By: Michaela Gonzalez, Opinion Editor
NEWS FLASH: it’s fall. This means an array of contributing factors of the fall aesthetic will begin to appear everywhere and anywhere: sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, jazz music, and the weather decreasing about 5 degrees. But whether correlating to the weather or not, many have turned to the world-renowned boots that keep the dogs warm: UGGS. They are a pure staple to the middle-class American closet, along with white tees and dad hats. They are warm, practical, and comfy. But, if we knew how an UGG became an UGG, would we still wear them?
Although the fall aesthetic has shifted over time, UGGS exploded in popularity in the early 2000’s. After they were featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things 2000 list, many celebrities were seen parading the boots in paparazzi shots. They were a key factor in celebrity culture, stars like Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton constantly wearing them with bright pink lip gloss and low rise slugg jeans. The popularity of UGGS transferred into the 2010’s, now deemed a classic shoe. ….along with the emergence of the PSL and black leggings.
But before, Britney Spears wore her sparkly pink UGGs on Hollywood Boulevard, World War I pilots laced sheepskin to their shoes to prevent frostbite while in high altitude, naming them “uggs”, for short for “flying shoes”. Additionally, surfers in Australia found comfort in these sheepskin shoes after coming back on shore. Brian Smith took this Australian classic to Southern California, which quickly gained popularity.
But something is missing here, how are UGGs made? The boots are made with sheepskin with an attached fleece, among other animal-sourced coats and accessories, instead of just wool. This means that the sheep are killed and skinned, whereas the wool coats are just buzzed off for products that simply use the wool and attach it to a synthetic base. UGGs has created an animal welfare initiative to address these concerns among customers, stating that, “…it is essential that all animal-based materials we use are sourced from animals that have been raised humanely using sound animal husbandry. “, among other promises on their website. With this, the brand states that their sheepskin has to be passed through the Five Freedoms regarding the welfare of the sheep. This list includes “Free from discomfort, free from pain, free from distress, fear from fear, and free from hunger”. I am quite surprised how the UGG company has added a branch that allows them to know the inner dialogue of sheep! But truly, there is no possible way that an UGGS representative can enter every sheep farm in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, the U.S and Australia, and have a nice chit chat with the sheep over tea. Although the brand requires all of their sheepskin yielders to pledge complacency to their Animal Welfare politically annually, there is no way customers can verify their animal conservation acts.
In response to this, celebrities and animal rights groups have encouraged the replacement of these animal-sourced boots to synthetic vegan material. Groups such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Princeton Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) have staged multiple protests in response to this mistreatment, greatly focusing on UGG boots hence their popularity with college students. In 2008, students laid on the fresh snow with blood spread all over them and wearing fur coats with a sign attached saying, “What if you were killed for your coat?” To further the idea of the mindless and useless consumption of animal-products, PAWS president at the time claimed, “We want people to realize, whether it is fake or real, is just ugly, there is no reason to wear it at all.” Celebrity Pamela Anderson, who starred in the popular 90’s show Baywatch and served as a great contributor to UGG’s initial popularity in Southern California, has come out against UGGs.
“ I used to wear them with my red swimsuit to keep warm- never realizing they were SKIN!”Anderson stated on her personal website.
Anderson, like many others, have stopped wearing UGGs and instead encouraged vegan-made boots similar to UGGs. All in all, all you cuties can still serve looks this fall, just be mindful of what is keeping your toesies warm while you sip your Pumpkin Spice Latte and watch Gilmore Girls.
