By Dorothy Vaccaro
I found it quite entertaining to read the Inside column in the Dec. 1 Northeastern News (“‘Ugg’ly fashion strikes again,” Kaitlin Thaney) which commented on the author’s utter disdain for fashion’s overwhelming UGG-craze.
I don’t think, however, that I was entertained in the way intended by the author. First of all, Thaney opens her column with the mistaken assumption that Uggs are in their second and final year of popularity. Now, I’m not suggesting they will live on forever, but being as I’ve been wearing Uggs since my junior year in high school, I assumed right away that she isn’t too keen on current styles and trends to begin with, and then wondered why she was even attempting to criticize something she knows little about.
My other problem with this column is that it came across more like a mean-spirited rant from a jealous schoolgirl than a thoughtful column on fashion trends. Thaney did not focus her article on the trend itself, but rather, wrote a catty and insulting article that stereotyped all of the people that follow the trend. It is unclear if she really wanted to write about the boots, or if she was simply looking for an excuse to write about the group who, coincidentally, wear them. She mistakenly assumes that all girls who wear Uggs are “pretentious,” fussy about “getting their pedicures” each week, rely on daddy’s money and “pick friends by their Coach bags.” To use her own words, “a reality check may be in order.”
Yes, but it is you, my dear, who needs the reality check. What about those of us who work hard to spend money on things we enjoy, whatever that simple pleasure may be? She also underestimates us resourceful girls, who pride ourselves on our unmatched bargain-shopping skills. Smart girls, myself included, find fun, trendy items (or pretty damn good knock-offs) for a lot cheaper than Thaney probably paid for her out-of-date haircut. I’ll agree, it is silly to wear snow gear in September, but is it really a Def-Con One situation?
In my opinion, Thaney needs to relax and just let people enjoy their stupid shoes or other guilty pleasures, and channel her energy into something a bit more constructive.
– Dorothy Vaccaro is a sophomore criminal justice major.
