Due to an increase in popularity in skateboarding, the activity has also seen an increase in “posers.”
A poser is described as someone who acts a certain way in order to impress others.
Posers can root themselves in any culture; whether it’s a different sport, art or industry, posers can be everywhere.
Although posers can fit into any activity, they are very commonly found amongst the skateboarding landscape.
In the current skateboarding community, many people work hard to earn their ranks.
Skaters devote hours to their work: landing difficult tricks, getting up from painful falls and spending an immense amount of money and time, are just a few of the things skaters do on a daily basis.
When skaters work hard enough, some even make a living off of it.
But where there is popularity, a poser can be found reaping the benefits of others’ hard work.
A poser in skateboarding is someone who dresses like a skateboarder and acts like a skateboarder, but doesn’t put in the work to have the ability of one.
On the surface it can be hard to tell the difference between a poser and a real skateboarder, but once a deeper look is taken, the answer becomes clear.
A poser will often dress in attire that is specific to skateboarders.
Whether it’s a Thrasher hoodie, or a pair of Vans sneakers, posers dress in the way that a real skater would.
The true nuisance that posers omit is the fact that they lie about their skateboarding ability, when in actuality they have no knowledge of how to skateboard and are simply obsessed with the idea of being a skateboarder.
If a random teenager off the street were to pick up a basketball, get a pair of Jordans and a jersey and then say that they can dunk and make three-pointers like no other, then the average unsuspecting person would likely believe that they have worked hard to learn these skills.
If the “poser” at stake is then given a basketball and asked to shoot 50 shots but only makes three of them, they would be exposed for the lies that they have told.
A true player who has worked hard to gain their skill would likely even take offense that people can lie their way into having status and respect that others genuinely worked for.
In the skateboarding world, a skater might see another skater and think, “Hey, I bet they skate cause they’re carrying a skateboard,” but could really just be being misled by the fact that they have a skateboard.
Posers also have the capability to lie about their skills. This means that a poser would have a board and likely go to skateparks, but instead of working hard to learn new tricks and actually skateboard, they may just sit on a bench taking photos of their skateboard and acting as if they are actually there to skateboard.
This issue that posers cause is of no real threat to the skateboarding community; rather, they are simply an annoyance.
Skateboarders often feel the same way about posers. They are an insult to those who work hard to be categorized as skateboarders.
The unfortunate fact is that posers will, likely, never be stopped.
They will continue to steal credit, but the best a true skateboarder can do is to continue their hard work and stay positive.