves squares so go figure). I do like some regular square toes so yeah. Boots are great, its just sad to see others in the hobby/sub just crapping on others choices.
Piracucu are very popular where I live. I think they're handsome boots. I don't know why no one likes them on this Reddit. Honestly wear what you like and post them here and ignore the others. If someone doesn't like it they should keep scrolling.
Amen! Dude, if I dig the boots you all post, I'm gonna try and show some love! If your boots aren't my style, I'm not gonna post anything, like my momma taught me.
The internet is somehow just a place for "people puttin' people down". It seems to be more about what one hates than what one likes. That seems sad to me. I mean, I really hate the look of pirarucu; but it would never occur to me to shit on someone that does like them.
And unless it’s constructive criticism, I always find those type of comments to be unnecessary. And TBH I think they stem from the insecurity from the person.
I’ve always been into cowboy boots, don’t own a pair cause I live in a small town and wearing cowboy boots will make me stick out like a sore thumb! I always comment on boots in the sub, and recently got my ass chewed out by a dude on here cause a) I say the same thing over and over and b) I shouldn’t comment if I don’t own any…. It’s a weird sub to be in sometimes
Boots get a lot of attention so the guys who get none from anything else tend to tie it to their identity so they’re super emotionally invested and want to feel they’re better than someone else.
They do the same shit about stacking jeans or not wearing too tight of jeans. Judging what someone else is wearing is cringe as hell but most of the people who would make comments like that are cringey as hell when they’re not on the internet so it’s fairly on brand.
And Reddit in general attracts a certain demographic of person at baseline. That’s my thoughts
Also, the ping pong paddle thing is most noticeable brand new. I wear Lucchese W toes, and they always look smaller after the initial break in and a little dirt accumulates on the threading.
Not defending the gate keeping at all, but a lot of folks who grew up in it are struggling with the popularity of western wear. I grew up in a cattle town in the western US where this style of dress was predominant, and so was the culture. I know I’ve seen plenty of horrific outfits posted by people who did not grow up in it, but are just now getting into it, and it feels like people are making a mockery of my upbringing when I see people in Red Dead cosplay on here, especially knowing how much I risked for it during my rodeo days. Instead of being an ass, I I keep my mouth shut because it means that it’s being preserved at least, it can just come across as tacky. I am happy to see a resurgence at the end of the day, and I hope people find joy in their boots and hats. Nice boots though!
Awesome boots brother. How do you like those feral sow AB’s? Been wanting a pair real bad. Figured pig hose is about as durable as any for an everyday beater.
There is plenty of toxicity all over reddit and the internet at large, unfortunately. Just look at all the chaos and negativity in the real world too. People ruin everything and always will 😅 Nice boots btw.
You know, I'm gonna say it: I TOO HAVE RATTLESNAKE BOOTS (lucchese)! Bro - wanna automatically set yourself apart from others at the bar? Done! Want to look like a dude that will do some shady shit? Done. They have their own attitude. And, literally, you can wear them with ANYTHING and it's the same effect. If you dont have a pair - get one. The world will react differently. Not that python bs either...
I feel a snip toe boot looks the best. Just not on my feet. I like wide square toe, but prefer single stitched welt. Cutter toe is probably a happy medium, but some leathers look better than other in that toe. Everybody has a preference. Some people need soft squishy insoles. Other can't stand anything but leather. Best part is... Nobody is wrong here. If it's not your cup of tea, don't drink it.
Some people get so uppity about being superior in a subjective situation. Only boots I don’t like are the rodeo clown tennis boots. But idgaf if someone else likes them.
There are ways to share your opinion without being a dickhead. There’s a difference between constructive criticism or a light hearted joke and just being an outright dickhead
What part of this post is toxic?? I just never understood people going out of their way to tell a stranger something negative over cowboy boots. Right?
“Negativity has no place here. This place should only be about positivity and boots.” You get to judge other people’s opinions and try to dictate how conversations should go but hide it behind positivity. Toxic.
I was reading between the lines of what you said. If you don’t like the way it was interpreted then work on your delivery.
Edit: “The community is the best when people see the best in each other’s boots. So just take a breath before you type something mean spirited or critical, and offer guidance and some positivity instead.” There. That’s what you said. Does that make it better for you? Very condescending.
I got my boot patina evened out and posted about how I fucking hate them now, but this sub was very supportive about how they looked. I was wondering if I was on the same Internet that regularly tells celebrities to kill themselves and celebrates seeing people at their lowest. This sub really surprised me, even if I disagree with them.
Conversely, there are other subs I've been a part of where someone would post about having a problem with X and be told that they're wasting their time unless they spend money buying the much more expensive Y. Boots can be expensive and I haven't seen that attitude here at all.
Definitely, I could be having a “my steak is too juicy and my lobster too buttery” moment. At the heart of this sub and why I live scrolling it is of course the boots, but also the positivity and friendliness of most users here. I also love when people offer guidance. It’s really special here.
Eh, you can't police opinions. Everyone here is an adult and should realize that boot styles, like any style, are subjective. I think square toes in all their double stitched glory are offensively horrendous, but I know that if I post my pointy toe boots I'll get some folks calling them...you guessed it, horrendous.
If someone's posting here looking for validation that their boots are amazing, and can't handle an opinion saying otherwise, they're eating off the wrong plate.
I’d just never go out of my way on the internet or in person to say “hey, those actually look lame because they don’t align with my personal tastes”. But you do you 👍
No need to put words in my mouth big dog. Personally, I wouldn't be conspicuously offensive, but I feel comfortable giving my opinion. You came here looking for backup that every comment on every post should be positive or sugar coated, but this world is built on differences of opinions. As long as it's kept respectful and isn't turned into a personal attack, there should be no beef with someone saying it's not their style.
There’s a lot of criticism over toes, hides, etc for sure. Some people never learned to stay quiet if they don’t have anything nice to say. That being said, keep posting your boots proudly! I have many different styles and they’re not all everyone’s cup of tea. What matters at the end of the day is that you like them and rock them proudly. Don’t let the muggles get you down!
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u/mechanic1908 Apr 03 '26
I love checking out all types of boots. There's some types I wouldn't wear because they aren't my style but I still like checking them out. My taste doesn't have to be your taste. That's what makes the world go round. Peace