On a wet day, you can spot at least 100 girls wearing a pair of rain boots on a walk across campus. While the obvious reason for wearing these cute rubber boots is rain, it seems they have also become a fashion statement on most campuses. Some take a girly approach and wear rain boots with colorful dots or bows on them while others spend top dollar for name brand rain boots such as those from Tory Burch or Hunter. Either way, rubber boots have found their way into the closets of most college ladies.
I too tried to be part of this fad and bought myself a pair of rain boots last semester. The first time I wore them was great! I felt cute. My feet stayed warm and dry. It seemed like a win, win. I also felt like I had a special connection to all the other rubber boot wearing girls on campus. Like, “You’re wearing rain boots and looking cute? Me too!” These colorful rubbery shoes seemed to give me a little cheer on what was otherwise a gloomy day.
So on the second rainy day of the semester, I couldn’t wait to pull out my cute navy blue rain boots again. I was on my way to print out a paper that was due in my next class, when I decided that these rain boots maybe aren’t as campus safe as I had thought. I had ten minutes to print my paper out, and make it all the way across campus to the English building. I had only taken two steps into the door when my foot slipped right out from under me and I fell crashing down onto the hard tile floor. I was in pain, and completely embarrassed. To make matters worse, there was a crowd of people trying to help me up and ask me if I was okay while trying not to laugh. I was humiliated and now I was also running late. “What good are shoes that are MADE to be worn in the water if they lose their grip and make you bust your butt in front of God, and everyone when you step on a wet surface?!” I thought.
After this event, I started doing some research. The rain boot was first made by the personal shoe-maker of Arthur Wellesley, a military man from Britain. He asked his shoe-maker to make some changes to the standard issued military footwear named Hessian boots. These new boots were quickly named Wellington’s and took over Britain aristocracy. These “rain” boots were originally made out of leather, but shortly after Charles Goodyear began making rubber tires in the 19th century, The Wellington started being manufactured in rubber. In fact, rain boots are still called “Wellies” in England today. The Wellington took off and rain boots became a staple in most physical labor jobs such as farming and mining. Rain boots became even more popular during both World War I and World War II. Soldiers were often standing in deep trenches for hours in Europe and the rubber boots helped their feet stay dry. In fact, those Hunter rain boots you see girls wearing all over campus? They come from the Hunter Boot company, that was commissioned to make rain boots for the soldiers of Britain in both wars.
So, those cute little rain boots that all of us girls try to pull out every time it rains, are actually made for the mud. Not just rain or water. Not for slippery tile or cement sidewalks. They were made to keep the feet of outdoor laborers clean and dry from the mud. The rubbery boots were not intended to be used as a fashion statement, and as I found out the hard way, they are not really all that safe for fast walking your way across campus either.
If the possibility of breaking your neck isn’t enough to stop you from wearing rain boots on campus, maybe the lack of acceptance from your peers and the opposite sex will be. After telling this story to others on campus, I soon found out that my fellow students were not as fond of these rubber boots as I had thought they were. I went to the app “YIK YAK” for honest anonymous opinions on rain boots worn by girls on campus, and a few of the responses are shown below.
So ladies, let’s leave the rain boots for farmers and playing in the mud. Deal with your Nike’s getting a little damp like the rest of us. Atleast my wet tennis shoes won’t be compared to condoms or cause me to almost break my elbow.
