circa 1996

When I was 10 we moved from San Diego to Minnesota in the dead of winter. On a visit back to San Diego soon after, my parents and I were walking around Nordstrom (my mom and I have always had a deep connection with the shoe department). I remember seeing Uggs for the first time, and soon after laying our eyes on them, all three of us left the store with our new Uggs in tow. Picture this: all of us in our matching Uggs + San Diego + 1996. No one knew what Uggs were. No one. I have vivid memories to this day of my dad wearing his to shovel (after all, CA to MN is a little traumatic), my mom wearing them when no others kept her feet dry and warm, and me… well, I wore them a lot. All the while, in the back of my mind I knew these were NOT cool, but they were insanely toasty! I remember being mocked for my choice of shoes all the way through college! Suddenly, like a wave, Uggs took off. The fever spread like wildfire. Knockoffs are (still) everywhere. I saw them yesterday in Walmart adorned with pom poms. Yikes.

Now, I’m left with a dilemma. Uggs have more than worn out their trend, yet I’m still hanging on to mine from childhood. They are hashed. Stained. Thin. If it snows a lot, my feet get wet. That being said, I can’t give them up! I refuse to buy more because they’re so pricey, and are “so yesterday!” That being said, I can’t find anything to replace my dear little shoes of yore. I wear them to get the mail, to get groceries, to go to the bank, and yes, I even sneak them into work under a long skirt (I keep a spare pair of shoes nearby, just in case I see someone important)! It’s quite embarrassing, really! Each winter I say, “These aren’t going to last another year,” and it’s now almost 2009. They’re still by my side.

Now, a word to my Uggs: Thank you for all you do. Even if others mock, you know I loved you long before, and will love you long after. May we be companions for at least one more winter.

{after writing this post, and looking for a photo of my uggs, i came across this image. i realized two things. 1) maybe the marketers at ugg answered my quandary? And 2) were the soles really THAT THICK? no wonder my feet get wet…}