There are two types of people in this world; those who wear Ugg boots outside the home and those who don’t. It’s a debate that has raged since the comfy footwear was adopted by the surfing community in the 1970s to keep their feet warm after a surf.
Now, the debate has flared up once again, thanks to The Odyssey director Christopher Nolan’s on-set rule.
Ugg boots technically can be worn outside, but not everyone likes the idea. iStockphoto
Anne Hathaway, one of the hit movie’s stars, revealed that when she turned up to filming wearing Uggs, he “looked down and went, ‘Nope’“, so she never wore them again.
Nolan later explained on CBS Mornings he doesn’t dislike the shoes, he just thinks they remind the actors they aren’t in 1200 BCE.
“Sometimes the actors will turn up – because the footwear hurts them – so they’ll turn up in these big, fluffy, comfy, slippers. The funny thing is you can be on set where you’ve got a guy holding a microphone, you’ve got a giant camera, you’ve got crew everywhere, but something like that can actually weirdly take you out of reality,” he said.
Hollywood director Christopher Nolan has a firm ‘no Uggs’ rule on his movie sets. Getty
“For me, I think that’s always been something where, it’s like if someone’s eating a bag of chips off-camera or something, there are certain things that just remind you you’re in the real world as opposed to the world we’re trying to create for the actors.”
Nolan isn’t alone in disliking Uggs outside the home, so we had two passionate team members on each side of the debate share their views. Here’s what they had to say.
The case for Uggs outside the home: Jo
I wear my Ugg boots out of the house all the time. To me they are shoes, not slippers, and they are warm and comfy and stylish.
“Uggs are expensive! They are pricey footwear. Have some respect.” iStockphoto
I think they look cute, and I am of a certain age and remember many an era when Uggs of all shapes colours and sizes were worn outside of the house. That being said, I wouldn’t wear them to dinner. I’m more likely to wear them to run errands, grocery shop, grab a coffee, and do the school run.
My daughter and her friends love their Uggs, but were recently told they weren’t allowed to wear them at their public high school mufti day. In fact, those wearing them were sent home to get changed.
Now, the school newsletter makes sure to include “no Uggs” when mufti days are announced. I think this is silly because mufti day is meant to be about casual comfortable clothing. What is more comfortable than Uggs?
Who could forget the Ugg boot’s heyday in the early 2000s? Getty
Also, whenever someone comments on Uggs not being appropriate for use outside of the house, I just say, “Crocs”. Honestly, how are they any more legitimate as shoes than Uggs? Seriously.
And, Uggs are expensive! They are pricey footwear. Have some respect.
The case against Uggs outside the home: Maddi
Unless you have a designated pair of yucky, stinky, dirty ‘outside’ Uggs, there’s no excuse to be wearing Uggs out of the house.
These are slippers, people! They’re indoor shoes that should be worn around your own home, on clean surfaces, not down the road and through
God knows what has been spilled in the aisles at Coles, then back across your bedroom carpet.
Don’t even get me started on people who wear them outside and then let the soles touch their couch – or, God forbid, their bed.
My Uggs are inside-only shoes and the only exception is if I want to wear them for a long car ride. But even then, I wear real shoes to walk to the car and don’t put my Uggs on until I’m safely inside.