i was listening to the Complex Sneaker Podcast and Joe La Puma said something that hit home with me...he said something along the lines of getting confidence from having fly kicks as a youth.

it hit me because i'm 43 and i still dress like i'm...maybe late 20's. i wear joggers, i wear dope kicks, bright shit at times, 5 panel hats, etc. i'll probably never change. but what he said about kicks hit me because it's true for me too (and what you said rings true)...i grew up hella poor so having fly kicks made you feel good and could get your respect with your peers. so, as dumb as it may be, even at 43 having a great pair of sneakers makes me feel good about myself (and i too have bought shit i couldn't as a kid).

that said, like you, i'm definitely not hypebeast-y. really wanted those UNC 3's. woke up to a text from my more hypebeast-y friend at 8am showing his "got em" from the snkrs app. he asked me if i got em i was like "nah, i was sleeping" went online they were all sold out i was like *yeezy shrug* i'd rather wear something cheap and different then the same thing everyone else is trying to get.