The Cowboy Boot

We have mentioned before that cowboys and cowboy boots are an integral part of our culture –American cultural consciousness to be exact. In fact, while other nationalities say that America has no legitimate tradition since it is a melting pot, the most legitimate of traditions that one can have in this country is the cowboy culture. When we say cowboy culture, we do not only talk about cowboy boots or cowboy hats or cowboy fashion in general, we are also talking about the life of a cowboy or a cowgirl for that matter. The American cultural consciousness is not just felt in America though because in other countries such as the Philippines and Japan, there are western wear stores and even cowboy-themed restaurants. This is an indicator that this is what America is all about even though a great number of the population are not cowboys and do not wear cowboy boots.

Thanks to Hollywood, we were able to make this distinctly American tradition into something very popular. Decades ago, it would be weird to see an Asian donning a cowboy hat or wearing cowboy boots but today, cowboy couture is no longer just for the West but also for the fashion forward or the ones who want to stand out in a crowd.

The world’s fascination with spurs, lassos and cowboy hats and even six-shooters (and of course the Wild West) started when Western films became popular. In fact, a German guy I know remembers watching cowboy movies when he was a kid back in the 80s. Another indicator of its popularity and it being integrated in the American psyche is Hollywood making cowboy movies a separate genre altogether.

Alright, we admit that the movie industry casting charismatic actors made a difference too but actors such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry became more popular during their heyday because of their cowboy movies.

Tags: cowboy, Cowboy Boots, cowboy culture, cowboys