They were the ugliest boots of the noughties – so why the hell are Uggs making a comeback?

An iconic staple in the early noughties, you’d see the biggest celebs – Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears – strutting down Melrose for their weekly shop in their candy-coloured Juicy Couture velour tracksuit and a pair of sheepskin-lined Ugg boots.

The Y2K aesthetic might’ve flaunted a brief stint of fame on TikTok earlier this year, but what absolutely no one, and I repeat NO ONE could’ve seen coming is the return of the cursed boot: Uggs.

But yes, unfortunately it’s true, and it seems little can be done to stop this wave of insanity.

So how did the comeback start?

Lots of influencers have been proudly showing off their return to the trend, including YouTuber Emma Chamberlain, who’s known for her rogue yet stylish fashion statements.

Olivia Neill also recently flaunted her latest purchase of Ugg boots on her Youtube channel, where she simply stated: “I forgot how comfy they were. Best purchase ever.”

It’s also been seen all over Pinterest, with models Elsa Hosk, Kaia Gerber and Emily Ratajkowski all showing off the look.

The all-important question: Why?

As hard as it is to accept, there is something liberating about the unapologetic ugliness of Uggs. They don’t pretend to be anything they’re not and in that sense, there is a refreshing authenticity to them.

For as long as Uggs have been popular, they’ve always been met with criticism. They’re the Marmite of the fashion world, if you will. In 2015, one coffee shop on Brick Lane in east London even banned Ugg-wearers from its premises – calling the boots “slag wellies”.

However, Uggs are extremely multifunctional: they are worn by mothers running errands in town and in the country, paired with denim cut-off shorts at rock festivals and worn by teenagers on Saturday shopping trips. There really is no stopping them.

If the pandemic taught us nothing else; it’s all about comfort dressing. And nothing adheres to that more than a classic Ugg boot – easy to put on, easy to take off, warm and cozy in the winter and so ugly that you can basically pair it with anything because it will look awful either way.

There’s also a slightly rebellious tone about Uggs, in a kind of “am I cool enough to get away with this?” type of way – much like the fleeting trend of Crocs earlier this year. In short though, probably not.

Love them or hate them, Uggs are back. But the hard truth is – they probably never really went away.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Vote: What was the worst beauty trend of the noughties?

• The 39 tragic things all girls in the noughties couldn’t live without

• How well do you really remember the late 00s? Take this quiz to find out