Or rather, I just continue to hate Uggs. A few days ago I read this little blurb from CNN Money regarding Black Friday sales in the face of our settling financial depression:

But one apparel item has snuck its way in – Uggs boots made by Deckers Outdoor Group (DECK). It’s turning into the closest “must have” fashion item this year and is in the top five of products being shopped. Somehow, some way, females (and some males, I’m sure) by the thousands are still convinced that Uggs are, in fact, attractive. Comfortable? Sure, maybe probably, but much like the seemingly winter version of Crox, the populace at large seems to have convinced itself that they should wear anything that looks ridiculous as long as it is comfortable, probably because they will in turn convince themselves that it’s also a fashion statement.

What astounds me is that this is an issue that has been raging for years. A very common reaction to Uggs Hatin’ usually sounds something like this:

Uggs are the most talked about accoutrement of the decade. Why do people (read: you) waste so much time and energy writing multi-paragraph rants about an item of clothing that you claim to loathe? I wonder if there is some underlying jealousy beneath your apparent rage. If they cost $20, would you still rave about how much you hate them?

(And this is unrelated, but are they letting just ANYBODY into journalism programs these days?)

Get a grip. They’re just boots.

That quote was from 2004. The opinions haven’t really changed since then. But the quote brings up some very good points:

1. Yup, Uggs are pretty expensive. Ranging from 70-100 bucks and up (way up) for what amounts to a piece of sheepskin with fake fur and a crappy rubber sole, that’s pretty up there. This being a point in and of itself as to why they’re stupid, it belies an even better point about why people think they’re attractive – because they’re expensive. If they were cheap, well, then any idiot could just go out to Wal-Mart and buy them, rendering them ugly and unappealing by fashionistas everywhere. Pretty Silly.
2. As the comment dictates, Uggs definitely enrage me – and people like me – for some reason. A little while ago I was in Danbury, Connecticut, a town that has decided to ban all forms of footwear except for Uggs. While riding around town we passed a small shop with lots of white people around it that had a huge banner in the front joyfully exclaiming YES!! WE DO HAVE UGGS IN STOCK!!! Not necessarily remembering that the window was down I shouted “THANK GOD! THEY HAVE UGGS IN STOCK!” The young girls wearing Uggs out front of the store heard me quite clearly, and didn’t look pleased. But oh well, Uggs look stupid and they spent too much money on them. Joke’s on them!Furthermore, as we made our way around town and eventually began our journey back home, I couldn’t stop noticing that every god damned girl we saw all the way from Connecticut through New Jersey seemed to be wearing Uggs, especially at this one rest stop on the Turnpike featuring a Roy Roger’s (which is actually all rest stops along the NJ Turnpike, so every girl in New Jersey consequently wears Uggs). And for some reason it filled me with ire. A low, burning irritation akin to heartburn. I can’t explain it, I can’t explain why I get so irritated at the sight of them, but it might have something to do with Uggs looking like shit and getting really dirty really fast and stinking to high hell because people wear them in 80 degree weather. Or something.

So what, if anything, have we learned? Basically, if you charge a lot of money for something that people will buy, and it looks horrible, it must be technically superior in some way. Comfort, performance, and reliability will automatically exceed all other products due to the fact that someone paid so much money for it – I mean, it’s gotta be the best, right?