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I have a dumb question...

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 1:31 am
by dillon
...but it’s something that perplexes me...

So...have cowboy boots become a metrosexual fashion fad?

I ask because of my evening television diet. Though the entrees are mostly PBS or Netflix, my indulgent appetizers and desserts are often MSNBC. I won’t make any pretense about the political orientation of the network. It’s tres liberal and PC...that’s why I watch it. I live in one of the most politically conservative places in the country; any more conservative and it would be Moonshadow’s neck of the woods. (Basically we both live on the buckle of the Bible Belt.) It gets lonely here for an old-school radical. Anyway, I expect that most MSNBC viewers are, like me, a bit left-of-center. They, as a community, are my invisible companions. MSNBC is essentially the Anti-FOX.

Which makes it difficult for me to understand why the network has so many advertisements for Tecovas western boots. I can’t help but wonder who the target market for those ads is supposed to be? I could bunderstand seeing them on Fox News, a network made for honky-tonk line dancers. But I just don’t see the typical MSNBC viewer as a customer for western wear. But I suppose all those ads could be targeting just the Austin TX market. That’s all I can figure, unless “cowboy” is the new gay, ala Brokeback Mountain. Anyone got this figured?

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 3:43 am
by denimini
I wasn't sure what you meant by cowboy boots so after a search I found this:
https://www.theiconic.com.au/edition/co ... ack-advice
So it seems that the question is not so dumb.
These are obviously a fashion item and not what stockmen in Australia wear (cowboy is a derogatory term in Australia).
The boots worn in the bush are a shorter boot as shown below.
Image

I wear similar boots but with elastic sides as below:
I avoid wearing spurs as they play havoc when putting a skirt on.
Image

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 3:49 am
by dillon

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 7:41 am
by denimini
Well they would keep your foot firmly in the stirrup. Not over priced at that.
I would need to wear my R.M. WIlliams denim mini with those; a skirt that doesn't sit well on me but I bought it cheap for the name. They make boots too.
https://www.rmwilliams.com.au/signature ... AU&start=1

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 3:23 pm
by STEVIE
The only dumb question is the one you didn't ask.
Steve.

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 4:20 pm
by Taj
Ranch footwear varies here in the west from "farmer type" lace-up work boots to what we call Packers, which are a lace-up western style boot with a riding heel. Cowboy boots are usually for dress-up, horse shows, or drugstore cowboys. I visited a cowboy themed bar in Vermont one time and everyone wearing boots had walking heels. Not so good for saddle use.

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:02 am
by dillon
Taj wrote:Ranch footwear varies here in the west from "farmer type" lace-up work boots to what we call Packers, which are a lace-up western style boot with a riding heel. Cowboy boots are usually for dress-up, horse shows, or drugstore cowboys. I visited a cowboy themed bar in Vermont one time and everyone wearing boots had walking heels. Not so good for saddle use.
They have some brogans around here they call “lacers” that have a fringed flap at the base of the tongue. They also have a slightly elevated heel. They are the working version of the cowboy boot, as they lace snugly supporting the ankle, and are popular with cattlemen as much for the style as for function. We have a lot of cattlemen in the southeast too, but they are more likely to use an ATV than a horse. They have mainly cow-calf operations and send the weaned calves elsewhere for backgrounding.

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:15 am
by dillon

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 10:17 pm
by Dust
Yeah, most cowboy boots these days are for show. It's been that way for quite a while. I've met some guys who basically live in their cowboy boots, and they are still mostly for show. I was at a wedding once where the bride wore the darn things. Unless they have laces or spurs, chances are they're a country fashion statement.

No idea about them becoming a metro thing, but those short boots pictured in the second post are different, and I would not call them cowboy boots. I'm not sure what they are called, but from what I've seen, I think they are a metro or hipster thing right now.

The ads on MSNBC surprise me. No idea though, I don't watch much TV. Maybe advertising time has gotten cheap and they just hit all the channels? I think the cable TV industry is doing pretty badly due to Netflix and people going on social media to fill their time. The only time I've paid for cable TV was when it was part a deal that was about the same price as just internet for a year, and that was years ago.

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:17 pm
by STEVIE
Hi Guys,
In the UK, the boots illustrated would be called Chelsea Boots and not associated with any kind of agricultural work.
We would say cattlemen for cowboys and these guys would tend to wear rubber Wellington boots.
These boots are the archetypal waterproof footwear for our climate and come in a myriad of designs and prices.
Steve.

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:45 pm
by crfriend
STEVIE wrote:In the UK, the boots illustrated would be called Chelsea Boots and not associated with any kind of agricultural work.
I'm guessing there's a linkage in there to Chelsea Tractors. What's so awful about Chelsea?

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 12:15 am
by dillon
STEVIE wrote:Hi Guys,
In the UK, the boots illustrated would be called Chelsea Boots and not associated with any kind of agricultural work.
We would say cattlemen for cowboys and these guys would tend to wear rubber Wellington boots.
These boots are the archetypal waterproof footwear for our climate and come in a myriad of designs and prices.
Steve.
I guess in the US west, a cowboy (or wrangler or vaquero) works for a cattleman (or rancher). I think cattleman is a more eastern term for us, where we have managed green fenced pastures instead of open rangeland. But today cowboy is more a fashion or lifestyle although there are still professional cowboys around the west.

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 3:08 am
by STEVIE
Chelsea boots were first introduced in Victorian Britain also known as Dealer boots they were very fashionable in the 60s.
I have a pair which I regularly pair with assorted skirts.
Chelsea is just a highly opulent neighbourhood in London. The Chelsea tractor is an off-road vehicle which is not allowed to muddy its tyres.
I don't have the funds to aspire to one of those.
Our cattlemen work for the farmer or the landowner as landed tenants.
I just hope that I am not missing some irony here.
Steve.

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:25 am
by moonshadow
Cowboy boots are all show.... what metro boys wear when the want to pretend like they're "country"....
6c3e6657e43b782f670f6a7067002d94.jpg
Us Appalachian folk don't have time for that nonsense....we've got work to do.... :P

Re: I have a dumb question...

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 12:39 pm
by Dust
dillon wrote: But today cowboy is more a fashion or lifestyle although there are still professional cowboys around the west.
Yeah, I think most of the cowboy boots I've seen were on off-duty enlisted military guys wearing them for show. I'll let them have them.

I've met guys who worked on ranches. I should take a closer look at their boots sometime. Leather, worn, and nothing flashy is all I remember. Mostly covered by their pants, so not much to see.

I also meet a rodeo cowboy on a plane once. I was slightly surprised they let the spurs through security...