Conspiracy theorists target Reebok claiming brand's 'Satanic' shoes resemble 'Baphomet goat feet'
Reebok launched their 'Reebok Classic Leather Decortiqué Tabi Low' in January this year as "an ode to history and innovation." They collaborated with another French luxury fashion brand Maison Margiela for the shoes which was "inspired by decortique, a deconstruction of the shoe’s core structure, the cut away leather panels create a modern cage-like form." The Instagram post of Reebok claimed it to be "a revolution of artistic and evolutionary proportions."
However, it was until September 19, the design happened to have found itself in a conspiracy that claimed the shoes to be "satanic." A religious organization on Facebook by the name of "Prophecy News" posted on their page the picture of the shoes and compared the bifurcated toes of the shoes with the hooves of the goat-headed figure Baphomet. The poster shared this as a wake-up call for the people who might get caught in the rituals of the rulers of the world as per the post caption. The caption read, "Reebok's new sneakers have the Baphomet goat feet. The rulers of this world show more and more openly and clearly who they worship. Make sure to open your eyes, and don't be caught up in their rituals."
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Baphomet is a goat-headed deity who is considered an "occult icon" and is seen as an equivalent of the devil. The theorists raising this conspiracy claimed the shoes to be a sign of demonic worship, however, the users on the Facebook page had a mixed reaction to this claim. While there were people expressing a straight boycott of the product, there are other users who shared their perspective by stating that this footwear design has existed in Japanese culture for a very long time.
One user said "They’re called tabi, and they’re a style of shoe that originated in Japan centuries if not millennia ago. But by all means, don’t let facts get in the way of your fear mongering." Then there were others who mentioned how this design has been created for a better running experience.
Either way, the internet is divided into two sides over the design of the shoes brought in by the two fashion brands. While there are specific posts that claim this to be a "scary practice," some users claim this fear to be based in ignorance. As per the recent comments on the post, there are more users criticizing this take and calling it to be a 'racist' approach towards Asian culture.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.