10 Things Sneakerheads Should Stop Bitching About

Image via Complex Original

There are two ways to go with sneakers: 1) Keep them in the box forever, taking them out only to stare at them, or 2) Wear them. There is no magical in-between, no way to keep sneakers pristine AND wear them at the same time. Trying to have both leads to the worst creases of all, where maybe there's just one awkwardly dividing the toebox. Creases are a badge of honor. Just wear them more often and let go.

This may come as a shock to some people, but individual taste in sneakers can differ wildly. And there are no "best" sneakers. Not objectively, anyway. So if someone doesn't like, say, the Air Jordan III, that's just their opinion. Accept it. (Interesting related phenomenon: When someone refuses to wear a sneaker because "too many people are wearing it." Um, OK.)

Complaints about retro sneaker quality is a recurring refrain in sneaker discussions, whether it be a direct observation or comparing a retro release to the original. It hasn't changed things much. And while it would be nice to have an Air Jordan II retro made in Italy like the original, it would likely push the price into the stratosphere. Would that be any better? Speaking of which...

Influencers only have the power that we give them. So, with that in mind, be more selective with the likes, the retweets, the validation. It should be about the product, not the person. Just as said "influencers" should wield their power more carefully, so should everyone else.

Fake sneakers became more or less an inevitability when desire for a particular model or style completely outstripped the supply-and when prices made it unattainable for some to begin with. No one NEEDS to buy fakes, just like no one NEEDS a particular sneaker. But as long as marketing operates with such startling success, expect fakes to fill in the gaps. And if the companies haven't stopped it yet, they're probably not going to.

Sneaker prices have been steadily rising since...well, just about always. Or at least since the '80s. But it seems like certain threshholds—$200? $225?—are harder to accept than others. But hard to accept as they may be, sneakers at those pricepoints still sell out. The ones that don't, well, they get cheaper until they do-or until they wind up at outlets. Oh, they could sell out faster if they were cheaper to begin with? That's interesting, said the billion-dollar company.

To some, resellers are the greatest evil ever perpetrated on sneakerdom. They buy up all of the most coveted releases, treating retailers like wholesalers, and redistribute them at double the cost, sometimes on the same day. So? No one HAS to have a particular shoe. Tired of paying reseller prices? Don't. Stick them with entire runs of a couple of releases, and see what happens next. Resellers aren't the problem, buyers are.

There will never, ever, ever be a completely fair way of distributing a limited number of sneakers to an unlimited number of people who want them. It's really that simple. And maybe it's easier to game the system online than it is in real life, but at least bots rarely resort to violence.

Yes, yes, of course anonymous commenter, you can do it better. So do it. There are plenty of blog formats to use, and with social media anyone can spread their message. And if the content is good, it should catch on. Feel free to provide constructive criticism, by all means, but if everything out there is so bad, DIY.

Where are the Yeezys? Why did the Yeezys drop on a Sunday with no notice? Why are Yeezys selling for so much? Why did [fill in random person's name] get Yeezys? Why did Kanye go to adidas? When will Kanye's adidas come out? Yeezus, people, enough.