https://www.vogue.fr/fashion/article/vogues-fashion-encyclopedia-the-history-of-sneakers
Sneakers have been making an impact on our society for centuries. From the creation of sneakers till now, these shoes have completely evolved in the way we wear and perceive them. In an article written by Vogue, the author explains the history of sneakers and their key moments in time. The goal is to analyze the text and gain as much knowledge as possible; through the author’s rhetoric. Since the author is providing facts in the attempt to persuade the audience into learning more about the topic, this piece could be analyzed through the rhetorical lens of logos. Sneakers can be an interest for many; however, I believe this article will interest and help sneaker heads, like myself, understand more about the culture.
The purpose of this article is to enlighten people on how sneakers came to be and how they have evolved to what we know a sneaker is in today’s world. The author is providing factual evidence about sneaker history in order to attract the audience to the text. However, one will only learn if the author makes the right choices in trying to persuade their evidence.
How someone expresses their writing can determine what the audience takes away from it. The author of the article, Rosalind Jana, expresses her thoughts and facts through words that show great imagery. When speaking about the variety of brands there are, Jana states, “And whether the object of one’s affections was basketball player Kareem Abdul- Jabbar springing for the hoop in his flat-soled Adidas or Charlie’s Angels’ Farrah Fawcett sporting that instantly recognizable Nike tick, there was plenty of inspiration to choose from, athletic or otherwise.” The use of phrases such as “springing for the hoop” or “instantly recognizable” draws the audience in about what they are reading because it gives the text a sense of excitement. Her inclusion of excitement and imagery is important when trying to express the topic in an attempt to persuade all kinds of readers. This helps those who are unfamiliar with the topic get involved in wanting to know more.
The structure of the text is key when writing to an audience. The author here did a great job in showing somewhat of a timeline from the beginning to present day. She begins way back in the early 1800s when Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber, which was then applied to the creation of a more durable shoe.
This is important to note because many people, especially young teenagers, do not know these specific facts that occurred many years back. She ends the text by showing that there is a variety when it comes to the type of sneaker we wear. In this situation, the lens of organization can be tied into the analysis as well because she organized the text to where each section would point out a different time of history. This helps the audience understand how sneakers have evolved over a long period of time in our culture.
Later on in the text, the author expresses this idea that sneakers, “speak to and participate in everything from class, to sports interests, to culture, to music taste, to a desire to bound around without feeling encumbered by uncomfortable footwear.” This is a great point to make because sneakers stem to many aspects of life. There is great diversity in the world of sneakers. Sneakers are made for everyone to express themselves in any way they would feel comfortable. They also provide different uses. There are sneakers used by baseball players and there are sneakers used by basketball players. Although the point was made, the author should have expanded on this idea for the audience to get a bigger sense of the context being demonstrated. If she would have chosen to go deeper with the idea about social class related to sneakers, I can guarantee the audience would have found it more interesting. She also mentioned Instagram in the article but very briefly at the end. The role social media plays on fashion in today’s society is huge. All kinds of sneaker brands and influencers are constantly posting and being posted for all to see. This would have been a great point to elaborate on when talking about how sneakers are worn and portrayed in present day.
The history of sneakers is great knowledge for anyone to know, especially those interested in sneaker-related aspects. Opening your mind and reading about new ideas and topics will only make you a more interesting and more skilled person. With that being said, this article is a great read. For the intended audience, it was very resourceful and included many interesting facts about where the concept of the sneaker originated. The author gave detailed evidence of historical facts about the different people and brands that have impacted how we perceive sneakers in pop culture today. It could have been slightly better and more informative if Rosalind Jana and those at Vogue would have gone more in depth about aspects such as diversity and the role of social media. All in all, the author was successful in the choices she made in persuading the audience. The rhetorical lens of logos, and even the lens of organization, helped greatly when analyzing this text.