People look at them, but the sale is on seasonal clothing. There are many stories about the use of these garments.
Colorful sweater racks with Christmas motifs are offered in formal and informal stalls open in downtown Merida during the Christmas season. It is the sale of “ugly sweaters”.
This tradition, which is booming in the Yucatecan capital, is believed to have originated in the United States and Canada, although not with a reason for mockery or ridicule, but as part of the gifts given during the season.
The sweaters became so popular that they even have their own song: “Bill Cosby Sweater” and “Oh Snap & Ed Adorable.” These patterns were designed by Dutch fashionista Koo van der Akker, who designed costumes for artists such as Cher, Elton John, and Barbara Walter.
The American comedian Bill Cosby (now known as a pedophile) made them fashionable in the 1970s and 1980s.
Then, in 2002, two American workers, based on the clothes from “The Cosby Show”, agreed to hold a themed party with these clothes, to raise funds for charity. Later they added challenges such as a 5K race and formed the Ugly Sweater Society, which distributes up to $250,000 to programs to help people with cancer and other conditions.
In 2011, college students in San Diego created a website with this topic that was so successful that it gave rise to “Ugly Sweater Day,” which is celebrated every third Friday of December. In that same year, former students from the University of California created a brand dedicated to the exclusive creation of these sweaters, “Tipsy Elves”, with which they participated in the “Shark Tank” TV show, which skyrocketed their popularity.
According to residents of the street market that is installed in the Bellavista neighborhood, south of Saltillo, they are the most seen, but people do not buy them. “Only for special occasions, if they have a party or something like that. People buy what they need for the cold,” said Don José Ruíz.
Although having themed parties with these items of clothing is on the rise, some people who have participated in these events are excluded because the idea is that the sweaters are ugly or ridiculous and they end up wearing or creating cute sweaters.
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