The Original Sneakerhead: Whoopi Goldberg Shares Her Longtime Love of Sneakers with Complex

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDZq-PFcYGk Whoopi Goldberg is well-known as a giver of zero fucks, but what is less acknowledged about herβ€”despite her seemingly contradictory identities as both an unapologetic comfort dresser and a constant front-row presence at New York Fashion Week and the Knicks gamesβ€”is that she’s a bit of a fashion trailblazer. Suggested Reading Sole Survivor Explains…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDZq-PFcYGk

Whoopi Goldberg is well-known as a giver of zero fucks, but what is less acknowledged about herβ€”despite her seemingly contradictory identities as both an unapologetic comfort dresser and a constant front-row presence at New York Fashion Week and the Knicks gamesβ€”is that she’s a bit of a fashion trailblazer.

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In fact, Goldberg was one of the first major celebritiesβ€”and certainly one of the first female celebritiesβ€”to regularly rock sneakers, both on the red carpet and off (she even accepted her 1986 Golden Globe for The Color Purple wearing a pair of Reebok Freestyles). And on a recent trip to sneaker mecca Stadium Goods with Complex, the star of The View and the recently released Nobody’s Fool shared why she was, is, and will always be an avowed sneakerhead.

And unsurprisingly, the reason was pretty practical. β€œI wanted to be comfortable,” she told Complex’s Joe La Puma. β€œYou know, I can do the heel thing forever, but if I can wear a pair of sneakers, I’m just happier.”

Kicks she was best known for? Reebok Classics, which Goldberg once owned in a spectrum of hues.

β€œThe colors were really vibrant,” she said. β€œNobody had seen anything like that before, and so I got them in every color that they had.”

But her all-time favorites? The brand’s Alien Stomper, which were born out of a collaboration with the famed film franchise and were redesigned for a new audience in 2017.

β€œTo me, they were the greatest ever,” Goldberg said.

And aside from being a non-prototypically beautiful black woman in an industry already notorious for pushing black women to the fringes, Goldberg’s individualist styleβ€”which, along with her immense talent, was the secret to her runaway successβ€”also made her a target of derision among Hollywood elites.

β€œWhy are you doing that? Why are you wearing [that]?” she recalls others asking her. Her answer? β€œBecause you all are sufferingβ€”and you look like you’re suffering. ... Because your feet hurt! ... I’m comfortable, and I don’t care what people think about what I’m wearing.”

Indeed, Goldberg has always dressed for herself, with an equal eye for fun and comfort that extends to her footwear, as she told Complex.

β€œI just think, what will be most interesting for me if I look down?”

But despite her major capital and ability to indulge in as many sneakers as she likes, Goldberg claims to typically go for β€œthe boring stuff.” Current favorites? Pharrell’s collaboration with Adidas, Nike Air Foamposite Ones, and she has nothing but gracious things to say about Yeezys, maintaining that you sometimes have to separate the artist from the art.

β€œPeople who create stuff sometimes are out there,” she said. β€œAnd I just feel like, I can’t judge anybody’s craziness, you know. I have my own.”

Apparently, Goldberg’s crazy for sneakers, since she copped four pairs for $1289.08 during her shopping trip at Stadium Goods. It’s nothing new for the multi-hyphenate; she’s just glad the rest of the fashion industry is catching up.

β€œLook, you get a little older, and people forget all the stuff you did. But you know, sneakers, for me, have always been part of my life,” she said, later adding: β€œNow, seeing this amazing explosion of sneakersβ€”and they’re being accepted as footwear for any timeβ€”I just love that. I love that.”

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