'Bogan' or 'acceptable'? Debate erupts over if it's OK to wear Uggs in public

"It's like my feet know I'm doing something gross." Where do you sit? Totally fine Aussie behaviour or not? 

I saw something the other day. I saw something that made me feel both a little uncomfortable and slightly impressed at the same time. Kind of in the same way as Gen Z's rule about crew socks being worn over tights, but a little different. 

I saw someone wearing Ugg boots in the supermarket. Right there in the spice section. But it's not the first time I've seen someone venturing out in public in their furry slippers. I also saw someone on the school run which was rather brave.

I get it, in fact, I kind of applaud it. It's winter in Australia. We are cold and don't accept the cold very well. We also don't want to be disturbing our cozy time indoors by having to head out and pick up children from school or do a spot grocery shopping. 

But is this acceptable behaviour or completely bogan of us? 

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People are heading out in their Uggs or equivalent because #wintercomfort. Images: Supplied

Is it OK to wear slippers in public? 

I decided to dive a little deeper into this topic after participating in my own experiment. 

With a park up the road from our house, I decided to get the kids out of the house to burn off some energy after being stuck indoors thanks to the Sydney rain. 

Instead of chucking on some trainers, I decided to keep my snug Ugg rip-offs on to see if I would get any strange looks. 

And I did!

I mean, of course I did! There, pushing her toddler on the swing was one mum who tried her best not to make it obvious that she noticed my footwear. 

She saw. And bless her for trying, but I could tell she was mortified. 

Last time I did an experiment like this, I was wearing the new ALDI streetwear to work and I got similar looks. 

Bogan or acceptable Aussie behaviour? 

I asked my colleagues if they would give someone similar looks if they saw them out in the wild wearing their house slippers and most of them were on little Johnny's mum's side (note: I don't know the kids name, but let's just call him that.)

"Ugg boots in public is bogan. Full stop. They had their brief moment in the sun where it was OK in the early 00s but those days are gone," Em insisted. 

"Uggs aren't acceptable inside the house. I'm sure that makes my opinion on wearing them in public quite obvious," Joel added. 

Jordana agreed it felt wrong: "They are called house slippers for a reason. I barely tolerate walking to the letterbox with them on!" and Ally was also not completely OK with the habit: "Honestly, it just feels wrong to wear them outside the house. It's like my feet know I'm doing something gross."

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At the park in my boots with no care in the world what Johnny on the swings' mum thinks. Image: Leah Goulis / Kidspot

But then others understood the ‘why’ in this scenario.

"I think most people think it's acceptable in Australia, but I just don't like it," Liz chimed in to the debate. 

"The whole point of creating Ugg boots was to have a version of slippers you could wear outside. Not sure why it's a debate," Carly insisted. 

El was completely on board also: "I'm a big advocate for uggs outside. Why should our feet only be snug when we're inside our homes, where we have the ability to put the heater on? Makes no sense. The world is cold out there man, give your tootsies some love."

Then came Clara with a very good point: "Uggs look better than people wearing socks and flip flops or Crocs!"

Indeed!

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What do Aussies think? 

Clearly people have feelings about this, so I took my research a little further than my inner circle and went where everyone goes to get the official word from the general public - Reddit. 

I didn't have to look too hard because right there was a thread literally titled: "What level of public acceptance to Uggs have?"

I hit the jackpot. 

"Hello fellow Aussies what level of acceptable are these Tar-jay bad boys in public?" the person asked. "I upgraded & invested in “going out” Uggs - supermarket, shops etc. Usually with jeans or (going out) trackie dacks. Would like to hear others' thoughts & fashion practices around comfort fashion."

OK, let's just ignore the idea of "going out trackie dacks" for a second. That's another story entirely. 

Over 200 comments rolled into the post and I can confidently say that the general Aussie public is split in the middle with some saying it's totally acceptable and the "public can deal with it", while others said they're strictly for "home comfort only."

One person in particular was rather confident with her fashion choices: "Own it :) I wear them proudly. I'm comfortable and people around me started buying them too. I just make sure I keep them clean and I don't look like a total slob overall but don't see any reason to be ashamed of wearing them. I wear high heels in the office so it's like vacation for my feet when I put these puppies on."

So, if you're brave and venture out with your pair on, I think you're safe and have a good chance of someone being on your side while someone else is eyeing you out. How much do you care, really? 

Originally published as 'Bogan' or 'acceptable'? Debate erupts over if it's OK to wear Uggs in public