The Taste Divide: Ugg Boots
Little did I suspect, when I began to investigate ugg boots and their ability to polarize taste, the multiple perspectives from which the humble sheepskin boot is viewed. Taste is complex, formed by numerous interacting entities, but I was unprepared for the hidden layers.
Image 1. Y/Project collection at Paris Fashion Week (Men’s) 2018
Image 2. Uggs or Fugs?
Image 3. World War 1 pilot sporting ‘fug’ boots
Here are just three divisions that generate differing perceptions and impact how individuals feel about ugg boots:
Origins: the origins of ugg boots is, of course, Australian…or is it? The details of the birth of the boot is a divisive topic. Some argue it is part of Aussie sheep shearing heritage – and as such, brings associations of national identity and hard work on the land. Others prefer to see the ugg boot lineage in connection with thigh-length sheepskin “fug” boots worn by World War I pilots. Although these starting points appear poles apart, both have associations with heroic figures, it just depends whether you prefer your heroes from the shearing shed or in the skies above northern France.
Sense of place: examining more recent history of uggs, I learned that in 1978 an Australian surfer, Brian Smith took a box of ugg boots to California. Because of their popularity with the Aussie surf community, Smith figured there could be a business opportunity on the West coast; he was right, not only did US surfers adopt ugg boots to warm their feet after catching a wave, snow-boarders embraced them for après-ski. This enabled ugg boots to develop an alternative international profile which was no longer associated specifically with Australia, but with a generic idealized beach/ski/cool leisured lifestyle (see Ugg website - https://au.ugg.com). This divides perceptions and associations of ugg boots…distinctly Australian or simply an accessory for a laid-back life-style somewhere near a beach? Differences that can definitely influence our preferences.
Context: where is it appropriate to wear ugg boots? This seems like a rather old-fashioned notion in an era where, pretty much anything goes…but not in the case of uggs. The dividing line here sits between at home OR out in public. Personal preferences in regard to ugg boots become amplified when the context is at stake. For some, ugg boots are something to be cherished in private, yet despised and ridiculed in public; while others see them as ubiquitous as sneakers or ballet flats, a wardrobe staple for all fashionistas.
What ugg boots tell us about taste is entangled with these types of divisions – it’s complicated, but by digging deeper we understand it a little more clearly.