Jenna Bush Hager sparked a fashion debate on TikTok after asking her fans to weigh in on the appropriate term for her cozy monogrammed mules.
The Today host was leaving work after a day of filming the morning show with her co-star Hoda Kotb when she stopped and pointed at her footwear.
—Do you call these house shoes or slippers? asked Bush Hager, 42.
“I call them house shoes and I wear them on the streets of New York,” the Texas native added, the irony not lost on her.
Jenna Bush Hager, 42, went viral on TikTok after asking her fans what they would call her cream velvet mules.
—Do you call these house shoes or slippers? the Today host asked. ‘I call them house shoes and I wear them on the streets of New York’
The elegant cream velvet slip-on mules were lined with fur and monogrammed with her initials ‘JBH’ in silver.
The former first daughter didn’t say what brand they were, but they looked strikingly similar to Birdies ‘Phoebe’ Mulewhich is described as a slipper.
The $85 shoes feature faux fur lining and rubber soles for indoor and outdoor use.
Bush Hager paired the slip-ons with raw-hem flared jeans and a black sweatshirt with gold shoulder buttons.
She had a cognac-colored leather bag slung over her shoulder and carried her green quilted coat and her mobile phone.
The eight-second clip ended with the mother of three jumping into the back seat of the black pickup truck that was waiting for her on the curb.
—What do you call them? House shoes or slippers? she asked again in the caption.
The video has been viewed more than 270,000 times and received almost 150 comments since it was posted on February 20.
If Bush Hager was hoping for a definitive answer, he didn’t get one. Commenters were divided on whether they were slippers or house shoes.
Merriam-Webster defines a sneaker as a ‘light low-cut shoe that slides easily on the foot”, which are their shoes.
The viral clip ended with the mother of three jumping into the back seat of the black van that was waiting for her on the sidewalk.
Many TikTok users who called mules “house shoes” noted that they grew up in the South, where the term is more widely used. Others were firmly on ‘Team Slipper’
Bush Hager didn’t say what brand they were, but they looked strikingly similar to Birdies’ ‘Phoebe’ sneaker (pictured)
The English dictionary does not have an entry for “house shoe,” but the definition of house slipper is a ‘slipper for indoor use’.
A house shoe is essentially another term for a slipper, which makes both labels correct.
Many TikTok users who called mules “house shoes” noted that they grew up in the South, where the term is more widely used.
‘Texas girl… House shoes,’ one person responded.
Home shoes! “It’s a Texas thing,” someone else explained.
“House shoes sound so much more dignified,” another added.
One house shoe aficionado also offered Bush Hager some cleaning advice, writing: “IIf I’m feeling lazy, I put a Clorox wipe on the bottom so I can continue using them at home.’
“Genius,” the Today star responded.
Others were strongly in favor of ‘Team Slipper’, further suggesting that the terminology is simply a regional preference.
‘Sneakers all the way!’ insisted one commentator.
“Sneakers,” another responded. ‘Look, I’m from Maryland. (Do you) say robe or robe?
‘Sneakers in Iowa!’ someone else added.
Some also offered a third option, saying they call them “bedroom shoes.”