Post 2 / Research / "What Even is a Sneaker?"

 

Mathew Zurita

ART-399-2066

Professor. Jung

New Jersey City University 

September 17, 2025 

"What Even is a Sneaker?"

                       For my BFA project, I want to show that sneakers are not only just for advertising and for sale, but they have meaning behind them. Many people find sneaker photography to be very enjoyable, whether they are a sneaker head or not. High-quality sneaker photos are important for reselling, showcasing the condition and authenticity of a pair. Additionally, sneaker photography can be a creative outlet for expressing personal style and appreciating the artistry of sneakers. You get to see all of these different colors, designs, and learn behind the meanings from a particular shoe. Understanding the meaning behind sneakers is important because they've evolved from simple athletic footwear into powerful symbols of self-expression, cultural identity, and even status. Knowing the history, collaborations, and cultural significance of different sneakers allows you to appreciate them as more than just shoes and understand their impact on streetwear and fashion. One article that I found from the New York Times, in which the article name is ""What Even is a Sneaker?", explains how dress codes at many private clubs and other places forbid sneakers. But the category has gotten blurrier as shoes once relegated to sportswear become fashion forward. Our critic pins down the increasingly slippery term.

                    In the news article, the author, Vanessa Friedman, pointed out that a woman named Elaine Paris had recently was meeting a friend for breakfast at a private members club. She was dressed in black pants, a silk jacket and white leather lace-up shoes with rubber soles and was barred from the dining room because the guard said they were sneakers. She said the shoes were leather, but it didn’t work. The question she asked is "What’s the difference between a sneaker and a shoe these days?". Officially a sneaker is “a sports shoe with a pliable rubber sole,” at least according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. That signifies a shoe meant to be worn while playing sports or otherwise engaging in athletic activity. For decades that made for a pretty straightforward distinction between sneakers and other shoes, especially leather lace-ups or loafers meant for wearing to work and more formal social occasions. And it made dress codes easy. If an institution wanted to signal that it was serious or aspirational, it would create a dress code that drew a line between sneakers and shoes. It was considered a sign of respect to wear more polished attire. Ergo the dress code you encountered.

                    At the time, Nike acknowledged that its footwear wasn’t just about performance but culture, and sneakers evolved from being just about sports to being about identity. From there it was just a hop, skip and a jump until fashion got hold of them and started introducing shoes that may have been sneakers in name but actually looked more like sculptures. Then Covid happened, and everyone became used to wearing soft-soled shoes that didn’t constrict the foot. There was no going back. Now there are dress sneakers, as modeled by the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, and fashion sneakers, both of which often come with the explicit disclaimer that they should not be used for performance activities. But while there has been a clear evolution in sneaker style and sneaker etymology and attitudes among generations about what is acceptable dress, there has not been a related evolution in many official dress codes. 

Representative Hakeem Jeffries has adopted a variant of the sneaker shoe.

New York Times "What Even is a Sneaker?"