Status Anxiety of Air Jordan
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Air Jordan I (Original)
This exquisite shoe first came out in 1985 by Nike. When you slip your feet into the slick leather of the shoe, your feet start to cushion and becomes one with the shoe. Freshly made accents of blue and sharp smell of premium black leather like a Dior Homme jacket. When you touch the shoe, it is so smooth that it seems as if your feeling a babys bottom made of suede. You can see the shoe from miles away because of the vibrant colors contrasting against each other. The shoe strings seems to wrap around the shoe so pose that it seemed that the shoestrings was actually attached to the shoe. The shape of the shoe is so slick, it seems as if it was made for aerodynamics. Since the shoe is larger than a regular shoe, it creates a image of integrity for wearing the shoe. Engraved on the side of this stunning shoe is the signature swoosh of Nike. Lying in a crystal cut display, it basked in the beaming spotlight, glowing like a firefly. Jordan symbolic logo is stamped on the side of the shoe, making the shoe become indifferent from an ordinary shoe.
The one thing that is most striking about the shoe is that it represents one of the most iconic basketball players of all time. Michael Jordan excel on and off the court, leading Team USA in a gold medal and 6 NBA championships. When wearing Air Jordan I, he shined as a rookie and also earned a spot on the All-Star team, finishing third in scoring. The Chicago Bulls was a devastating team until he came to the team, bringing the Bulls back to a playoff picture. When he became rookie of the year, Nike saw that Michael Jordan was the “symbol” of basketball. When Michael Jordan stepped on the court with this shoe, the NBA fined him every game for not matching the on court dress code. Even though he was getting fined he never wore a different shoe, getting fined $5,000 a game. Since people was going ballistic over this iconic shoe, Nike paid for Michael Jordans fine every single game.
Air Jordan I revolutionized the shoe industry because it is the only shoe that is a collectible item. Its prominent color represents your expression and how you want people to criticize you. A quote from OkJardans claims, “The Air Jordan I” is a legendary shoe and is the holy grail of most sneaker collectors because of its history and since it was the first Jordan shoe launched.” (oakjordans.com) This shoe was limited to certain areas and even the colors of the shoe, which represented how people like to express themselves with the shoe; depending on what region you lived in. That is why this shoe impacted our society so drastically because the shoe was a representation of oneself. Air Jordan I has grab the attention of so many people lives, costing over $1300 just to own the original now. Why does this shoe cause people to have a feeling of status anxiety? Why does this shoe make you feel like you have superiority over