Ugly Christmas Sweaters: Are They Really Ugly?

The ugly Christmas sweaters have become a part of the Holiday Season, a seasonal, timeless icon that is synonymous with celebration and eggnog, just like the Christmas tree and the Menorah even. But we couldn’t help but wonder: are ugly Christmas sweaters really that ugly? Let’s fact-check this statement.

The origin of this piece of knitwear dates back to the 1950s, first called as the “jingle bell sweater” and since then, it has been part of American pop culture thanks to its appearance on pieces of celebratory media like ‘The Cosby Show’ and ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ during the 80s. We even saw it getting some love in the 00s thanks to ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ and thanks to social media, it received enough momentum in recent times to be featured in Jimmy Fallon’s ‘12 Days of Christmas Sweaters’ – a peak for ugly sweater lovers everywhere.

One thing is certain, we have moved on from wearing the ugly sweater as a burden to please our knit-loving grandma. It has become a fashionable garment that one should have in the closet, waiting for those cold winter nights filled with hot chocolate, smores and Hallmark movies starring sitcom stars from the 90s. But of course, wearing the ugly sweater with pride is something that must be done with a pinch of irony and self-awareness: we know they’re ugly and we wear them because they’re ugly, which makes it cool and socially acceptable.

Ugly sweaters are so ugly that they’re located on the farthest point within the ugliness spectrum and they end up being, well, not ugly at all. If we had to describe them by using only one word, it would be kitsch. For those who don’t know, kitsch is a term applied to pieces of art and design that are considered “overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste”. In one word: tacky. Kitsch was commonly used as a pejorative term but thanks to Pop Art in the 50s, the term was reclaimed and repurposed, now being knowingly ironic and humorous, associated with camp and extravagance. Kitsch fairly and naturally evolved from an insult to an aesthetic on its own terms.

So, next time you’re rocking a knitted piece with a Holiday cliché like a Santa, a reindeer or your favorite cartoon character in a winter setting (cause brands also jumped on this wagon), don’t be ashamed and wear it with pride. Remember that clothing can be fun sometimes, even though fashion is a serious matter.

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Your Ugly Christmas Sweater Is Beautiful in Its Own Way