One wonders how long we have to continue to tolerate things like the UGG Short Sheepskin Cuff Boots. They first became questionably trendy back in the mid-2000s, during the days of Juicy track suits and Paris Hilton’s rise to fame. It’s now 2012, and for some reason, brands continue to design these boots and retailers continue to offer them for sale in their stores, which can only mean one thing: people are buying them. STOP THAT, PEOPLE.

I don’t necessarily have a problem with furry boots that have all their fur contained on the inside – I own regular UGGs that I mainly wear as house slippers in my drafty apartment, so I can understand that appeal. There’s absolutely no reason for aggressive exterior fur, though, from a functional OR fashionable standpoint. It looks terrible, like you have frizzy hair sprouting out of your ankles, and it doesn’t do anything to keep your feet warm above and beyond your average pair of shearling-lined boots. So what gives? Why do these boots keep coming back around? Shed some light on this phenomenon for me, please, because I’m baffled. Buy through ShopBop for $275.