Baubles, Rouge & Tulle: The Sisterhood of the Infamous UGG Boot

Today’s Baubles, Rouge & Tulle post comes from Brittany Chaffee, a recent University of St. Thomas grad and blogger for CollegeCandy.com and TheCollegeCrush.com.  She believes in wholesome sexiness in fashion, and any accessory made with chestnut leather or a smile.

By Brittany

Recently I was thinking about an argument I had with an old boyfriend (now dubbed friend) about fashion sense (or lack of).

The argument was about Ugg boots.  He did not budge. He deemed them to be the ugliest things on the planet and claimed, “Even Rihanna could not wear them and make it look sexy.” I was scuffled by the comment. Great, so now my ex-boyfriend thought I looked like an ewok when I wore my Uggs. How many days had I spent in college roaming around in those babies? The thing is, everybody had a pair in college, with the exception of the male student body. Because curiosity kills the cat teaches everyone something, I had to do some research.

“So, what else do men hate about women’s fashion?” According to a recent Jezebel article, quite a lot: Harem pants (self-explanatory), and jump-suits (also self-explanatory) were on the ‘not so sexy’ list. But the two items that really got me: big sunglasses and gladiator sandals. My monstrous sunglasses have been super-glued on my head for years. And my gladiator sandals make me feel exotic and sexy. I thought men loved strappy stuff (in a kinky way). But I guess the straps on the feet (quite literally) go south (i.e. men are repulsed by them).

With minor dilemma, I concluded I would wear it all anyway. But, why? Aren’t we all going out in public to attract our counter-part? Aren’t we going to the bars/coffee shops/concerts to make men attracted to us above all others? Although we initially want to attract our opposite sex, I think (under most accounts) women dress for other women, not men. In fact, do men really even care?

Hear me out, because this may sound a little weird at first. “But wait, I’m not trying to attract women!” Don’t get too excited, women dress for men as well. I’ve seen enough cleavage and leg to last me a lifetime of floating devices at sea to know that. BUT, 80 percent of the time (beyond of that cleavage and leg) ladies dress for ourselves and other women. We dress to make ourselves feel better. Part of that process involves gaining recognition from other women.

How good does it feel when a woman tosses you a compliment about your vixen-gladiator sandals? Or asks where on earth did you get those classy big sunglasses? Admit it, when a man comments on something, you immediately figure he does not understand the amplitude of fashion as well as a woman. The compliment is lost in a fog of male ignorance. You want a woman’s approval, because you know she understands fashion. Therefore, making the compliment authentic.

Come on ladies, don’t tell me you won’t check out a woman’s outfit at the mall just as much or more than you check out the man walking beside her. Maybe it’s power in numbers. When you see other women sporting gladiator sandals, you look down at yours and poof! You feel powerful.

Even though men are repulsed by the mere sight of an UGG boot, you wear them anyway. Fashion should get attention, and the ladies are the ones giving it. It is a trend—and you follow it for the female crowd. Not for the eyes of a man.

But I bet the contents of everyone’s underwear drawer is attracting a different audience.

Your turn ladies and gents: Do you agree with Brittany? Do ladies dress for each other, for guys or both? Leave some love in the comments or write to us at [email protected].