Wearing Mary Janes is not only comfortable but also fashionable that even both boys and men want to have one for themselves.
Mary Jane shoes are for long synonymous with girls only, but their hegemony is being challenged by contemporary fashion trends.
This article attempts to shed light on whether Boys can wear Mary Jane shoes and the benefits or consequences if any exist.
Do Boys wear Mary Jane shoes?
Although it is not very popular among Boys, recent fashion trends indicate that Boys can wear Mary Jane shoes comfortably and go about their normal activities without society making them feel out of place.
Initially, Mary Jane shoes were not gender-specific shoes but rather unisex shoes that can be worn by Guys, Girls, Boys, nobles and everyone interested in wearing the fashionable and classy shoes popularised by a comic series of the 1960s.
Boys and Guys alike can buy Mary Jane shoes of their choice and use them as a fashion statement which is different from the general stereotype of an only female shoe.
However, there are certain distinctions between the shoes for girls and that of boys in some aspect even though there are unisex Mary Janes for both the two genders.
Why do boys wear Mary Jane shoes?
There are several reasons why Boys wear Mary Jane shoes in the past and what is happening now.
These reasons have to do with Fashion statements, trends, the comfort of the shoes, easy usage, washability, durability and affordable prices.
Fashion statement.
Boys are fond of wearing Mary Jane shows today in other to project a fashion statement to their immediate environment and the world.
Historically, Mary Janes have no specific gender for using them, boys and girls can wear the same and go to school together without anybody batting his or her eyelids over the issue.
Moreover, with the world moving towards increasing liberalisation, many boys now want to start defying traditional fashion and start exhibiting unusual fashion preferences as we are seeing now.
Following and increasing trends.
The trend of wearing Mary Jane shoes is resurfacing and growing gradually for the past two years. It is expected that in the next 6 years, the adoption of Mary Janes shoes across the world will grow five times bigger than what it is now.
Globalization has also helped in making our world an interconnected world in which an event in one part of the world can have the same or higher on the lives of others thousand kilometres away.
This helped in the spread of Mary Janes among guys and their adoption towards actively using them.
Comfortability of the shoes.
Mary Jane shoes are considered one of the most comfy shoes in the footwear industry when it comes to customer adoption, quality and overall reliability.
Boys want shoes that are also comfortable for them to use. This led to Boys trying Mary Jane shoes and sticking to them thereby increasing adoption and popularity among vast categories of boys worldwide.
When I asked a teenager I saw with Mary Jane shoes for the first about how he is comfortable wearing them without caring about people’s opinions, he told me that if you want to use unique and comfortable shoes, you should just go to the market and pick a Mary Jane shoes that are not too feminine, carry it home and start wearing them.
He said the first few days will be very difficult for you when you start but gradually, you will get used to it.
Easy mode of use.
According to 10 Boys we interviewed and the result of similar interactions with other users of Mary Jane shoes, one of the main attractions of using Mary Jane shoes is the ease of use it has compared with other shoes.
With just one strap that you can put on or take off in less than a minute, Mary Jane shoes remain one of the easiest and simplest shoes to use which is an attraction particularly to boys that rely heavily on sneakers which takes time before you can put it on or take it off.
Washability factor.
The ability to wash Mary Jane’s shoes easily and have them dry and ready for use in a matter of few hours is another attraction to the boys.
You can wash it back to normal without putting too much stress on yourself and your shoe will become perfectly clean. Boys like that a lot.
Durability and affordability.
The fact Mary Jane shoes are long-lasting and can be purchased at a reasonable price makes the shoe attractive to boys.
Boys have a higher chance of having their shoes damaged than boys.
So in other to avoid buying expensive shoes frequently, Boys resort to using Mary Jane shoes in school, at the playground, at home and elsewhere.
When do boys start wearing mary jane shoes. ?
Boys have been wearing Mary Jane shoes since the inception of the shoes because initially it was not designed towards a specific gender but as a unisex shoe that applies to all people who are interested in buying and using one.
The earliest recorded history of Mary Jane’s usage is in the 1920s and above.
Can men wear Mary Jane Dr martens?
Men can wear some specific Dr Marten shoes that are either specifically designed as unisex for both genders or those that resemble shoes made for men.
Dr Martens shoes are durable, smart, stylish, and tempting which forces some men to buy a pair even if they don’t know what to do with them initially then they resort to trying them on and found out that the shoes are indeed good for walking.
Can baby boys wear Mary Jane?
You can wear Mary Jane shoes to your baby and it will look good and natural on them.
Baby boys can get away with many things when it comes to fashion. If you want or have a Mary Jane shoe and are interested in putting it for your baby you should feel and do it.
No one is going to criticised or diminish your efforts in seeing your baby appear fashionable and appropriate.
What are the benefits of wearing Mary Jane shoes by boys?
Several benefits await boys wearing Mary Jane shoes without basing their personal choices on seeking other people’s approval.
Some of the benefits boys wearing Mary Jane shoes are enjoying consist of the following ;
- Happiness.
- Changing the perception about shoes.
- Increasing self-esteem.
Happiness.
Boys wearing Mary Jane shoes have reported to us that they are quite happy with their choice of shoes even though that choice is not popular among the rest of the world where the majority saw people wearing Mary Jane shoes as queer.
Changing the perception about shoes.
The use of Mary Jane shoes exposed boys to certain situations and helps in clearing their wrong-held perceptions.
Increasing self-esteem.
The ability to wear Mary Jane shoes in society helps the boys to develop and increase their self-esteem beyond normal growth.
They now know that you can take responsibility for your actions and stick to them even if that decision is not accepted by the majority as it makes you happy.
Challenges of Boys wearing Mary Jane shoes.
Just like two sides of the coin, Wearing Mary Jane shoes boys have certain challenges that need to be addressed which include;
- Negative perception.
- Humiliation and jest-making by others.
- Inability to express themselves as a result of bullying.
- Fear of rejection by friends.
Negative perception.
People see those boys wearing Mary Jane shoes as queer, girlish or simply gay for choosing to appear different. To people with such an opinion, Christianity as a religion has warned people against this and Islam also classify it as haram.
The perception goes a long way in causing fear and creates anxiety among boys wearing Mary Janes in some specific locations hostile to their choice.
Humiliation and jest-making by others.
Boys of their age and friends do make jest of them when they see them wearing Mary Jane shoes which affects their happiness and creates low self-esteem to them which is wrong.
Some boys will start wearing Mary Jane shoes but will stop a few months later as a result of pressure from friends, neighbours and schoolmates.
Inability to express themselves as a result of bullying.
Sometimes boys wearing Mary Jane shoes find it difficult to express themselves properly because of the psychological impact of bullying on the children.
Though a stance needs to be adopted in areas where children are facing such types of bullying if we want to have a just and happy society.
Fear of rejection by friends.
Some of the boys lost their friends when they start wearing Mary Jane shoes to school, playgrounds, shopping malls and cafeterias.
Some of them stopped talking with them abruptly because they don’t want to be associated with them wearing such shoes in other to avoid receiving some of the bullying from school children and neighbourhood kids.
Are there Mary Jane specifically for boys?
- CHEANEY
- Bertie II T-Bar Sandal in Mocha Calf Leather
- DUCKFEET HIMMERLAND
- GUCCI
- Black Mary Jane Cut-Out Loafers
- Jonathan Anderson Mary Janes for men
- Canvas Low Tops
- FENDI Mary Jane Shoes
- DR. MARTENS
Conclusion.
Boys and Guys wear now wearing Mary Jane shoes like never before. This fashion resurgence is a result of the need to have comfy and reliable shoes as well as the work of shoe brands that starts producing Mary Jane shoes for Men and the realisation of how good the shoe is.
Reference
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