Or should I let them get scuffed-up for a more post-punk look?

Well mine double as work shoes, so kind of need to normally.

But at the moment worker boots are popular, so I can get away with them being scuffed at work. It's "fashionable" at the moment

I polish my DMs. Actually I need to find a way to scrub out some of the black streaks that are embedded in my white docs and fill in the holes.

I'd say:

Punk: Leave 'em scuffed.
Skin: Shine 'em.

Err... I wouldn't say it's a faux pas. You might need to shine them now and again to keep them waterproof and make them last longer. Or simply leave them be if you can't be bothered.

Getting a bit hung up on details there...

He's new(to the subculture), hun, so he's a bit unsure on some stuff.

I always polished mine. I want them to last as long as possible. When it comes to gear, the military ethic stayed with me.

I'd say it depends if you want nice looking boots or not. I mean, if you wanna show off more of the 'punk' look, leave 'em scuffed up.

Then again, if you wanted to look more polished, you might want to invest in fancier boots to begin with. I have no idea what they have for men's boots that are fancy because I've never saw the need to look for them :p

Docs say "Shit-kickers" to me in terms of there's a certain image that comes to mind whenever I think about docs and the people who wear them. Definitely for the types who 'stand and fight' over 'turn and run'.

I always polish my boots and I'm a 'stand and fight' type of person.

Shine 'em up! Good boots deserve good treatment.

(and there's the pot calling the kettle woefully unpolished; good thing you can't see my closet right now....)

What if I'm really omiscient or otherwise possess the ability to see your closet? Whatcha gonna do then?

Hey dude, it's not about me. It's about the deep emotional, mental, and very possibly spiritual trauma you will experience with even a momentary peek.

Fair enough, I'm sorry if that came off as harsh.
Even after - god, coming up for eight years of being openly interested in the culture now - I myself still feel the prickles of peer pressure and insecurity over things that shouldn't really matter. It's normal, and usually I'm the one defending the new people.

I'm just trying to say that it's ok, you shouldn't have to force yourself into rigid confining rules, because I do see a lot of these worries posted. Q.What do goths wear to the beach? What's a goth job? How do goths have their boots? A. Whatever and however they want.


It's a real pity that new and shy people feel squashed into prescribed modes of dress or behaviour in a subculture, because people doing their own thing is where the variety and creativity come from.




http://www.eatliver.com/img/2008/3294.jpg

That was the most horrific thing I've seen all day

(for obvious reasons )