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Fat Joe, the well-known Bronx-born rapper, created a stir this week when he posted a fit pic ahead of NYC’s winter storm. Joe was seen rocking a tan Balenciaga jacket, a pink Celine hoodie, and a pair of medium-wash denim.
But the items that received the most attention were his YEEZY NSTLD boots, which were criticized as "ugly," outlandish," and "inappropriate for someone as old as Joe."
People even suggested that the Kanye West designed boot looked “a little bit too bloated” on him and that he should be careful about what he wears. They also suggested that he swap them for the classic Timberlands.
Fat Joe gets trolled as the memes take over
The photo of Joe rocking the oddly-shaped boots quickly became fodder for meme-makers on social media, with one person photoshopping a lightsaber into the rapper’s hand and comparing his look to a Star Wars character.
The photo eventually made Joe a trending topic on Twitter, with the jokes continuing to make fun of the boots. "Yesterday’s Fat Joe is not today’s Fat Joe…," one person tweeted along with a side-by-side comparison of a photo of Joe from the 1990s and the viral pic. This was followed by another trending meme that called him an Extra-Terrestial.
Joe was a good sport when it came to the jokes, sharing some of them on his Instagram page.
Fat Joe slams the Yeezy Boot memes
It comes as no surprise that the rebellious rapper is making no apologies for his widely mocked Yeezy boot look. He said during an Instagram stream with journalist Brian “B.Dot” Miller:
“What the f**k do y’all mean by, ‘Dress your age?’ … Should I wear a golf shirt? I don’t know if you know this, I’ve been so fly that it’s, like, working against me now. I’m getting backlash for being so fly."
During the same interview, The 51-year-old then returned to the topic of “age-appropriate dressing” and questioned why he was getting mocked for rocking what some may call "fashion-forward fits." And although he didn’t drop any names, Joe criticized his fellow rappers who peaked in the early aughts and have kept the same style ever since.
Following this, he took to Instagram to post a picture of himself photoshopped in space in the same outfit, with the caption reading 'EL FIN'. He took charge of the look and still unapologetically stands by it. He also clearly and confidently said:
"Let me tell you something, I’m supporting Black-owned businesses when I throw on some Kanyes.”
So, do you think the outfit really deserves to be slammed and shamed to the level the meme-makers took it? Is age-appropriate dressing so essential in modern times that we stoop to undermining people? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
