Ever since I was around 11-years-old I had developed a strong love for wearing combat boots. My first pair were a basic black pair that reached mid calf and once I got them I rarely took them off. I remember wearing that pair all year round until I wore them out completely. Now fast forward a few years and I now have over twelve pairs of combats of basically every height, style, material, and color. However, its now been eight years of wearing these kind of boots on a regular basis and I still get asked the same questions. Why do you love combat boots? Are you always going to wear those? Well the truth lies somewhere within my personal style.

See, my day to day style can be most simply defined as girly with a slight edge. While I love floral dresses and lacy crop tops, I also love wearing band tees and plaid button downs just as much. Therefore, wearing combat boots tends to always compliment my outfits by either giving my skater skirt get-ups a surprising kick or by perfectly complimenting my array of Nirvana tees. For me, combat boots make me feel empowered, they are the original footwear of the majority of our American soldiers and they have the durability to withstand years of constant wear. While I am certainly not in the army or any military-related program, I still very much enjoy wearing combats and not just because they have become "fashionably acceptable" in the past years, but because of the way I feel they compliment my style and personality.

However, I am aware that as I get older my style will continue to change and evolve, but one thing I know for sure is that my love for combats will NEVER die.

Yes, I may not be able to wear them as often since I will not be able to wear them in the professional workplace, but knowing me, I will find a way to incorporate them into my wardrobe. For instance, I can easily wear any pair of my combats with jeans and a blouse on the weekends, or even dress up for a date night with a patent leathered heeled version of the boot. Either way, I am confident in my ability to include combat boots in my wardrobe in one way or another.

Honestly though, I genuinely hope that everyone continues to embrace the things they love in life no matter how big or small those things may be.

Life is too short to stress over appearances and whether that is someone's love for bowties, ice cream, or just nature walks through a park; we should never deny ourselves happiness no matter its shape or form. So with that being said, I will continue to lace up my combats every day with a smile on my face because I know that growing up doesn't mean giving up the things I love but rather embracing them just in a more subtle and mature fashion.