Although UGGs are coveted by many people worldwide due to their warm design, especially during the cold weather, the brand is a luxurious footwear wannabe to some consumers.
While these boots are glorified and desired by UGG lovers who succumb to the genuine sheepskin hype, even fans think they’re ugly. So, why are UGGS ugly? If you’d like to find out, keep reading!
Why Are UGGs Ugly In 2024?
UGGs are ugly since they aren’t animal cruelty-free. These chic boots are made from real and natural sheepskin leather sourced from slaughtered sheep. These slaughtered sheep are not only treated inhumanely by the wool industry, but they also contribute to climate change and global warming. Further, UGG boots are costly, easily stained, lack structural support, and aren’t breathable.
To find out why UGGs are ugly, why you should think twice before spending your dime on them, and more, keep on reading!
Why Are UGGs Bad?
UGG has undoubtedly and effectively marketed its boots as ideal winter footwear worldwide due to their warm and cozy design.
Nevertheless, just like any other product in the market, UGG boots have their strong points as well as their drawbacks that are essential to point out to help you make an informed choice.
Here are some of the common UGG boots’ drawbacks that make the footwear ugly in the eyes of the public:
1. UGGs Aren’t Cruelty-Free
Genuine UGG boots are made from natural sheepskin leather to provide the cozy and warm feel that the chic boots are renowned for.
Nonetheless, according to PETA, the wool industry maltreats sheep meant for sheepskin since their tails are chopped off and their ears hole-punched.
These sheep are also kept in crowded pens while the male sheep are castrated, often without any pain reliever, to manufacture UGG boots.
As if that’s not enough, the Aussie wool industry records approximately three million lamb deaths every spring as their sheepskin is sourced to make the popular footwear.
2. UGGs Contribute to Climate Change
Since UGGs’ main raw material is sheepskin leather, sheep must be reared in big numbers to satisfy the growing market.
However, according to an Environmental Working Group report, sheep rearing is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases in the environment, even more than cows.
Thus, besides UGGs not being animal cruelty-free, the footwear contributes to water pollution and land destruction.
In turn, this water pollution and land destruction have led to climate change and global warming, leading to floods, drought, extreme temperatures, and others.
3. UGGs are Easily Stained
Since UGGs are made of sheepskin fleece inner lining to insulate your feet from the winter or autumn cold, they have been branded as ideal winter shoes.
However, there tends to be high precipitation during winter and autumn, such as rainwater, snow, and ice.
Although UGGs are branded as winter boots, they tend to get easily stained by water, snow, ice, and salt picked on driveways or sidewalks.
Since UGGs have a very delicate sheepskin outer, it beats the essence of wearing them as winter boots in outdoor spaces in the first place.
4. UGGs Are Unjustifiably Costly
No matter how appealing you may think UGG boots are, their price tag is undoubtedly costly for no apparent reason.
Although UGG boots are made of real sheepskin and insulate your feet from the chilling cold weather, their price tag doesn’t rhyme with their functionality and service.
Therefore, sporting a pair of UGGs is considered more of a status symbol or statement rather than the actual affinity and functionality of the footwear.
Based on aesthetics, price, and practicality, there are a wide array of other less expensive shoes that can match or even exceed UGGs.
5. UGGs Lack Structural Support
It’s worth noting that UGGs don’t have arch support, which could change your gait and make your feet flatten inwards.
In addition, the structural support issues of UGG boots can make your feet strain from trying not to slide around the toe box, causing pain in your foot’s soles, heels, and Achilles tendon.
As if that’s not enough, these structural pain points can also cause pain on your ankle, hip, and knee, as well as leg alignment problems.
Luckily, you can install heel and arch support orthotics in your UGGs for optimal feet support and fix your affected gait.
6. UGGs Are Non-Breathable
UGG boots, without a doubt, are ideal for insulating your feet from the cold since they trap the heat in your footwear.
Once the sheepskin boots trap heat in your shoes, your feet get warm and sweat, providing an ideal ground for fungal and bacterial growth.
Consequently, the fungal and bacterial growth inside your fleece-lined UGGs makes the shoes produce an unpleasant foul smell and make your feet smelly.
That’s why you should always wear wicking cotton socks with UGGs, let the UGGs dry and air out, and regularly spray the shoes with antibacterial spray.
7. UGGs Are Prone to Slip
UGG boots’ outsoles are made from synthetic or rubber material, which has no adequate traction, making these boots a risk hazard.
Therefore, most UGGs have little to no traction, which, in turn, increases the risk of slipping, falling, and causing injuries.
Fortunately, there are different ways to increase the traction of your UGGs, such as scrubbing the soles and applying glue and coarse sand on the soles, among others.
If you want to sport UGGs for a long time or run your errands, wear these boots with a firm and cushioned insole, a firm heel counter, and Velcro or laces strap.
8. UGGs are Inelegant
UGGs boots are certainly not aesthetically appealing.
These unstructured and shapeless shoes have been a target of scorn by some for some time now since they can make one look like a slob.
For the many years that UGG boots have been on shoe stores’ shelves, they have received a constant barrage of hate.
For instance, in 2003, the Independent declared:
“UGG boots are not sexy unless you’re Mrs. Bigfoot on a lone mission across Antarctica to find Mr. Bigfoot.”
However, the funny thing is that these inelegant chic boots continue to quietly linger on in the fashion industry as people still wear them, especially during cold weather.
Conclusion
In retrospect, UGGs have several downsides that make them ugly, just like any other footwear in the market.
Luckily, these UGGs’ pitfalls aren’t cast in stone, since there are effective ways that you can go around them.