Friday, November 6, 2009

#90-Hooker Boots (before passing judgements on terminology please see the fine print below)


 Fine Print:Okay so I know the term "hooker boots" is inevitably going to offend some people. Lord knows that if I was from some rural environment who has found his little utopia in the small town nearby and their local church, whose size ranges from 50-100 people I would probably be offended too because hookers seem so depressingly dirty and unclean and promiscuous and obscene and invasive and capitalistic   and therefore should avoid every reference to them.....


A little bigger print: That said, I have wanted to write about this topic for a quite some time ever since this was recommended by a reader, but I struggled with the proper terminology and wording that encompasses the fact that the picture above is a visual element of a pair of boot-shoes that gained their notoriety and fame and influence directly from the prostitutes that frequent our ghetto's, brothels, shady joints that pollute our towns, and any other visual dungeon of our civilization.We don't want to be reminded that such people exist so we don't like terms that reference them. That said, the boots above are popular now in our churches and they owe their influence indirectly from these prostitutes. I am uncomfortable to use the term "hooker" in this blog but there is no better term to describe the above shoes than "hooker boots." I even made a facebook status asking for a more politically correct term for hooker boots, and while there were a few helpful suggestions, none of them were as direct and concise and poignant as "hooker boots." That said, I ask you to withhold judgment on such usage...We must also remember that the  prophets and the gospel writers themselves showed no restraint in referencing these harlots/whores/tramps,  etc...



Regular Print: I don't know if any of you remember, or even had contact with a trend that tried ambushing the UPC somewhere in the mid 90's....Teenagers left and right began not only wearing ridiculously baggy jeans (Most likely from a brand called JNCO), but these teenagers thought it appropriate and attractive to sag these baggy jeans to the point that one's underwear was showing as these guys walked around thinking this is the best way to land a girlfriend.




But James Dobson was not having any of that....Him and a few others saw that the saggy pants should be off-limits everywhere within the Lord's Kingdom, and promptly pointed our eyes in the right direction to the fact that the trend of sagging one's pants began in prison.....as an invitation of sorts to fellow prison mates....(trying not to be too vulgar)...This immediately put an end to the pant sagging in our churches, but knowing it's origins it's any wonder how such a trend ever ended up in our churches to begin with.

If anything the pant sagging trend showed a strong weakness in our tendency to isolate ourselves from culture and the awareness thereof: We can let things/trends enter the front door of our churches completely oblivious of the connotations that these trends may be referencing that would be much easier to pick up if one was just a little more culturally aware of our environment outside ourselves.

It can be a dangerous price to pay for working hard to maintain your own sense of communal identity separate from those around you...



But I mentioned the 90's sagging pants trend to say that the popular Apostolic trend of "hooker boots" is no different....The boots have walked right into our church simply because they seem to go well with skirts? I don't know, but I do know that hookers in short skirts are the source of these leather boots and we seem to be either completely clueless of their origins or perhaps we are seeing the weirdest marriage of "opposites attracting" wherein the conservative Apo-Pento's take their fashion cues from the most heinous sector's of the secular realm: The Prostitutes.

The strange thing is, some could argue very justifiably that these hooker boots are incredibly modest because they show less calf than typical shoes would when worn with a skirt....Okay, cool....

But what you ladies who wear the hooker boots need to explain  is how in the world you get those things on? I know it's not as easy as slipping slipper on...I myself experienced a nightmare come true at the mall last week when I mistakenly tried on a pair of jeans that were for sale at Urban Outfitters only to be horrified when I tried them on to find out they were skinny jeans! And the hardest part about putting skinny jeans on was not lifting them up around the thigh, but rather lifting them up around the ankles and calves....And if I struggled to put those skinny jeans on (one of the awkward moments of my life whose memories I would choose to forget if I could), I know you females struggle all the more so with those hooker boots....

So what's the deal? Why are they here?

Theologically speaking, should the origins of the trend dictate whether or not they are permissible in church?

I don't know and I really don't care....

It's just weird....

But it gets weirder....

The first lady of Christianity, Sarah Palin...

She gets down with the Hooker boots as well....



Like what kind of sick and twisted world is this when Miss "I heard she was baptized in the name of Jesus and spoke in tongues" is caught taking her footwear cues from the local STD distribution centers aka Prostitutes....

31 comments:

  1. Ha ha ha ha! Love this post. On a side note, I had heard that he saggy pants came from prisoners who did not have belts (they were taken away because they tried to use them to hang themselves....??). Anyway, not sure if it's true, but just wondering.

    Anyway, this is coming from an Apo "Woman".

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  3. jsuey1- Awesomeness! LOL

    Joel- Um . . . were you raised in church all your life. That would probably explain your terminology and point of view.

    First off, "knee high" boots and "Hooker" boots are two different things. Hooker boots are THIGH high, they go ABOVE the knee. Knee high do not pass the knee, stay right below.

    And second, where did you get the idea that they came from hookers? Please don't tell me your grandpa told you. Any articles or historical websites you can share? I understand that people have a difference of opinion but this article was just incorrect, sorry.

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  4. Heeeey!!! Good job Joel!!! I totally agree with you on this post 100%!!! I have nvr known the origin of those boots really, but I have ALWAYS just called them hooker boots because to me that is what they look like!!! The thing to me about them also, is that the only way anyone can see your boots, is if your wearing a shorter skirt and I personally think that Apostolic woman need a revival of LONG skirts!!!

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  5. Jessica,

    First, my grandpa was not apostolic so he really could have cared less about this topic. Second, he's dead. He was also Catholic and severely racist so to make things more uncomfortable, he's probably in Hell. I hope you are proud of yourself.

    Secondly, I didn't give those boots that name. The person who e-mailed me the topic suggestion defined them as such.

    This website is not intending to nor has any pretensions of being theologically or historically accurate.

    Lastly, so you are saying that the difference between "hooker boots" and "Knee-high" boots is the hooker boots cover up more skin? So in essence real hooker boots are more modest than knee-highs? If true, then Apostolics are dressing more immodest than hookers. I don't like where this is going.

    Busily,
    Joel

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  6. Let me also add this to the general reader,

    I really and genuinely could care less about if a Apostolic girl wears "hooker boots." I don't think it is a sin issue whatsoever....

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  7. Where grace abounds, sin does that much more abound....

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  8. I am in school majoring in fashion merchandising, and I can tell you, the baggy pants trend came about from prisoners whose regular clothes were too loose when they were released from prison. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, the look caught on and stuck around for way too long.

    Another fun fact about the history of fashion and trends...In modern times, very high heels were originally only worn by prostitutes. Maybe they should be outlawed too. But then I suppose, Pente girls wouldn't have any shoes to wear with their jean skirts to the mall.

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  9. True, it's totally NOT a sin, just makes you think twice about stuff! Like the baggy jeans...why would you want to wear something that resembles prisoners? Why do Apostolic girls wear tube tops with a shirt unerneath?!?! It's just TACKY!!! AND heeeey, I have like ALWAYS wondered this, WHAT'S THE FASHION HISTORY FOR GUYS WEARING PINK?!?! I have searched the bible, but can't come up with a scripture that says its wrong, so Alas, I have to settle with just havin my own opinion on the matter- it's gRoSS!!! LOL

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  10. Joel,
    I was totally shocked by your Boot post until I read the side comment along your blog. After reading that, the post became humorous. As for the boots, the knee highs are worn with pants or skirts. The hooker boots are worn only with SHORT skirts or costumes. All of the shoe must be seen, and then some skin. They've only recently come out as actual shoe apparel as opposed to . . . whatever they were before. Now that I get the point behind your posts I'll make sure to read them with a lighter heart.

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  12. when my husband and I first started dating, I wore the boots as pictured in this post. I noticed him glancing at the boots every once in a while. After a while he finally asked, "Why do you wear hooker boots?" lol!!! (and they were below the knee, by the way)

    I have since become less of a fan of these boots because of their relation to prostitution and the attention they grab. I don't think they're sinful, but I just feel a little awkward wearing mile high heels with leather wrapped up my calves.

    Even though I don't think most pentecostal women wear them with the intention of being seductive, they definitely can have a sexual appeal when worn with a knee length skirt. Long skirts, different story of course.

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    1. I so agree. I used to wear them but as I grew in the Lord, it fell off me and I don't feel it's right to wear them anymore. We should dress more modest and not drawn attention to one self like hooked boots do.

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  13. However, when you live in Saskatchewan, and you are forced to wear boots 6 months out of the year because of winter, dressier boots is definitely a plus, especially when you have church 4 times a week. Just sayin....I wouldnt wear dressy, heeled boots unless there is snow on the ground. (Can't wear dressy flats/shoes when you have a lot of snow) Not that wearing heeled boots is the most practical thing when its icy out, but it is kind of nice to be able to wear something a little dressier in snowtime. To be honest, most hookers around do not wear heels. Its slightly impractical.

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    1. True all you have to do sure is wear them to the church and change into something more practical for church.

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  14. This is funny! My husband suggested I wear knee high boots when I wore knee length skirts. Since I have long legs it's best I keep them covered not exposed he said. The truth is beautiful women can't get away with as much as chubby, frumpy women. And yes, I know that doesn't sound very Christian but it's true. A 40yo woman in my church wore a leather skirt to church once and it looked perfectly modest and classy (just trust me). A friend commented that it was cute but neither of us could pull it off because of our age and figures. :)
    Besides what are men doing looking anyways? LOL

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  15. Heeeey chubby woman CAN in fact be BEAUTIFUL to ya know!!! LOL Just check out my pic!!! ;) Anyways, being chubby does not GIVE me an excuse to try and get away with stuff, just makes me thank God EVEN more for modesty!!!
    Woooooooohooooooooo!!!

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  16. Funny how we make article of clothing to have moral value. For example, pants have no moral value. It's the culture that gives us what value they have. Why? Culture tells us what symbols or for men and what symbols are for women. This is why men at one time wore pantyhose, and put on make-up (gentleman, mind you, not sissy boys). If the same is done today, the overall culture no longer sees that as a thing for a gentleman, but as a effeminant boy. Let me see some of these "manly men" wear a pair of woman's designer pants, since they are a masculine garment!

    Same with these boots. They haven't been "hooker boots" since Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Now, I've seen some women wear them with an aura of "I'm a hooker" and others wear them with an aura of "I'm a feminine woman, having fun today."

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  17. This post literally made me laugh out loud. I have so many pairs of boots (are all boots considered 'hooker boots' if they go up to my knee? If so, I have 10 pairs of hooker boots.) that my friend has nicknamed me 'Boots.'

    That being said, I don't put them on with the intention of being 'seductive' or 'sexy.' I put them on because they're cute, practical in the cold and warmer than wearing a long skirt.

    If I can't wear patterned, funky tights to keep my legs warm, I'm going to wear boots. Nylons and stockings also were originally created and worn by hookers...does that make me a fallen woman because my pastor requires nylons when I'm on the platform? I think not.

    As someone has already pointed out, clothes, shoes and articles of clothing can't have a moral value. It's the society and their preconceived notions that do that.

    I think that if you look into almost anything you can find something nefarious in it's background...

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  18. Bekki's the first to point out exactly my thinking on this topic. Pente girls north of the Mason-Dixon line rejoiced at the introduction of hooker boots into broad fashion-acceptance - FINALLY a way to be fashionable AND warm in the winter time. When I was a kid, girls were wearing long, fully length skirts and chunky patterned tights in the winter just for pure survival. Hooker boots give us non-pants-wearin' ladies an opportunity to look normal and cover our legs properly during the coldest months of the year.

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  19. OK, this whole thing sounds fashion to me so I have a question. I don't know the name of this new trend, but I see (mainly young women, thank goodness) wearing what looks like long underwear with a portion of the legs cut off (worn under skirts). In my opinion, they don't belong in church, but look stupid wherever they're worn.

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  21. Well this comment got me laughing very hard. As a Pente girl tranplant from Texas to Massachusetts I live in my knee high boots till about July. I for one love them only problem is trying to stomp and make a "joyful noise" in them without falling over LOL

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  22. Your historical perspective goes back ALL THE WAY to the 60's and 70's? *smirk*

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  23. I probably shouldn't mention this but I have been known on occasion to wear a pair of over the knee boots to church under a long skirt...mostly for gospel nights with good fiddle music...yes I am the Pente girl in Massachusetts from above :)

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  24. Get over your issue with Riley. Take it offline. It's ridiculous and absurd. If you want to make it that personal, come out of the shadow of anonymity and be a man!

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  25. Amusing that one uses the word "history" to defend a modern doctrine, and this "history" only goes back 50 years? Yes, quite amusing.

    Question: Does the Bible ever connect modesty to showing skin? Can you provide examples? (Not that the purpose of the Text is to codify rules, but heck, go ahead and use the Levitical Law as well). Does it tell us elbows are nakedness or that knee caps are? Where does our sense of modesty come from? Is it from society perhaps? :)

    Your nonsense about thighs is interesting. Please provide scriptures so we can all look at it together.

    Your launching into pants on women was equally fascinating. Are you claiming pants on women started in America? It may have had associated with it feminist beginnings, but those connections are no longer a reality (just like beards and hippies). If you feel there is no distinction between men's and women's jeans, please take a photo of yourself in pair out in public and email it to the site. Would love to see that.

    This "mad dash" away from femininity is also during a Victorian era, heavily influenced by Puritans. Women did not speak to men often in public. They tended to matters in the home. They also never went out of the home without their hair curled and done, make-up on, and properly adorned. These are sociological factors, not "Thus Saith the Lords" - so I'm not sure what your point is. I know plenty of feminine ladies that wear pants, and masculine men that wear shorts.

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