I think the prime millennial/Gen Z experience is being told to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and not being able to pull yourself up by them because 1.) What even ARE bootstraps? and 2.) Later googling it and realizing none of your shoes actually have them.

I’ll be honest, I googled “bootstraps” for the first time even though I’ve heard the phrase over & over again. And I have to say I’m a little disappointed.

Not sure what I was thinking, but I always imagined bootstraps to be like... suspenders? For your boots? And it’s NOT THAT

They’re actually just the little loopy things on the back of the shoe? Are you kidding? The phrase makes even less sense now. See, if my boots had suspenders, I could realistically pull myself up by them. But how do you pull yourself up by tiny loopies?

Oh... wait. The symbolism just hit me. Even my disappointment in the lack of boot suspenders is symbolic of the cruel nature of the society we live in.

“Macxi, why would anyone even need to have suspenders on their boots?”

LOOK, I just assumed it was some kind of old timey fashion statement it doesn’t need to be practical.