ARE MIDS MID?
WORDS BY: ALEX JONES
If you type in “Why do people hate J-” into Google, it might autocomplete it with “-ordan 1 mids.” Right up there with Jar Jar Binks and Jury duty, Jordan 1 mids get a lot of hate.
At first glance, AJ1 mids look just like the highs. Let’s be real, unlike with the lows you’d need a ruler to check the actual height difference between the mids and the highs. But for sneakerheads, mids are the sneakers you get when your mom says “we have highs at home.”
The hate seems to be caused by a few little things. First, mids are not highs. The highs are the OG Air Jordan 1 and will likely always be the most sought after Jordan brand item. Second, the mids aren’t as exclusive; there’s simply less (or no) hype around them. Mids are in-stock, right now, and that’s a red flag to some sneakerheads. Third, due to this lack of exclusivity, they also tend to be available for less of your hard earned cash. Some would argue here that AJ1 mids are made of inferior materials to the highs, but when they’re also cheaper anyway that argument doesn’t hold air.
THE JUMPMAN HIMSELF IN JORDAN 1 MIDS
So, AJ1 mids are hated because they look like the highs, except that they cost less and are easier to find.
… Shouldn’t those be reasons to love them?
If you’re one of those people who wears shoes on their feet and walk around all day in them, while doing things, like getting groceries and catching the metro, you probably aren’t thinking about the resale value. Moreover, you probably aren’t looking to drop a mint to cop them, much less camp out on the sidewalk to make sure you snag a pair.
So here’s a secret.
Sneakerheads hate this one simple trick: if you wear mids with pants, nobody will know that they’re mids. AJ1 lows, mids, and highs, all look the same when the “mid” and “high” parts are covered. Jeans, sweatpants, cargos, it doesn’t matter. If you wear pants that reach your ankles, nobody can tell what AJ1s you’re wearing.
JORDAN 1 MID VS HIGH HEIGHT COMPARISON
Styled with pants, mids might as well be high tops or low tops, which might be why there’s growing love for the mids anyway. They come in great colourways, including a lot of the same retro looks as the highs and lows. A lot of the hate for mids, like hate for anything else, is caused by hearing that other people hate them. More and more sneakerheads are figuring this out, either with a live-and-let-live attitude, or coming right around to loving the AJ1 mids for what they are.
So here’s another secret: pants or no, you’re allowed to love AJ1 mids. Wear them with capris, shorts, or nothing at all (but maybe not that last one in public). It’s your feet and your style. Buy what you like, wear what you love.
