As Americans, we are obsessed with shoes. 

Shoes are a fashion statement. Shoes say something about us, our style, and sometimes our character. Let’s talk about our obsession with one type of shoe — sneakers.

From what I was able to glean from doing some research on our obsession with sneakers, they have deep cultural roots and are loved by children and adults from all cultures.

But why? I am glad you asked.

Sneakers originally designed for athletes evolved into status symbols and became ingrained in our everyday street style. According to Wikipedia, vulcanized rubber was discovered by Charles Goodyear in 1839 and used for Bill Bowerman’s waffle sole for Nike in 1971. According to Nicholas Smiths book, “Kicks: The Great American Story of Sneakers,” the waffle-iron shoes became a “big Nike legend.” 

A fascinating side note is that Bill Bowerman, University of Oregon coach, said this ingenious design came to him during breakfast with his wife on a summer Sunday. He was eating waffles when it came to mind that the grooves of the waffle iron were a perfect mold for the multi-terrain shoes he imagined.

The sneaker industry alone brings in more than $80 billion a year. We believe that the right sneakers can make us run faster, jump higher and improve overall performance. According to  a Smithsonian Magazine article on Smith's book, “a 1989 Air Jordan ad while trying to explain Jordon’s talent indicated, ‘It’s gotta be the shoes.’”

This then became a focal moment in sneaker history. 

The magazine goes on to explain from Smith's book: “What these commercials tapped into is a much older idea. What makes Cinderella a princess? The Magic Glass slippers. What makes Dorothy come back from the land of Oz? The ruby slippers … I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but there was something there that spoke to that old feeling of the magical shoe.”

At the very heart of the psychology of our sneaker obsession is a congenital need for self-proclamation of our individuality. Connoisseurs tap into the power of their preferred sneaker to project dimensions of their character, personality, style, passions and preferences.

There are some roots to our overall shoe obsession in early childhood development. As toddlers, we loved to try on our parents’ shoes. It made us feel big and important. I will admit I have sneakers that I love just because of the way they look and make me feel. I have others that are purely functional or are comfortable.

Our love of sneakers is OK as far as I’m concerned. We all understand the need to have that new pair of sneakers. They smell good, they feel good and they look great. Sometimes we end up buying the same sneakers for reasons of familiarity. It feels good to have a new pair of your all-time favorites. 

We all have felt the power of the “magical shoe.” In fact, after writing this it makes me want to see if there’s a new shoe from my favorite sneaker maker. Perhaps you feel the same way. But then the practical part of me says I really don’t need them. But the spontaneous side of me asks, or do I?

Bottom line should be for all of us to enjoy the things we enjoy. Why not? If it makes you feel good to buy new sneakers then, by all means, go get them. Don’t listen to that negative voice in your head. Go get your magical shoes!    

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Richard Stride is the current CEO of Cascade Community Healthcare.