Kent State students are finding themselves balancing style and safety. While icy conditions increase the risk of slips, many students are choosing fashionable footwear like UGGs, despite warnings about their lack of traction.

Sam Timar, a sophomore Kent State nursing major, was walking out of her house, wearing her Tasman UGG shoes and couldn’t see the ice on her steps.

“I walked down the steps from my front porch and completely wiped out and fell down the steps,” Timar said.

According to UGG.com.au, “Uggs are designed with soft soles that lack traction on slippery surfaces. This makes them a poor choice for navigating icy or snow-covered ground, increasing the risk of slips and falls.”

Timar said she was not seriously hurt and that she hasn’t stopped wearing her UGGs even though she realizes these smooth soles don’t offer much traction for an Ohio winter. The pull of fashion is too strong.  

When UGGs Became Fashionable  

Celebrities brought the UGG trend to life.  

“When [Bella] Hadid wore the chunky UGG boots, it ignited a whole new fashion movement,” fashion magazine Vogue stated. “Hadid’s look quickly went viral on TikTok, while Lyst reports that the style promptly sold out and had a 152% increase in searches.”  

This trend went viral on TikTok, capturing the attention of college students. The brand noticed, and now the UGG website features a section titled “Campus & Dorm Essentials.” 

According to BuzzFeed, the UGG ankle boots are among the best shoes for college students year-round.

“Comfy UGG ankle boots that can play the part of supportive dorm slippers or late-night dining hall companion with equal success,” BuzzFeed stated. “They’ve got all the comfort you’ve come to know and love from UGGs in a shorter style that won’t weigh you down.”  

Lydia Umlauf, a senior Kent State education major, has joined the UGG trend and owns a pair of Tasman UGGs.

“Uggs keep my feet warm and I really like how they look,” Umlauf said. “I always choose shoes for comfort rather than reasonable winter boots.”  

But, Maddie O’Malley, a senior integrated language arts major, doesn’t like how UGGs look. 

“I don’t even think my Tasman UGGs are cute and fashionable,” she said. “So for me, they’re comfortable and that’s why I wear them. I do prefer comfort over reasonable winter boots.”  

O’Malley has a different type of UGGs than Timar and Umlauf, which may give her an advantage in snowy conditions.

“My UGGs are platform, so they do help me from not getting my feet wet from the snow,” she said.  

The History of UGG

The desire for comfort brought UGGs to life when Australian surfers would wear sheepskin boots after their morning surf sessions.  

One of those surfers, an Australian accounting student named Brian Smith, decided to leave his career and travel to California after hearing an introspective song on the radio. 

In California, he noticed that his surfer friends did not have sheepskin boots Australians typically wore after morning surf sessions.  

That’s when Smith’s idea for the UGG brand was born. He began his first sales trip by going to 150 shops in SoCal. All the shops turned him down, saying his product wouldn’t work.  

In America, surfers didn’t wear boots. They wore flip-flops. Still, Smith didn’t give up.  

Smith opened his own pop-up shop and started to get recognized by other shops and retailers. It took about a decade for Hollywood to notice the UGG brand.  

While UGGs were born on the sunny beaches of California, they made their way to the icy Ohio sidewalks.  

“I prefer fashion and comfort over reasonable winter shoes,” Timar said. “I would rather look good than be warm any day out of the week.” 

Robyn Taylor is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].