Are We Judging People's Worth by Their Wardrobe? (The Hoka Shoe Test)

I recently heard a Christian comedian share a joke that really stopped me in my tracks. They talked about seeing a homeless man wearing a pair of Hoka tennis shoes—you know, those super expensive, cushiony ones—and the immediate, almost involuntary thought that popped into their head was, "Well, he must not be that bad off, then."

That joke is so telling because it exposes one of the biggest, most awkward flaws we all have: We make massive, life-altering assumptions about people based on the smallest outward details. We use things like a nice pair of shoes as a scorecard to decide if someone is deserving of our compassion, help, or even just our respect.

The "Hoka" Fallacy: When Nice Things Cloud Our Judgment

Think about how quickly we do this. We see something good—a fancy jacket, clean clothes, or those $200 Hoka shoes—and suddenly, the narrative we've created in our heads about that person's struggles completely unravels. We start questioning their story: Did they just buy drugs? Are they scamming me? Why do they have those shoes if they're homeless?

It’s an immediate, surface-level calculation that dismisses any possibility that the shoes were a gift, or found, or the last physical reminder of their past life before a crisis hit. We judge the visible item, and in doing so, we decide on their value without knowing a single detail about their actual story.

The Flip Side: When "Too Rough" Means "They Chose It"

What’s even more interesting is how we react when someone looks "too" disadvantaged. If they are visibly dirty, missing teeth, or clearly struggling with hygiene, we don't just feel pity—we often jump to another set of incredibly harsh conclusions.

We decide they must be mentally ill, they must struggle with addiction, or worse, that they chose to live that lifestyle. It's almost like a defense mechanism; if we can label someone with a problem that feels internal and their fault, we don't have to confront the systemic, external issues that might have led them to that point. We judge the look, and we create an entire inner world of negative choices for them.

Stop Judging the Cover and Start Seeing the Story

At the end of the day, whether someone looks surprisingly put-together or completely downtrodden, we are letting the outside dictate what we believe about the inside.

We need to remember that every person has a full, complex story that a single glance can never reveal. Those Hoka shoes don't tell you how a person lost their job. That dirty coat doesn't tell you the trauma they faced last year.

Let’s try to pause our judgment and remember that deservingness isn't something we get to measure with a wardrobe. Everyone is worthy of dignity, regardless of what's on their feet.

©Lisa King, MS, LPC, NCC