Uggs

[amc80]

As I was wearing my Uggs today, someone asked me if I had read the recent controversy regarding the making of Uggs. I had seen something on FB but never read it. So today, I did. It turns out the "controversy" is the revelations that Uggs are made from wool attached to sheep skin, as opposed to wool attached to a synthetic material. Meaning, of course, that sheep die in the production of them. Isn't this a big duh? I thought this was coming knowledge?!

 

[monarch64]

I don't think people have a clue what they are buying half the time.

 

[baby monster]

How do they think sheepskin is made? Or any other leather for that matter.

 

[amc80]

Right- do they think leather is just cow hair?

 

[iheartscience]

As I was wearing my Uggs today, someone asked me if I had read the recent controversy regarding the making of Uggs. I had seen something on FB but never read it. So today, I did. It turns out the "controversy" is the revelations that Uggs are made from wool attached to sheep skin, as opposed to wool attached to a synthetic material. Meaning, of course, that sheep die in the production of them. Isn't this a big duh? I thought this was coming knowledge?!

Haha ditto. The whole "controversy" seems to be fake. I mean they are definitely made of sheepskin, but manufacturers don't peel skin off sheep that are alive: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/uggs.asp

 

[amc80]

Thanks for that link. I started reading that article in search of "the controversy" but didn't make it that far. I love snopes.

 

[madelise]

Yeah. I saw that being passed around on my FB and my eyes rolled back to my head! Did people really think they just shaved sheep and glued it on to something? How does that even work?

 

[SB621]

Ppl are

and I love SNOPES!!!

 

[amc80]

I think of be more upset if the opposite were (was?) true and they were synthetic. I pay $200 for them for a reason.

 

[LaraOnline]

Is this the Deckers company that tried (very very aggressively) to prevent Australian makers of ugg boots from using the actual term Ugg??
Not that Deckers could claim to have invented the term, as the boots have been named 'Ugg' for as long as I remember, and the term has been used by many manufacturers.
I'm glad Deckers lost that case, it was a horrible attack on Australian culture.

Anyway, I see that on the snopes website, Deckers is advertising that they do not use wool obtained from mules sheep.
I'm not exactly sure how they can guarantee that.

Mulesing is the safest and most reliable method of ensuring sheep remain free from fly strike.
Fly strike is a horrible cause of death of sheep - flies lay maggots in the lamb tails, and the sheep are eaten by the maggots.
Needless to say, fly strike is agonising.

If I was a sheep, I'd rather be mulesed than fly struck. And if you've been 20 minutes on an Australian sheep station, you'd realise flies are very very very much in abundance.

Farmers are frantically trying to breed out bum wrinkles and tails on sheep, in an effort to prevent the need for mulesing.
But the reality of genetics means that mulesing is currently the most reliable way of preventing fly strike.

Here is a link to an Australian news story discussing the reality of mulesing and breeding programmes designed to do away with mulesing.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-11/mulesing-to-continue/4623582

So... where does Deckers get its guaranteed mules-free sheep? From some very small southern areas with small sheep runs, I guess, so small that they can keep across their sheeps bottoms with regular doses of maggot-killing chemicals.

This is the first I'd ever heard of an abattoir sorting sheep into mulesed and non-mulesed for their leather. Interesting...

 

[PetitiePoire]

My favorite thing is when I read the comments from people who say they will NEVER wear their UGGs again because of that article.

They advertise that they are made from real sheepskin, so I really don't understand. Did they not read the little tag on it?

I'll happily continue wearing mine and keeping my feet nice and toasty this winter.

 

[OreoRosies86]

I choose not to wear most animal products, but was very surprised to read about this "new controversy" on Facebook a few days ago. Surely people didn't belive that Uggs were vegan footwear?

 

[momhappy]

Since I eat meat, I have no problem wearing furs, skins, etc. when they are a byproduct of the meat industry. I don't wear Uggs because I think they're Ugg-ly However, I wouldn't have a problem with the materials that they are made of because I believe that they are simply byproducts of the meat industries.

 

[Gypsy]

Right now with my RA my Uggs are the only shoes I can comfortably wear that are also warm.

And.. people can be such idiots. Controversy.

 

[VRBeauty]

My mother's feet and hands are constantly cold due to her chemo treatment, so I just bought two pairs of Uggs for her to try on. I'm sure she'll think they're uuuugly, and way to much of an extravagance, but... when I leave for home it will be with only one pair to return to Nordy's. Nothing beats Uggs for warm, comfortable feet.

 

[CJ2008]

I may be one of those idiots

I own only 1 pair of Uggs that I purchased like probably over 10 years ago...believe it or not I never "connected" that the stuff inside was from sheep. I don't remember if at the time I read sheepskin and just didn't think twice about it or if I just didn't even "know" what was inside. I just knew they were in style and bought them.

At first when I read through this thread (and I read it quickly and did not look up the "controversy") I was like oh I don't want to wear them any more if that's what they do to sheep...but then I remember I own leather jackets. Guess there's not much difference there.

I guess I'm always hoping that whatever I own and however animals are killed for our consumption/pleasure is done humanely - but not enough to stop wearing all of these products "just in case."

I do buy cage-free eggs and stuff like that so I try.

 

[soxfan]

Frigging PETA propaganda again…….. ALL over Facebook. Some people will believe ANYTHING they read on Facebook. The skin is the byproduct of sheep killed for human consumption. Uggs then uses the skins for boots. End of story.

 

[VapidLapid]

I am allergic to wool. If I had an issue it would only be on aesthetics. These are not the first boots or garments to be made of shearling. The native american indians made their garments and footwear from the hides of animals they considered spiritual and sacred creatures. It was a privilege to wear them.

 

[LaraOnline]

At first when I read through this thread (and I read it quickly and did not look up the "controversy") I was like oh I don't want to wear them any more if that's what they do to sheep...but then I remember I own leather jackets. Guess there's not much difference there.

I guess I'm always hoping that whatever I own and however animals are killed for our consumption/pleasure is done humanely - but not enough to stop wearing all of these products "just in case."

I do buy cage-free eggs and stuff like that so I try.

oh don't feel bad! fact is it's hard to beat leather for comfort and insulation and wear...which is probably why it is such a popular and preferred shoe material in the first place.

I know what you mean about animal cruelty. I can't talk for sheep killing, but I believe there is some really amazing research in the US that has led to the development of humane abattoir systems, at least for cows... apparently a conveyor belt system, designed specifically to fit under the cow's body comfortably, can take a huge amount of stress and upset out of the process for the cows... they are lifted just a few inches off the ground, and are transported through calming dark tunnels. The tunnels have a very low roof which compels the cow to rest their head on the bottom of the cow in front. The cows find this reassuring. Then, as the tunnel ends, they lift their head to check out the view and ....they don't even cry out, or shift weight. They do not know what is next. As you can imagine, it is much much closer to cruelty free than the current system. Cows aren't blind. They know what's going on. We owe our food animals a painless and worry free death.

Now, if we could just cut back on the cruelty that comes with transportation to the abattoir!! The animals are exhausted and scared and it can be days before they finally meet their actual end.

 

[monarch64]

Frigging PETA propaganda again…….. ALL over Facebook. Some people will believe ANYTHING they read on Facebook. The skin is the byproduct of sheep killed for human consumption. Uggs then uses the skins for boots. End of story.

Yes.

I'm vegetarian and so is my immediate family for various reasons. The extreme groups really cause more harm/give the movement a bad name when they do things like this. It's no surprise to me that this began circulating around Black Friday on FB seemingly here in the U.S., because a lot of people are buying Uggs as holiday gifts.

Dear P.E.T.A.: this is not the way to bring about change. But it certainly is the way to make you look like an extreme ******* and turn people off. Fire your marketing team, or better yet, get off your high HORSE (pun intended) and reach out in less ridiculous ways.

 

[arkieb1]

I may be one of those idiots

I own only 1 pair of Uggs that I purchased like probably over 10 years ago...believe it or not I never "connected" that the stuff inside was from sheep. I don't remember if at the time I read sheepskin and just didn't think twice about it or if I just didn't even "know" what was inside. I just knew they were in style and bought them.

At first when I read through this thread (and I read it quickly and did not look up the "controversy") I was like oh I don't want to wear them any more if that's what they do to sheep...but then I remember I own leather jackets. Guess there's not much difference there.

I guess I'm always hoping that whatever I own and however animals are killed for our consumption/pleasure is done humanely - but not enough to stop wearing all of these products "just in case."

I do buy cage-free eggs and stuff like that so I try.

I think you should continue to wear uggs, it is no better or worse than wearing leather shoes. Think about it people most of your shoes are leather - this is made from dead cows.

We actually had big new items here recently about fur vests and things made out of what people think is rabbit fur. Often they are dog fur which IS obtained in China by cruel methods.

I don't have a problem wearing leather or uggs that were killed in a humane fashion. I have a problem when it wasn't done it a cruelty free way and I also have a problem wearing things made out of bunnies, cats & dogs that were killed/clubbed to death for their fur.

 

[momhappy]

I may be one of those idiots

I own only 1 pair of Uggs that I purchased like probably over 10 years ago...believe it or not I never "connected" that the stuff inside was from sheep. I don't remember if at the time I read sheepskin and just didn't think twice about it or if I just didn't even "know" what was inside. I just knew they were in style and bought them.

At first when I read through this thread (and I read it quickly and did not look up the "controversy") I was like oh I don't want to wear them any more if that's what they do to sheep...but then I remember I own leather jackets. Guess there's not much difference there.

I guess I'm always hoping that whatever I own and however animals are killed for our consumption/pleasure is done humanely - but not enough to stop wearing all of these products "just in case."

I do buy cage-free eggs and stuff like that so I try.

First and foremost, sheep are killed for their meat. The skins are utilized as part of the process (but not the primary product). Unless you are a vegetarian/vegan, there's no reason to have a moral dilemma over wearing animal skins.

 

[CJ2008]

I don't want to take over the OPs thread, but wanted to just quickly acknowledge everyone for responding to my post.

Lara - thank you. yes, I agree on the leather. I just want to know that we're doing what we can to treat animals humanely. I agree with you 100% that we owe them that.

arkieb1 - I agree with you on this: "I don't have a problem wearing leather or uggs that were killed in a humane fashion. I have a problem when it wasn't done it a cruelty free way and I also have a problem wearing things made out of bunnies, cats & dogs that were killed/clubbed to death for their fur." Sometimes when I actually THINK leather = cow that's where it hits me a little bit. But not "enough" to stop wearing leather. Like you, I just want to know whatever it is we need to do that it is done humanely.

momhappy - that makes me feel better. Clearly I haven't done enough research. Sometimes believe it or not I'd rather NOT know certain things. I know there are some videos out there about food/animals and I'd just rather not watch it even though it would be very informative.

 

[momhappy]

I don't want to take over the OPs thread, but wanted to just quickly acknowledge everyone for responding to my post.

Lara - thank you. yes, I agree on the leather. I just want to know that we're doing what we can to treat animals humanely. I agree with you 100% that we owe them that.

arkieb1 - I agree with you on this: "I don't have a problem wearing leather or uggs that were killed in a humane fashion. I have a problem when it wasn't done it a cruelty free way and I also have a problem wearing things made out of bunnies, cats & dogs that were killed/clubbed to death for their fur." Sometimes when I actually THINK leather = cow that's where it hits me a little bit. But not "enough" to stop wearing leather. Like you, I just want to know whatever it is we need to do that it is done humanely.

momhappy - that makes me feel better. Clearly I haven't done enough research. Sometimes believe it or not I'd rather NOT know certain things. I know there are some videos out there about food/animals and I'd just rather not watch it even though it would be very informative.

Because I adore rabbit fur, I've done a lot of research on it (and I will admit, that it has been difficult to find a definitive answer). From what I understand, years and years ago, rabbit fur in fashion was primarily harvested from rabbits raised specifically for their fur. However, the demand for rabbit fur has greatly increased over the years and subsequently, the fashion industry has become much less "picky" about the rabbit fur that they use. In other words, rabbit fur is a by-product of the rabbit meat industry. I'm sure that there are still rabbits that are raised/killed specifically for their furs, but a fair portion of it is not. Of course, the animal rights groups (PETA, etc.) would disagree, but that's to be expected…
Sorry to go sort-of off topic.

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Frigging PETA propaganda again…….. ALL over Facebook. Some people will believe ANYTHING they read on Facebook. The skin is the byproduct of sheep killed for human consumption. Uggs then uses the skins for boots. End of story.

Yes.

I'm vegetarian and so is my immediate family for various reasons. The extreme groups really cause more harm/give the movement a bad name when they do things like this. It's no surprise to me that this began circulating around Black Friday on FB seemingly here in the U.S., because a lot of people are buying Uggs as holiday gifts.

Dear P.E.T.A.: this is not the way to bring about change. But it certainly is the way to make you look like an extreme ******* and turn people off. Fire your marketing team, or better yet, get off your high HORSE (pun intended) and reach out in less ridiculous ways.

PETA is the worst culprit. They are the ones killing animals left and right. They do not stand for what they once did, they are just in it for the money now.

Either way, I'm against animal cruelty so I don't own a pair of uggs or anything leather.

 

[packrat]

PETA blows.

 

[LLJsmom]

I think of be more upset if the opposite were (was?) true and they were synthetic. I pay $200 for them for a reason.

That is hilarious!! Good answer! I'm with you amc!

 

[VRBeauty]

I gave my mother her Uggs this afternoon and she's worn them for the past few hours. She just called me to her room to thank me. She said that her feet have felt cold for years now, even in the summer, and this is the first time in years that her feet have felt warm.

 

[Indylady]

I gave my mother her Uggs this afternoon and she's worn them for the past few hours. She just called me to her room to thank me. She said that her feet have felt cold for years now, even in the summer, and this is the first time in years that her feet have felt warm.

VR, that's really wonderful. My mom had cancer a few years ago, and also gets cold easily. I always pick up a fuzzy robe for her each winter--never thought to do Uggs, though! Its a good idea