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There’s no doubt that marketing baby products to parents is a big business. It is not uncommon for expectant parents to have a list a mile long of baby paraphernalia they think they need for their new addition. One thing I am certain is probably not on most baby shower registries, especially eco-friendly baby showers, is high heeled baby shoes.
We’ve covered bizarre baby gear before, but this one I really can’t understand. Heelarious is the name brand for “her first high heels”. They come in five styles, including leopard and zebra satin. These strange shoes were the idea of two Seattle moms who intended them to be funny; however, I don’t find humor in dressing up an infant in stillettos. Why would my baby need a pair of heels when I don’t even own a pair?
I do have fond memories of playing dress up in my mother’s shoes, but I think these high heeled baby shoes are disturbing. Considering the warped image many girls and women have about body image and beauty on top of the harmful health effects of high heeled shoes, I just don’t get the humor. My babies were not dolls for me to dress up for my entertainment or to turn into mini fashionistas. Let children be children!
Image: New York Post
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Jennifer,
I must agree with you 100%, as I have no clue why any mom would want to put her baby in high heels.
That’s pretty bad. I can imagine the parents who buy those are the same ones that put their babies in those freaky string bikinis.
While I agree it is weird and I’m not one for the whole ultra fashion baby thing, I must point out they are not actually high heels – they are made of soft foam and collapse so they are just like regular shoes. Only…they look…creepy.
I wrote about this awhile back on Shaping Youth (Infants as Joke Props and Fashion Fodder) http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=2272
so have some strong feelings about this.
It not only feeds into the ‘needless consumption’ novelty market, it fuels the harm we’re seeing in the early sexualization of girls at ever-younger ages in the APA study, which basically puts the ‘appearance/sex object’ message out there front and center to a dialed down demographic.
As I said in my post on Shaping Youth, I realize there were superfluous (Pet Rocks, vials of oxygen, beach sand, etc.) marketed and productized to make a buck, but somehow…stiletto crib shoes are just too ‘ewww’ and Carrie Bradshaw-ish for words.
My suggestion was that Heelarious use their product to spread the message of the APA/sexualization study and the damage being done to girls! They could donate a percentage of profits to orgs like us battling the self-worth fallout from ‘packaging girlhood’!
As you can imagine, I haven’t heard any ‘buy-in’ from their founders…not yet, anyway.
heehe
Heels are definitely out. For healthy walking shoes, flexible soles are KEY. For a great article on selecting the best shoe for your little one, First Baby Shoes: How to Choose the Right Ones