Chuck Taylors. Converse- the ultimate sneaker everyone wants and everyone seems to have. These shoes are often given the bad rap of being "basic" because so many people have the same style and color. However, just because these shoes are popular, should that mean they are so basic? And why does the term "basic" automatically equate with boring? I am here to stick up for the sneaker that has had my back since kindergarten.

I remember quite vividly my first pair of Converse sneakers. They were studded with bright, silver sequins, so how could I not remember them? I wore those shoes every day until they fell apart. They perfectly embodied my style and sense of personality. When I had to let them go, my heart broke a little bit.

In second grade, the pieces of my heart were stitched back together by my second pair of Converse. They were turquoise hi-tops. Once again, this pair was stand-out enough to express my personality in a unique yet conservative way.

As I graduated into my middle school years, I noticed the sneakers were picking up in popularity, especially the white hi-tops. I used to be the only strutting the hallways in a pair of Chucks, but now almost every other person was wearing a pair of the sneakers so dear to my heart. Did this sudden spike in popularity devalue the style element of the shoe?

A lot of people claim that because anyone and everyone owns a pair of Converse, they are considered "basic" and no longer cool. I tend to disagree. With the unlimited style and color options that Converse presents, this shoe is anything but basic.

Yes, the favorite style and color is the white hi-top, which can be found on the foot of many a teenage girl. But don't brand the whole company as basic when one style and color put its name on the map. Simply because something is common does not mean it is not cool.

In addition to the classic white hi-top look, Converse offers hundreds of other colors and patterns and multiple styles to choose from like hi-top, lo-top, 2.0, slip, and wedge. The company also offers a customize option which lets you design your very own shoe in order to avoid any whiff of "basic-ness" should you have a fear of being considered in such a way.

Today I own three pairs of Converse sneakers: a grape-purple lo-top; a turquoise hi-top with leather detailing; and an off-white hi-top that is not as common as the original white, yet is still considered classic. My sister owns four pairs: a maroon lo-top; a hot pink hi-top; an olive-green hi-top; and a denim zippered hi-top. My sister and I are two distinctly opposite beings and despite our interest in the same sneaker, the variation offers styles to reflect both of our personalities to a T.

While this shoe is worldly popular, that does not mean it is basic or boring. The design is classic enough to please everyone, yet versatile enough that anyone can find a pair to express her unique personality.

Even though everyone and her mother might own a pair of Chuck Taylors, that does not mean any two are quite the same, and I mean person or sneaker. So while something might be common, that does not mean it is basic, and if something is basic, that does not mean it is boring.