MrsRhett we'd had that already over shoes(Lelli Kelly/Daisy doll school shoes oh yes indeedy) and many things.My dd was teased for not having Daisy school shoes with heals that cave in. She has always had Startrite shoes that fit(thin feet).It's been an eye opener having a girl I tell you.
I never want my dd to follow the crowd and want character brands because the pack has.I want her to have the strength of character to look for quality,design,fit alongside her own taste that isn't influenced by other girls. She'll be a teenager one day and I want to teach her now that following the pack isn't always a good thing. She's really doing it now,I'm soooo proud of her.
A small example of this is school summer sahoes.At our school they're supposed to have sensible black/brown shoes but all the girls turn up in inappropriate wedge white sandals with heels hanging over the back. I said to dd sorry but no so as a compromise she had some Startrite Lottie shoes and yes she was the only one. She was proud of the fact and thrilled that she didn't trip over her shoes and could climb and run in them.
The alternative would have been shoes that didn't fit and led to her tripping over.She happily chose the sensible route and now really doesn't care about the herd mentality.When she's older it will doubtlessly crop up again but I feel bit by bit I'm giving her a valuable life skill.
Not had a teenager so I'll doubtlessly fall on my face at some point down the line but one can but try 
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