As the seasons begin to change so does our wardrobes. Along with the warm sweaters and jeans, we shove our flip flops in the back of the closet and pull out more appropriate footwear for the colder weather coming our way. The weekend as I walked around the city and campus I can't help noticing all of the Ugg boots that people were wearing. When I saw the boots, I immediately thought of Stuart Hall's Circut of Culture and what we discussed in class. The Circut of Culture begins with the idea of production. I looked on the offical Ugg website along with a few of their advertisments and they always stress how the boots are made from quality sheepskin and leathers and that it is of the highest quality. By putting this idea out there in the media, the Ugg brand automatically is targeting the middle to upper class as their main consumers. As the Ugg boots became more and more popular, celebrities were often seen wearing the boot emphasizing the luxury that the Ugg brand was trying to portray. The Ugg boots became known for being super comfortable but at the same time very in style. As the Ugg brand made its way through the media women who wear Ugg boots can now identify with the Ugg Brand and think it is the perfect type of shoe to show that they are fashionable but at the same time comfortable. Whether you think Ugg boots are amazing or ugly, the Ugg boots are the perfect example of how media can influence culture.
I would like to point out that not only did the Ugg brand become extremely popular, but that style of boot did as well. Tons of different companies make knock-off boots to appear as Uggs, but that are much cheaper in price. This plays in perfectly with your comment about women identifying with the shoe as being fashionable and comfortable. People that were unable to pay for real Uggs could purchase knock-offs and get the same feeling of being fashionable.
ReplyDeleteAlso showing the extent of this cultural trend is the number of people that have/wear Ugg boots in warm areas like Arizona. Uggs at least make some practical sense in the colder weather climates like Minnesota because they keep your feet warm. However, the only thing that can explain women wearing Uggs in Arizona is the social and cultural influence. I was in Arizona last year during March and there were girls all over the place with Uggs on even though it was 70 degrees outside.