Why do we Love Ugly Christmas Sweaters?

Discuss this video in Discord: / discord
If you'd like to help support ARTiculations - feel free to leave something in the tip jar: ko-fi.com/articulations
Ugly Christmas Sweaters (or Jumpers) have become a gift and holiday attire people genuinely love and actually want to wear. How did this happen? And why do so many of people find “ugly” actually appealing?
You can also follow me on:
Twitter: / articulationsv
Instagram: / articulationsv
Twitch: / articulationsv
Website: www.articulations.co
Check out my Podcast - Pictorial: relay.fm/pictorial
Episode 38 - Lowbrow and Pop Surrealism: www.relay.fm/pictorial/38
Music:
"Nouvelle Noel" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
David Bowie Video Footage:
• David Bowie - Ziggy St...
Sources and Further Reading:
www.aftrprtynyc.com/post/the-...
www.cnn.com/style/article/ugl...
www.widewalls.ch/magazine/kit...
www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/...

[@12tone]

I always love this sort of analysis that takes seemingly frivolous things seriously. Great video, and welcome back!

[@ozzi9816]

I think there might also just be the element that younger people are looking for more inventive ways to express themselves through fashion because traditionally “stylish” designs are very restrictive (especially for males). It’s not just Christmas sweaters but you see this kind of thing in regular fashion too (eg. Billie Eilish). Fashion in other places of the world like Korea and Japan are moving in the same direction- it’s really just that America has traditionally been very prudish most likely due to the influence of Christianity since it’s such a big part of American culture over here

[@JEBavido]

I am just floored at old photos of men in the U.S. back when photography was new. Ohmagosh, they may as well be in uniform! There's one particularly sad one, where people are seated at tables for a formal dinner. The ladies are in varied long gowns that one can tell are different colors and cuts. The men are in almost identical formal suits with only their neckerchiefs/cravats to distinguish between them. Imagine paying for, and being fitted for, a suit that is exactly like every other man's. Ugh! In our melting pot country, were they all just trying to fit in? We aren't nearly as restrictive now as we were back then, thank God, but it's still pretty awful. The girl's section of a children's clothing store looks like a flower garden compared to the boy's.

[@e.p.s.9037]

Now I kinda want an ugly xmas sweater. They remind me of the ones my mother used to knit for me and my siblings in the 80s. Happy holidays everyone!

[@leeharveydarke]

Windows Ninetyfowmygahd was my personal favourite operating system from the 1990s.

[@sohopedeco]

As someone from the Southern Hemisphere, Christmas sweaters are something I really cannot relate to.

[@paulosousa81]

usar um desse no Rio é pedir pra passar mal

[@baneofbanes]

I’d imagine if you don’t have harsh winters that would be the case.

[@sohopedeco]

@@baneofbanes Winters do require sweaters here in São Paulo state, but they don't happen in Christmas time.

[@ianmurrell209]

We don't have this trend in Australia, unless it's Christmas in July. Though my girlfriend knitted me jumper similar to Sarah Lund's jumper in the Swedish series "The Killing". But that style goes back to Folk Art tradition.

[@ARTiculations]

You guys should start an Ugly Christmas Swimming Suit trend 😂

[@laptop006]

Maybe this year though given the weather

[@sohopedeco]

I had to google wether that "The Killing" series was about a murder or a baby goat. 😂

[@acookie7548]

we have ugly christmas shirts in australia but they’re not fuzzy or cozy and are just plain ugly 💀

[@reddcube]

Interesting how Microsoft or other brands involvement is not a detractor for ugly sweaters. Rhinestone and other tacky embellishments just adds to the charm.

[@JEBavido]

All the Nordic-flavored knitted sweaters, with snowflakes in rows, etc. are not really Christmas sweaters. When I lived in N.Dakota as a child, in the early 60s, they were commonly seen all winter long. The area I lived in was heavily populated with people of Norwegian descent. I've never understood how these sweaters got swept up in the "ugly Christmas sweater" category.

[@NawDawgTheRazor]

I think it’s just that they’re colorful, festive, and evoke sentiments of innocence, familiarity, and pure happiness. They’re tacky yes, but that’s the point. The holidays are the time to be around family and friends, people who know know you and you can be silly and informal around. The fact that they’re so ridiculous also conveys to people you’re easy going, jolly, and humorous, someone to easily approach at a gathering. No one can look truly serious or intimidating wearing something like that, and that’s the point of holiday parties, to break the ice and laugh together. I think it’s also another form of rebellion against the status quo and established ideals of “fashion” and “beauty.” Sometimes extremes are embraced to contrast the norm and make us evaluate new horizons.

[@dirkwyse1609]

Happy Holidays!

[@nerissacrawford8017]

I see them as mood setters as everything else to do with Christmas decorations.

[@Meg_A_Byte]

This is such a western (US & UK) thing. It's really strange to look at this obsession without experiencing or seeing none if it around myself.

[@poozlius]

I shall wear a holiday jumper today in honor of this episode! :-)

[@Embracehistoria]

Ya didn't show the best one, the Lidl one.

[@ARTiculations]

It was too scary to show 😂

[@JulianOShea]

Such a great deep dive into a niche topic. Done well! PS - As an Australian we don’t get this tradition. 40 C days put a stop to that.

[@ARTiculations]

Thanks Julian! 😊 Yeah I totally forget sometimes it’s not winter everywhere during Christmas 😅 I guess there’s no frosty the snowman during Christmas either for you guys.

[@aaronpoole5531]

I think they're neat, but I love a tacky print so that's not much of a suprise to me :P

[@violetofthevalley]

As a knitter, it’s interesting to me that you seem to be lumping a whole bunch of styles of sweaters together. At least in the knitting community, there are historic reasons some styles of ornate sweaters are being explored and developed into stuff that might be a bit busy, but personally I think is unironically pretty.

[@DukeBG]

Am I an outlier if I don't really consider sweaters shown in the video as ugly?

[@leocelente]

I think its similar, but not really, to the way people relate to halloween costumes. The holidays, as well as halloween, are times of the year where you can express yourself in different ways, like a performance as you said. The example of Bridget Jones's Diary shows a level of seriousness that, I believe, is akin to the "sexy halloween costume" trope, where, yes you can express yourself, but only so long as it doesn't diminish your public persona. The trend we see today is opposing that pressure and trying to bring a more genuine (but is it?) approach. And I bet its all because of those pesky millennials! /s

[@wheresmyeyebrow1608]

You wear it because it's Christmas 'nuff said

[@yourcurtainsareugly]

Statements like this feel exceedingly provincial. What if you're not Christian? Or not a traditionalist? Or anticonsumerist? Or just hate Christmas? Personally, I can't imagine *any* situation where I'd be motivated to do something "because it's Christmas, 'nuff said".

[@Jehty21]

@@yourcurtainsareugly obviously people who fall in one of your listed categories wouldn't wear such a sweater. So the reason "because it's Christmas" doesn't apply to them. They don't wear a Christmas sweater therefore they don't have a reason why they wear one. But that doesn't invalidate that explanation for other people.

[@yourcurtainsareugly]

@@Jehty21 So you're saying that the original comment is actually short for a much more nuanced "If one were to wear such a sweater, the reason one would would be that it's Christmas, full stop." First, I don't think that the conditional is implied there, and further, it exactly contradicts the explanations given in the video without evidence. I imagine there are some people who might do things just because of the season, but the video posits many more reasons. If the original comment were "*I* wear it because Christmas, 'nuff said", sure, no argument there. But (charitably) interpreting it as "you" in the general sense does it "because it's Christmas", and for no other reason ("'nuff said") is preposterous.

[@andresperez7476]

I dont own any kind of these sweaters 😛😣😰

[@ryeryeryerye]

I mean some of these sweaters don’t seem so Ugly….

[@yourcurtainsareugly]

As a hardcore modernist, I hate Las Vegas and Disneyland (maybe for different reasons), and I do not love ugly Christmas sweaters. Form follows function all the way! Still, it is interesting to hear concepts like "kitsch" and "camp" intellectualized, since I will never be able to empathize with liking these things, ironically or not.

[@AkiSan0]

no - we dont. correct title would be "some", not "we". I would wear them for like 1000$ or more per day of wearing. else - no. (insert bugs saying no) as for fashion - as with most things reality and perception are far apart. you never (or barely) see concept cars becoming reality, you literally never see the trash from fashion shows on everyday life people. maybe its america vs the rest of the world (again) but here in europe its not common nor a regular practice. yes some do, but most dont.

[@BinCaAlors]

My god your self-esteem is fragile.

[@leeharveydarke]

"Here in Europe we give ourselves faux-Japanese names because, er, um..." Get the hell over yourself.

[@AkiSan0]

@@leeharveydarke Oh yes, bc i cant be a japanese living in europe. at least bring arguments to the table.

[@AkiSan0]

@@BinCaAlors my? alright, attack me instead of my argument, very adult of you. :/

[@leeharveydarke]

@@AkiSan0 I'm just gonna call you a bell end pal. You bell end.