1.9.08
“Winter” in Athens, GA so far (December 13, 2007-January 9, 2008) has consisted of 74-79 degree weather. That’s about it, for the weather I mean. OK, I hear while I was away on break it was around 20 degrees for a day or two. Buurrrrrr…everyone grab your winter coats and….UGG boots! The students at The University of Georgia seem to ignore the 79 degree weather and pretend that their fashion decisions coincide with the sweat dripping down their calves from their UGG boots. That’s right, the UGGS. There here. They’ve been here a while, I’m sure, but what I’m trying to understand is how they wear them. OK, so I know how they wear them—they pull them over their feet, look in the mirror, wink that southern wink and move on—but how do they wear them? In 80 degree weather pretending their feet don’t smell like sour milk and old yogurt, some of the girls (probably the polka-dotted girls at my first guess) prance around campus like they’re in 10 degree weather hoping a Gap cameraman is near and will capture that winter moment.
Before break, I passed a precious little twenty-something walking up to the education building on a sunny 79 degree day. As I was trudging up the hill with a t-shirt, pants, and flip-flops on feeling sweat droplets form on my back and forehead and trying to pretend that my laptop and book bag were not adding ten extra pounds to my heated sojourn, I passed the little belle wearing the MOST precious blue mini-jumper. You know the ones…from the seventies….yes, they’re back. The polka-dots are gone, folks, and the short, short jumpers are in like Flynn! (What the hell does that mean anyway?) To accent her bright blue betty mini-jumper, I saw (not hard to miss) her dazzling pink UGGS that came up to her knees leaving way for about six inches of her tanned (and extremely long) legs to remind me that I needed to keep adding book bags to my load as well as make a few more laps up the hill. Whatever. She was twenty.
UGGS originally started in Australia, right? It gets cold there; they actually have winter—real winter. My middle school students wore them for years in Colorado until I eventually heard some of them say on the sly, “Oh UGGS? Those are so out. None of the stars are wearing them anymore.” So I knew the UGGS’ time had past. For my thirteen and fourteen-year-old mountain kids, anyway. UGGS are fine. They’re comfortable, they’re stylish, they’re warm. They’re warm. Warm. Athens, Georgia: Hot. Warm weather and warm boots. Sour milk and bad yogurt. But damn they look good, don’t they.
The recently fashionable accessory that the UGA college market is accessorizing their UGGS with this year, is of course, the winter scarf. Winter scarf, you ask. How could that be ‘new’? I ask myself similar questions as I peruse the campus looking for the out-dated polka-dots in the form of winter coats or full, woolen scarves. Observing some undergraduate students’ presentations before the break on another 80 degree day, by the way, I noticed that one of the girls was wearing the almost-out-but-still-in 7 jeans, some cute tan UGG boots, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. She also has a really thick, bright UGA-red (which my students in the fall reminded me was VERY different than say Alabama-crimson which was apparently the color I was wearing when I tried to claim that I was supporting the DAWGS that day in class) scarf wrapped around her neck as she sauntered up to the front of the room to present her project. She must be sick, I thought to myself, she’s just got the chills and came to school anyway to present her final project—tremendously dedicated student. And then the next group came up to present and there were two girls with 7 jeans and t-shirts on and they both had thick and colorful scarves wrapped around their necks. Were they running late, I asked myself, and didn’t have time to take those off before their presentation? I started looking around the balmy classroom of fifty students sitting before me. Of the fifty students, about fifteen of the girls were wearing extremely thick, trendy scarves with their UGGS and mini-mini-skirts or 7 jeans. Interesting. No polka-dotted scarves, mind you, all solid colors to match their UGGS or their long-sleeved t-shirts. Little Gap and Old Navy models running around in 80 degree weather with no cameras in sight.
Thinking about Gap and Old Navy commercials and how the media influences our society in so many ways, I am reminded of the ever-famous iPod commercials. You know the ones: they outline the bodies of young people (I know, saying ‘young people’ makes this author sound as if she’s in her seventies or eighties) dancing to the groove with cool vibrant colors in the background and our gaze is supposed to fall to the white ear buds that are hanging from their ears leading down to their little rectangles of pleasure. Apparently those little white wires and their rectangles of pleasure went down in price this holiday because yesterday on my trek to the education building, I counted seventeen students walking with those things in their ears. Seventeen human beings walking about 100 yards from the bus to the cafeteria making sure that they had their tunes buzzing in their ears…all groovy-like. Gotta make sure I hear that one last song before I eat today…Other than the UGGS, 7 jeans, substantially thick winter scarves worn in-doors throughout the day, and little white ear buds, I haven’t noticed much lately (insert sarcasm here for those of you who are sleepy)….oh, well, except the black patent leather shoes (three pair) that I caught a quick glimpse of yesterday in the university book store that might be competing with the UGG boots, depending on if it’s seventy degrees or eighty degrees in January 2008. I’ll keep you posted.
Who me? Oh, my semester should be grand. I’ll be taking three courses this spring: Jacques Derrida and Deconstruction; Data Analysis in Qualitative Research; and Social Class in Education. All taught by wonderful feminist professors who are well published, well into their careers, and well…going to kick my butt. Nine books for one, four books and one-gazillion articles for the other, and who the hell knows for this one tonight. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will make me cry…in a good way of course. J I’m supervising six student teachers this spring and will observe them (formally) four times each; they are in three different counties so the driving will hopefully inspire future descriptions of for you of eccentric and quaint Georgia towns sporting the typical adornment. You know, huge confederate flags hanging on houses and planted in front yards, “Rebels Rule” bumper stickers, and “It’s not racist, it’s southern heritage” signs with the old flag of Georgia. Cheers to all of you. May your 2008 be a clean slate of new hope to come. HEH
