The Monday Mommy: The Ugly Sweater has Officially Jumped the Shark.
“For most folks, these sweaters were something to mock and ridicule during the seasonal Holidays-until about 10 years ago. The pendulum suddenly shifted the other way and people began to celebrate the ugly sweater.:
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The ugly sweater has a rich and storied history in this country.
They had humble beginnings, worn by middle aged women sporting them for seasonal purposes. During Halloween time, you would see the knitted pumpkin or scared-y cat paired perhaps with matching jack-o-lantern earrings. Or maybe even a turkey with the trimmings and a flappy neck during Thanksgiving.
By far the most popular time for these sweaters is during the Christmas Holiday season. These eyesores can come in many forms, complete with lights, tinsel and every cartoon Christmas character ever created by corporate America. I am aware that I am being politically incorrect in saying Christmas, however as a Jewish American myself, I can safely say that the ugly Hanukkah sweater does not exist.
For decades and generations, these cheesy, over the top sweaters were limited to mostly women. I’m sure there were some guys out there that gave in and were somewhat forced to rock the holiday sweaters to make their wives happy, but were most certainly not pleased about it.
That all changed in the 80’s when Bill Cosby introduced the ugly man sweater. These abominations became popular and even inspired a high end line that became trendy with the rich elite in America.
For most folks, these sweaters were something to mock and ridicule during the seasonal Holidays-until about 10 years ago. The pendulum suddenly shifted the other way and people began to celebrate the ugly sweater.
Christmas parties in the theme of the ugly sweater began cropping up in different cities across the nation. People would earn praise and prizes for who could sport the ugliest of the ugly of these garments. Before we knew it, people were creating their own versions, adding LED lights, bells and even sewing stuffed reindeers to their fronts in order to don the top notch of the hideous sweater.
As if that ridiculousness wasn’t enough, Ralph Lauren decided to go the ugly sweater route when designing the Sochi Winter Olympic uniforms for the USA team to wear for the parade of nations during the Opening Ceremonies. Sure, they are campy and funny, but have we gone too far with this hideous sweater craze?
Forever Collectibles obviously doesn’t think so. They have released a line of NFL Ugly Sweaters for each of the 32 teams that are currently retailing for $49.99. It is still too early to tell how well these puppies will sell for the 2014 season, however based on the wave of popularity the ugly sweater has been riding in recent years; I fear we will be seeing these in shopping malls, arenas and bleachers everywhere. They could also most certainly spill over to the NBA, NHL and MLB with no problem at all.
Personally, I’m cool with the end of the hideous sweater movement. I believe they have had their day in the sun and have reached the end of the road.
I say we move on to perhaps some really sweet gear, especially for women.
