After rereading my first blog post of 2010 a few times last night, I realized that my retreat into dense, technical academic writing had taken its toll on my ability to write for the blog and other less stuffy mediums. So I'm making a point to post more frequently, and thus practice my less formal writing more often. Anyway, this is one of those quick observational posts.

When I stepped outside this morning, I had on a pair of Wellington boots. As I unconsciously surveyed the footwear choices of my peers, however, I realized that while many of my female cohorts were wearing boots that looked eerily similar to my own, my male counterparts were wearing regular sneakers or tennis shoes. (Aside: What's the deal with Hunter brand Wellington boots? I bought them because that's what they had in the shoe department at my friendly neighborhood Nordstrom store. Do they carry the same social stigma as Uggs?)

I just don't understand what objection men could possibly have to rain boots. I certainly don't enjoy having the bottom two inches of my pants soaked in water when I step inside. It's disgusting and uncomfortable to say the least. And what's more, it's the women's fashion industry that stole the Wellington from the realm of menswear, so it's not as if wearing rain boots is akin to a man wearing a skirt. After all, the rubber rain boot as it exists today owes its creation to the first World War, when the British military asked manufacturers for a waterproof boot for soldiers (i.e., men) in the trenches of Europe. For that matter, given the popularity of brazenly impractical women's shoes from the likes of Christian Louboutin, it seems odd that women would embrace something so utterly practical and utilitarian as the rubber boot with enough zeal to dispel men from wearing them.

Then again, given the state of the bathroom I'm forced to share with a number of other males, perhaps they really don't mind having mud, dirt and water caked onto their clothing.