Steel
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2006
- Messages
- 4,884
Suri/heel-gate continues...
Linky
"Parents' fury as shops sell high heels for girls aged THREE
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:38 PM on 14th June 2010
Parenting groups have criticised top retailers for selling high-heeled shoes for girls as young as three, claiming they encourage the sexualisation of children.
GapKids, Asda and Next are among the brands stocking the fashionable footwear after Suri Cruise, the four-year-old daughter of Hollywood glamour couple Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes, was photographed wearing a pair last year.
Online group Mumsnet have launched a campaign, Let Girls Be Girls, asking retailers to sign up to a code of practice and to undertake not to sell products that prematurely sexualise children. Justine Roberts, spokesperson for the group, said: 'Some of the shoes I have seen on sale look more suited to a lap-dancing club than the feet of a young girl. The items in question are prematurely sexualising young children. We are saying to retailers, "Have a look at your range and ask yourselves if these items are appropriate." 'Some of the school shoes Tesco sells have got a two-inch heel. You shouldn't have a high heel if your feet are developing. 'It's not about being Mary Whitehouse. It's about not sleepwalking into a world where this is normal. 'Young girls always want to dress up and emulate adults, and that's fine. But when the bulk of the range on offer is like this, then it is making our children grow up too fast.' A spokeswoman for another parent group, Netmums, said they feared kids' high heels would result in the 'sexualisation' of children. Nicola Lamond said: 'I went shopping with my daughter and was horrified by how many shoes came with a high heel in sizes to fit girls as young as three. 'These shoes will be harder to walk in than flat shoes so I'd be worried my child would injure themselves. 'A lot of our mums are also concerned with the sexualisation of children and these shoes will do nothing to allay those fears.'
Health experts also warn they can damage youngsters' feet, cause lower back pain and arthritis. Podiatrist Gregor McCoshim said: 'The fact children can wear these is worrying. Any heel above 2cm increases the risk of twisting you ankle. 'If kids do that it makes them more likely to suffers a similar injury again. Repeated injuries can make them more likely to develop arthritis.' Sammy Margo of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy said putting a child into even slightly higher shoes shortens calf muscles while lengthening others. She said: 'They also have to arch their lower back more. This can cause strains in their back which is a potential problem for their growth and development.' However the companies remain defiant.
A Next spokesperson said: 'Their popularity suggests many parents agree we've come up with a look that's special without seeming inappropriately grown up.' Asda said they had no customer complaints about the heel size on any of their children's shoes, while GapKids said their child high heels had been tested to ensure safety. "
_________________
I'll see if I can grab a photo of the offending shoes... Just so we can see them and maybe some PS'ers would even buy them?
Linky
"Parents' fury as shops sell high heels for girls aged THREE
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:38 PM on 14th June 2010
Parenting groups have criticised top retailers for selling high-heeled shoes for girls as young as three, claiming they encourage the sexualisation of children.
GapKids, Asda and Next are among the brands stocking the fashionable footwear after Suri Cruise, the four-year-old daughter of Hollywood glamour couple Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes, was photographed wearing a pair last year.
Online group Mumsnet have launched a campaign, Let Girls Be Girls, asking retailers to sign up to a code of practice and to undertake not to sell products that prematurely sexualise children. Justine Roberts, spokesperson for the group, said: 'Some of the shoes I have seen on sale look more suited to a lap-dancing club than the feet of a young girl. The items in question are prematurely sexualising young children. We are saying to retailers, "Have a look at your range and ask yourselves if these items are appropriate." 'Some of the school shoes Tesco sells have got a two-inch heel. You shouldn't have a high heel if your feet are developing. 'It's not about being Mary Whitehouse. It's about not sleepwalking into a world where this is normal. 'Young girls always want to dress up and emulate adults, and that's fine. But when the bulk of the range on offer is like this, then it is making our children grow up too fast.' A spokeswoman for another parent group, Netmums, said they feared kids' high heels would result in the 'sexualisation' of children. Nicola Lamond said: 'I went shopping with my daughter and was horrified by how many shoes came with a high heel in sizes to fit girls as young as three. 'These shoes will be harder to walk in than flat shoes so I'd be worried my child would injure themselves. 'A lot of our mums are also concerned with the sexualisation of children and these shoes will do nothing to allay those fears.'
Health experts also warn they can damage youngsters' feet, cause lower back pain and arthritis. Podiatrist Gregor McCoshim said: 'The fact children can wear these is worrying. Any heel above 2cm increases the risk of twisting you ankle. 'If kids do that it makes them more likely to suffers a similar injury again. Repeated injuries can make them more likely to develop arthritis.' Sammy Margo of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy said putting a child into even slightly higher shoes shortens calf muscles while lengthening others. She said: 'They also have to arch their lower back more. This can cause strains in their back which is a potential problem for their growth and development.' However the companies remain defiant.
A Next spokesperson said: 'Their popularity suggests many parents agree we've come up with a look that's special without seeming inappropriately grown up.' Asda said they had no customer complaints about the heel size on any of their children's shoes, while GapKids said their child high heels had been tested to ensure safety. "
_________________
I'll see if I can grab a photo of the offending shoes... Just so we can see them and maybe some PS'ers would even buy them?
300x240.png)