After TikTok got banned and brought back, users started posting videos about a rise in censorship. Specifically, left-leaning terms were blocked from the search bar and their videos restricted. As a result, some have started using code words to get around it. “Winter Boots” is one of those code terms. Originally it was used to ask people about local protests (“where can I find good winter boots in Chicago?”). Not sure if the meaning has evolved, since it hasn’t been on my page in a while, but that’s what it started off as.
Hopefully that helped! (If it did a like would be appreciated lol)