logs have clearly gotten a bad rap as far as men in my part of the world are concerned. They're seen as unusual. Out of the ordinary. The sort of shoe worn by men whose manliness is suspect. It's as though a council met and decided on what interests could be permitted for men to have and what interests would be unseemly, unnatural, or simply wrong. Which as we all know is crazy. With all the problems facing our planet today, why anyone would think it worth their time to care what some guy chooses to put on his feet is beyond me. But those of us who have found a path to our passions and have developed some knowledge of who we are often find ourselves having to share breathing space with less evolved creatures of our kind. And as much as we might wish we could elevate their capacity for empathy and respect, too often the discourse recedes to the lowest common denominator.
It's not an issue I expect will be resolved in my lifetime, but I do believe I see motion forward in a thousand little directions. The very fact that this blog exists and is frequented by both men and women readers who acknowledge and appreciate each other is one example. Another is the fact that my male readers frequently speak out about the hopes and frustrations when it comes to their footwear choices. Another is the fact that some of those readers willingly and proudly push the envelope to create a space that they know is an outgrowth of th genuine and authentic expression of who they are. And in so doing, I believe they provide those who watch at a distance a source of inspiration and the suggestionof a way forward.
Today on this Guy Day Friday, I want to introduce one such reader who has been following this blog for some time. He's clearly an individual with a varied palette of interests. He's also a man who enjoys clogs and has no problem letting the world at large know it. His contribution to today's post makes me take heart. How can we not see this fellow who is so comfortably at home with his footwear choices and not think, yes, of course. This is indeed the way it should be for everyone. I do live in hope that in some not too distant future, footwear fans both male and female will be able to deck themselves out in remarkable shoes,...and the world will find it completely unremarkable.
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Tracy from South Dakota
As with so many ECHID readers, Tracy first caught my eye with a trenchant post he made in the Comments about a year and a half ago. The topic, of course, was clogs.
I've liked the things ever since I was in about the seventh grade which consequently was right in that short era back in the late 70's when guy's clogs were actually available in many shoe stores. Of course, growing up in a tiny town in the northern plains, I just couldn't quite muster up the confidence to actually get a pair and wear them. So, as is probably the case for many other guys, you get past those awkward teen years and feel a bit more like you can be yourself. I started wearing clogs on a fairly regular basis about ten years ago. My favorites are a big chunky pair of black MIA's. I definitely go for the chunky look and have worn Candies, Bongos, Steve Madden's, etc. with long enough jeans they often pass for a pair of boots... and rather cool ones at that. I'm fortunate to have small enough feet to buy most any style I want. Therein lies the whole confidence thing. As an adult I've made the opportunities to do a number of exciting things including becoming a pilot, rodeo bronc rider, gymnast, a little bit of trapeze work, and ultimately the culmination of it all as a rodeo trick rider which I currently perform at (albeit not for a living). These things take a little "pushing of the envelope" so to speak and if you survive you can't help but feel happy and a bit proud of it. So with that, why would I, or should I care about what some other guy or girl for that matter,might think about my footwear choice for the day. Most any guys I've ever run across that are all into the "macho" thing in reality don't have a whole lot going on in their lives and probably about the most athletic thing they do is lift a case of beer into the fridge.
Bravo! Well said! But that was just the beginning. Tracy offered to send me photos of himself horseback in a pair of clogs, and I naturally said, "Yes, please!" Happily he had a chance to fire up the camera and share the pics you see below. Not to make a big deal out of it, but that pair of clogs he's sporting came from the women's department. And I love how in the context of his riding skills and in the presence of that powerful animal and in the beautiful setting where he's riding, that fact doesn't make a damn bit of difference.
Tracy writes,
I've ridden horses much of my life, but trick riding has been a relatively recent addition to my riding repertoire, combining my gymnastics experience with my passion for riding horses. It would have started much earlier if not for a knee injury in gymnastics in 2001 and subsequent surgeries. Trick riding is a sideline hobby that has turned semi-professional in that I do get paid to perform and I also give lessons. My regular profession is in engineering, but just to keep things interesting I'm also a flight instructor and a professional musician. I combine a lot of unlike interests into one package, but it offers the ability to strike up a conversation with lots of different people and pretty much eradicates the possibility of becoming bored.
I asked Tracy to say a few words about what he looks for in riding footwear generally:
For "normal" riding, particularly in the western (as compared to English) style of riding, we like to have a well defined heel because it is not likely to slip through the stirrup and present the risk of entrapment (a.k.a. "hangup"). Most styles of cowboy boots are suitable for this purpose, but as the picture shows, the clogs work rather well for this, and if for some reason the shoe went through the stirrup, the foot can easily come out the back. However in trick riding we pretty much "break all the rules". We ride without stirrups, we get on the "wrong" side, we deliberately shove a foot through a strap and hang off the side of the horse. It's gymnastics on a horse and the footwear of choice is a good supportive pair of wrestling shoes. They offer the advantage of light weight, excellent flexbility, and a sole that allows standing on the saddle without excessively sliding.
He also went on to confirm something that I have known for years: people who visit this blog are people who are quite dynamic in their approach to life. Time and again I've found that people who love wearing clogs turn out to be some of the most interesting people I've met.
Finally in closing and adding yet another subject, I'm developing a multi-activity program utilizing riding, aviation, and music to provide life enriching activities to amputees. This all stems from an experience several months ago when a "flesh eating" type bacterial infection was waging war on my arm and only due to fast and accurate medical intervention did I avoid potential multiple limb losses. That experience left me with a passion to help others who've not been as fortunate in similar situations. As a fellow musician, you'd be interested in the orthotic/prosthetic device and technique I've been working on this summer that allows keyboard playing without any hand function whatsoever. I've sort of even amazed myself with some of the tracks I've recorded and the speed at which I'm playing multiple notes at a time..... all without hands. It won't change the world, but it might be something I could share with someone someday who either has no hands, or perhaps can no longer use the ones they have due to arthitis, etc., and open the door for them to create music.
Anyway, have fun with the pics, they really represent my "thinking outside the box, no boundaries" approach to things.
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[On my feet as I blog: my Rainbow Boots from John Fluevog. I spent Thursday evening rehearsing with my Bruce Springsteen Ensemble for a Friday night performance, and I just love cultivating the rock 'n' roll look!]