something i would not have in my closet , something u would see at the goodwill?

Athletic shoes should only be worn if you're doing something athletic at the moment or in transit from an athletic event; otherwise they look stupid and childish.

Ditto for the vast majority of "skate" shoes.

Unless you work in a job where you're on your feet for 10 hours plus a day.

Nikes aren't athletic shoes either you twat, if you wear nikes to exercise good luck with your deteriorating knees and ankles.

I can see that, but what if you're someone like me who has flat feet and has over-pronation, and needs custom insoles for arch and ankle support? Most athletic shoes and Converse All Stars are the only shoes that can comfortably accommodate insoles like those. I need that extra arch support, because if your feet are flat it throws off the whole alignment of your legs and hips, also sometimes the vertebrae in the lumbar spine. So without those your knees and hips will deteriorate pretty fast.

I WISH I could wear nicer shoes that didn't look so "childish" on a more regular basis, but they're not good for my feet. Shoes like high heels, flats, nice boots, etc. I also wish I could afford them, but I'm a student and I don't want to spend more than $80 on shoes, that's ridiculous.

A couple of years ago I worked as a summer camp supervisor (I was one of them, anyways), and I had to wear work boots all day. Can you imagine what it's like to traipse around for 8 hours a day in steel-toed work boots when you have flat feet? It was bad and I'm certain that it made my problem worse. Work boots are not exactly made to wear with custom molded insoles and they offer absolutely zero ankle support, unlike your garden-variety tennis shoe (for example). It was also a million degrees and super humid outside almost daily which made wearing those things a living hell, but that's another story. They paid for the boots, though, which made me happy.

I don't hate those boots, though, and I will say that they are excellent in the winter or colder weather in general. I found a way to pad them a little bit so they're more comfortable, and I can wear them in the snow (although we haven't really had any yet this year).

In the summer, along with my regular shoes, I wear custom molded Birkenstock sandals, which are probably the most comfortable things I have ever put on my feet. Crocs are also good for my feet but I don't wear them out in public because they are just ass-ugly. I know they have better styles out now, like flip flop type models, but I'm just talking about the original clog ones.

Converse all stars will do nothing for you seriously, if you have real bad problems I'd avoid them altogether and get a proper pair of running shoes. All my knee and ankle problems come from wearing 'poor' shoes (converse and other shoes with a flat sole). If I so much as turn up to the gym without my proper shoes on my mate goes through me like a ton of bricks and tells me to come back tomorrow "prepared". :( even if I'm doing weights, I'm left like "let me in :(".

Burning Down, personally, I prefer to buy good boots that I can just have the soles replaced on. You can spend $300 on a pair of excellent boots, and unless you refuse to take care of them, the only thing you'll need to have replaced is the sole and shoe strings. I think this makes more sense than paying $60 for shoes a three times a year....

But, yeah, dunno about your flat feet. That sucks.

Anyways, how do you mean boots don't offer ankle support? Are you talking about the little ankle high ones that look like hiking shoes?

Eh? Not all Nikes are athletic shoes, but Nike certainly makes athletic shoes; Nike is in the midst of a strong athletic-footwear cycle that has driven sales for more than two years, and which analysts say typically occur over a span of three to five years.
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