In recent years, if you haven’t noticed, Doc Martens have started to become popular again; more specifically it is the boots that many people are interested in (so that is what I’ll be referencing when I say Doc Martens). I am a proud owner of 2 pairs—the black platform boots and regular tan boots—and they are my all time favorite pairs of shoes that I own. As you can see I am a bit biased towards them, but I do recognize that there are some downsides about them, so here I’m going to share with you guys both the good and the bad about these shoes (so maybe you can get a pair 🙂 ).  

I’m a big believer in getting the bad news first, and the good news second, so I’m going to start with the unfortunate things concerning these shoes. 

1. The Price 

Unfortunately one pair of Doc Martens costs $180 plus tax, so it comes around to just under $200. As I said, I own 2 pairs, so that’s $400 (of my own money) for shoes, but it was worth it. Now I know the price sounds a bit ridiculous, but then I look at other shoes that are becoming popular—like Jordans or even Birkenstocks—and it doesn’t seem too bad. Even so the price does kinda suck, so if you’re going to get them make sure you really want them, and go the right size, color, style, etc. 

2.  Breaking Them In  

The absolute worst thing about these shoes is breaking them in, it is so painful it’s not even funny. I’ve broken in 2 pairs and both times I had the worst blisters I’ve ever had on both of my heels that took 2 weeks to completely heal. The problem with this process is that in order to correctly break them in (so you don’t have to go through this process again) you have to wear them for a certain amount of time consecutively. So as I had these awful blisters on my heels, I was still wearing the shoes that gave me them in the first place—band aids were my best friend. I’m sure I probably sound dumb, like “why didn’t you just not wear the shoes Paige”, but if you don’t wear them for a certain amount of time, then you have to restart from the beginning, which trust me, you don’t want to do. However after the 2 week period (my estimated time of breaking them in) the shoes are good to go and you’ll be able to wear them without getting any blisters. 

3.  Older people 

This last one isn’t exactly a con, but for me it just gets annoying. When I first brought home my black platform Doc Martens, my mother asked me if I was enlisting in the military and made it clear she did not like these shoes. Now they are black combat boots, but they don’t look like military boots—I think. I’ve worn these shoes around my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and the main thing I’ve learned is that old people don’t like these shoes, so just be prepared. 

I hope I didn’t scare you guys off with the cons, but to make up for it I’m going to move on to the pro’s—so why you should get a pair or at least not judge other people for wearing them . 

1. The Look 

The main thing that attracts people to Doc Martens, is obviously how they look. They’re cute, stylish, and very in right now. They also can go with literally everything in your closet, like actually everything. I have worn mine with dresses, skirts, jeans, dress pants, leggings, and jean shorts—every pair of bottoms except for athletic pants and shorts, but I’ve seen it be done before, which I think is a huge plus because versatility is important in shoes. Your only real problem would be choosing which outfit to pair with these shoes. 

2. Compliments 

Almost every time I have gone out in these shoes, someone has complimented me. Not that I’m vain or anything, but it’s good to hear that I have good taste in some things, and what I’m wearing isn’t ugly. And an additional bonus is that because these are so popular right now, the person who complimented you probably owns them too, and then you can start a whole conversation with them—in my experience I’ve talked about how horrible breaking in the shoes are, but everyone always agrees that it’s worth it. 

3. Comfortable 

So I know I said that these were painful, but that’s only during the breaking in period, otherwise they’re super comfortable the rest of the time you wear them. I actually prefer wearing these over some of my other shoes because they can dress up any outfit (say compared to Air Force One’s), but they’re also comfortable which means I’m not in a whole lot of pain, so I’m willing to wear them. 

4. Height 

A big bonus, at least from someone who is 5’5 and feels short around everyone , is the height these can give you. Obviously if you get the platform ones there’s going to be even more of a difference, but I have found that even the regular ones can make me look taller and like I have long legs (which I do not have). The platforms give me a solid 2 inches, so these specifically are perfect for those on the shorter side who want to look taller, but they also do look good on taller people too. 

5. Many Different Styles 

The last thing that I love about these shoes are the many different styles. There are the regular, platform, lace up, non-lace up, ankle length, and many more types of boots, and don’t forget that Doc Martens don’t just sell boots so you can always check those out too. They also sell a variety of colors—I have tan and black, but there’s many more—which is pretty neat because there’s just so many different options to choose from that you’re bound to find something you like.