Dyeing to Learn the Color Code

My punk history

I wasn’t always into punk rock. The first genres that I was into were classic rock and metal. The first album I picked for myself was Guns N’ Roses’s Appetite for Destruction. My first concert when I was in the sixth grade was a Kiss concert. It wasn’t until I was at a friend’s house playing NCAA Football 06 that I heard my first punk song. The NOFX song “Jeff Wears Birkenstocks” came on, and I was instantly hooked. NOFX still stands as one of my favorite punk bands. Over the years I started getting into other sub-genres of punk and becoming interested in the culture. It wouldn’t be until recently, within the past six years, that I would get my first pair of Doc Martens. 

My boots

A pair of 1460 smooth leathers in cherry red were my first pair. I chose these  because they are a smaller boot, and seemed like less of a commitment in case I wasn’t into them. My only regret was not getting a more substantial pair first. My second pair, 14 eyelet 1914 Doc Martens, a taller boot, made more of a statement. This is the pair that would introduce me to colored laces and their importance. Unlike my first pair, which came with black laces, the 1914s came with yellow. There was a small paragraph explaining why yellow had become the staple for Doc Martens. It was chosen as a symbol against racism. There had been issues of extremist hate groups infiltrating the punk scene, which led to distinctions in lace color. I’m glad I read it because I almost made a crucial error.

White and red

Both white and red have strong ties to hate groups. White represents white power and subsequent ideologies, and red is for neo-nazi gangs. Red can mean the individual has committed a violent act. But red may also be worn by anti-fascists. Given the negative associations I’ll never sport either color, even if the meanings dramatically change. Not only do these colors represent things I stand against, I must consider the way I look. I’m a paper-white male who shaves his head. I’ve even been in the unfortunate situation of being greeted by a Huntington Beach skinhead gang member at the beach. I remember the greeting being something to the effect of, “Hey, brother.” I wasn’t even wearing anything that could be misconstrued. Black board shorts. It was simply because of my physical appearance and where I was. I ignored him and haven’t been back since.

Blue and green

Blue began as a way to identify individuals who had killed police officers, but I was unable to find evidence supporting this claim. And SHARPS, the group known for wearing blue, wore them as a symbol against racial prejudice and police brutality. Even though I align with those sentiments, the possibility of me wearing blue laces is low; I don’t want to be associated with groups of which I’m not a member. It reminds me of a biker bar near where I grew up. It was best not to wear red or green; the Hell’s Angel’s (red) and Vagos (green) MCs were known to go there. Running the risk of wearing the opposite faction’s colors could get me into trouble. Green is considered neutral in the States but can also be associated with anti-fascist groups in St. Petersburg. I’d rather err on the side of caution and forgo green altogether.

Black and purple

Black is the standard color and has no affiliations. It’s the color that is on three out of four of my boots. It’s a neutral lace that is always okay to wear. Purple is another color I would never wear, but not because of any negative implications. Purple laces are associated with gay pride. Being cisgender and straight, I wouldn’t find it appropriate to don these laces even in a show of support.

Narrowly dodging ignorance

Many people never give a second thought to the color of their shoelaces, even if they change them out for a new pair. When it comes to a pair of Docs or similar pair of stompers, lace color is significant. I almost made a mistake before I knew what each color represented. I came very close to buying a pair of white laces only because I thought black and white would look cool. Thankfully, I read that paragraph when I bought my second pair. I feel embarrassed about how close I came to being that ignorant; I hadn’t realized how many subliminal messages might be intertwined with the color of bootlaces until then, and I’m truly glad I found out before making such an error.