The impact of the sneaker and sneaker industry on modern society: A review of the transformative powers of an icon

The focus of this researcher is to show how vital the sneaker and sneaker industry has been to modern society. The sneaker was invented primarily to facilitate leisure but has evolved to become an icon of leisure and global society.;The first chapter explores the historical emergence of the sneaker, and traces its evolution into an icon of American values. It follows the development of the sneaker to the current day and details the emergence of the sneaker from utilitarian use to its present day status.;The second chapter reviews the pattern of footwear production followed in the athletic footwear industry. Sneaker companies have followed a very recognizable "blueprint" of production, moving or "hopscotching" from one newly modernizing nation to another. This chapter uses the World-System Theory as a paradigm to examine this movement of production and the benefactors in this system.;The third chapter examines how elements of the leisure culture have been extended to a youth-driven global culture. This chapter shows how the sneaker has served to break down barriers and has now emerged as a fundamental part of an emerging global culture.;The fourth chapter details ways in which the sneaker can be used by educators to explore a variety of important issues. The sneaker can be an effective tool to examine the emergence of leisure, international production, and global culture amongst other valuable topics.;The conclusion of this research essay deals with the future status of the sneaker. The sales of sneakers dropped dramatically over the last few years of the twentieth century, and the sneaker has struggled to propel sales and project its icon image. The conclusion states that it will be difficult, if not impossible for the sneaker to reach the once lofty heights it held, but its place in world culture is firmly entrenched.