Does anyone else hate tennis shoes nowadays?

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Imaginary-Guide-9378@reddit

I call them tennis shoes too and always get mocked by my teen 😂

I wear Asics with the thick sole. Wish they were more stylish but they have saved my feet!

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brainfreeze77@reddit

Almost all classic silhouettes are still being made from Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Vans etc. You don't have to buy modern running shoes like Hokas if you don't want.

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spaltavian@reddit

Which is great if you have narrow feet. Very fine to find a normal looking, comfortable, sneaker in wide. They are either shaped weird, have a giant white sole, or have 90s Taco Bell aesthetics.

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brainfreeze77@reddit

Lots of new balance sh9es come in wide and even extra wide. The 574 for instance.

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HotDogPantsX@reddit

I go extra hard! Due to my flat feet and orthotic inserts I need the wide versions if I’m jogging or walking. I can almost waterski with them they’re so wide.

My cool factor increases quite a bit when I have those bad boys on. Watch out world!

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quickthyme@reddit

I still wear the same stlye of Pumas I was wearing in the 80s. I even still have my original pair, and they are still technically wearable.

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Daylight-Silence@reddit

As long as they keep making Gazelles and Puma Suedes, I'm all set

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TinyGIR@reddit

I haven't had Gazelles in ages (never needed shoes the years that they're released) but give me Smash Pumas (or something similar), or Vans, and I'll be happy.

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YogurtclosetDull2380@reddit

Puma Swede was one of the goats, for sure

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Mike9797@reddit

lol I was wondering if that was going to go unnoticed

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delldarlin@reddit

They do it for impact absorbtion I think. I stick with my PF Flyers with aftermarket orthotics.

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spaltavian@reddit

Yeah but they don't need to be brilliant white color. They could make the top blend in with the upper and do the bottom in a gum shoe color and that would look normal.

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spaltavian@reddit

I hate the giant white soles. Problem is those shoes tend to be the only ones that come in wide. (Or they are hideous in some other way.)

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YinzaJagoff@reddit

In Chicago, they’re called gym shoes.

In Pennsylvania, they’re called sneakers.

Just throwing that out there in case someone doesn’t know what you’re talking about.

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I don't like the thick soles as a look, but damn my Hoka's save my knees these days. I just bought some new Sambas because I DO love those, and they're back (never weren't?) in style. And converse haven't changed so I always have a pair of two of those. Just got some really cute flower pattern ones!

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LardLad00@reddit

I hate how they look but I finally caved and tried a pair on recently and I think I'm a convert for life. I don't know wtf I've been doing spending my life wearing shoes so much less comfortable than these. I don't give a damn how they look when they feel like I'm walking on a cloud.

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DefaultUser614@reddit

Right? They may be ugly, but the arthritis in my feet and knees like them

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royheritage@reddit

I’ve been dealing with ankle pain since the turn of the century and finally after 400 different ideas got some Hokas and I’m just irrationally angry I didn’t figure this out decades ago (if they even existed). Greatest purchase of my life.

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unwittingprotagonist@reddit

I wore boots for probably 15-20 years. Decided it's time to lighten up my forest, got my gait measured by the expensive store and bought some hokas. Took them on a 12 mile hike, and my feet have never hurt so bad. And that's the story of how I got plantar fasciitis from fancy high tech footwear.

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os_beef@reddit

I wouldn't take brand new footwear on a 12b mile hike, but I think you've learned that lesson.

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LegitimateAbalone267@reddit

Hokas aren’t hiking shoes, unless I’m mistaken and they do make some?

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os_beef@reddit

Hoka also makes hiking shoes.

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LaeliaCatt@reddit

Hokas aren't for everyone. I gave in to the hype and tried them and they were awful for me. I'm happy with my New Balance.

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Aggravating_Run_4221@reddit

"Athleisure" shoes! No one wears dress shoes anymore.

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

OP is still wearing Roo's. lol.

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anchises868@reddit

I hate that they all seem to have mesh tops and if I want one that has a normal top, I have to pick dad shoes like the Nike Monarchs I have in black and white.

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dreadpiratemyk@reddit

I'm wearing Jordan 2/3 skate shoes and a pair of Kobe denim AF1s in the mail. I'm probably not your guy, but I'm making up for cheap parenting lol.

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pianotherms@reddit

Onutsuka Tigers are all I wear at this point.

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nuskit@reddit

I'm a Nike Air 360 girl, myself. They are ugly, but both of my blown knees thank me for them.

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CubicleHermit@reddit

Running and "trail running" shoes seem pretty much the same as ever, or at least the same as when I stopped being able to get the same navy blue velcro one I got as a kid not too far into the 1990s. I've been buying basically the same pair of new balance every 4-5 years since like 1997 or something.

The basic Converse ones were never to my taste, but my daughter has some, and while I can't speak to the materials or quality they look the same as folks my age used to wear.

There are also a lot of really stupid looking shoes these days. There have been at least back to the mid-1990s, although the particular variety of stupid varies. I remember when I used to call the giant soles "spice girls" shoes.

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OllieFromCairo@reddit

How do you go 4-5 years in one pair of shoes?!

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sarithe@reddit

I have shoes for specific tasks. I've found most people do not. I have my every day shoe that I wear to work and just around town. I have a pair of shoes specifically for the gym. I have a pair of shoes that I specifically wear if I'm going to a show or music festival.

The every day shoes get replaced every 3-4 years probably depending on the level of wear and tear that get put on them. I've been on this same pair for right around 3 years and they're still in awesome shape. Granted, I put way less wear and tear on them now because I have more of a desk job vs a job where I constantly would be walking around and doing stuff constantly.

My gym shoes are legitimately almost 8 years old. I wear them for roughly 1 hour a day, 4 days a week. I get to the gym, I put them on, do my workout, and they go right back in the gym bag and my everyday shoes go back on.

My festival shoes I just replaced this year after 5 years. They probably could have gotten me through another year, but I had some extra money after getting my tax refund and paying down some debt, so I treated myself to a new pair of festival shoes.

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OllieFromCairo@reddit

It's just wild to me that "everyday shoes" last more than 3 months. I go through 4 pairs a year.

AND I have walking shoes, hiking shoes, driving shoes, gardening shoes.

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sarithe@reddit

What are you doing in your everyday life that destroys shoes like that?

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OllieFromCairo@reddit

Walking 10,000 steps a day.

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Traditional_Entry183@reddit

Theyre awful. Both in looks and feel. I spend months looking when I need new shoes now and am almost never satisfied.

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scotgekko@reddit

I just go with the “lifestyle” shoes - adidas gazelle, Nike killshot, etc. But to your point, yes, tennis shoes have gotten ridiculously styled in recent years.

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SilverAsparagus2985@reddit

I am past the age of paying attention and giving a damn.

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wingthing666@reddit

Nope, I live in my super chunky New Balance. The only shoe that will comfortably fit my orthotics.

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kkpossible@reddit

Retro NB all day for me! I just keep getting 574 or 515s. Only shoe that I can wear all day and workout in.

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its_a_multipass@reddit

Flip flops for me

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CloseButNoChicory@reddit

High arches here. No flipflops, no Birkenstocks, no ballet flats.

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Kahnza@reddit

This has nothing to do with being a Xennial

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histprofdave@reddit

I can only buy New Balance with my giant feet, so I've never been able to be that particular about my shoes.

Shoes and cars are things that I understand why in the abstract people care a lot about and spend a bunch of money on, but to me they are things that get me from point A to point B.

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_MistyDawn@reddit

They're so weirdly blobby. And contoured inward on the outside edge of the foot where they should be straight. I don't get it.

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felly_fell@reddit (OP)

I don't get either. We demand answers!

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MisRandomness@reddit

Moon shoes and dad shoes are in with Gen Z right now. Retail caters everything to them. I struggle to find good sneakers too.

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felly_fell@reddit (OP)

Totally! Do they think people who are over 25 don't wear shoes? Lol

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ifwinterends@reddit

40 years of air and gel technology development to just replace it with three inches of cheap sole.

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felly_fell@reddit (OP)

Yes! Exactly!

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JeffTS@reddit

These days, I don't care so much about looks (still important but not as important) but longevity. I had to quit Sketchers because they'd start falling apart in 4-6 months or less. I tried Brooks but the tops are so thin that my feet would freeze in winter and my dog tore 2 pairs while stepping on my foot. Now I'm on to Aisics and it's the same thing with the tops. Although, I have no idea how the top tore already (I don't have long nails).

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affectionateanarchy8@reddit

No old man lol there are plenty of great shoes out, samba and spezials come in any color you can think of, same with chucks and jordans, Asics has a ton of options even NB has some neat shoes out and Im not really into running shoes

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DrMcJedi@reddit

Palladium makes great looking footwear…they’ve become my go-to brand for tennis shoes and lightweight high tops.

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ShakeItUpNowSugaree@reddit

Or the women's shoes that look like someone slaughtered a My Little Pony...

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HaloTightens@reddit

I do hate them. I live in Chucks.

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shrikelet@reddit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5g2w58L06Y

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Wolf_Parade@reddit

My body is beat to shit I love those pillowy bastards.

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WatersEdge50@reddit

That’s why I wear vans

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Plastic-Vermicelli60@reddit

Shoes are terrible these days. They're basically a sock sewn to a foam sole for $$$$$$ You have to go vintage these days, ebay or poshmark to get real leather sneakers were the soles don't look like youre " special"....

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NeverEndingCoralMaze@reddit

Vans are still solid.

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Sea_One_6500@reddit

Friends, I have had both my knees replaced. I'm 44. Wear the ugly shoes. Please.

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n33dwat3r@reddit

I don't hate sneakers I actually have a decent collection of Brooks but I admit I've slowed down on collecting them a lot. I love colorful shoes, any color but white and absolutely refuse white soled pairs. Why would I pay so much for a product that needs extra maintenance or looks worse faster? Since it's the trend now I just buy a lot less.

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rvlry13@reddit

My body hurts too bad to care. It's Altra, Topo, and Birkenstock for me. I wish I could wear Converse and Vans.

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_ism_@reddit

where are you shopping? i regularly browse sneakers/athletic/casual shoes and see tons of other kinds of soles. I'm into the neon brightly colored soles right now.

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B4SSF4C3@reddit

Ok ok gramps, we’re getting off your lawn already, don’t call the cops.

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Master-Topic-2989@reddit

I buy original Saucony Jazz sneakers on Ebay….the only sneakers I like and I’m still mad they discontinued/changed the style. Saucony’s for life!

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FalseQuestion7864@reddit

Totally!

They all look like 'Grandpa' shoes

I wear 'Old Scoo"l Vans mostly, but I was able to find a pair of Nikes that don't have that big ass white sole, and I'll wear em once in a while.

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Portlander@reddit

Walking on clouds. Growing up I wore skating shoes. I could feel each pebble on the street. Now I'm walking tall, literally, these shoes put me at almost 6'4"