To think that if your feet are small enough to wear these shoes you are too young for high heels?

[unrulysun]

I saw these shoes in a branch of Monsoon today. I see plenty of things for little girls which make me roll my eyes but these actually made me stop and stare and then a few minutes later go back into the shop to talk to someone.

The heel on these is a good inch high. My DD is 3 and her feet are size 9. The ones I saw were in a size 7 which I think DD last had when she was 2. She’s not particularly enormous for her age so I think these shoes are definitely for 2 – 3 year olds. I don’t know what size they go down to. AIBU to think that a 2 or 3 year old shouldn’t be walking around in high heels? This isn’t wearing your mum’s high heels this is ‘these are your new shoes’.

And yy I know ‘you don’t need to buy them if you don’t want to’ and I won’t buy them. But I care about the little girls who they are bought for. I don’t think any little girl should be put into shoes like this. Frankly I’d be worried DD would twist an ankle in heels this high. She certainly wouldn’t be able to run or play. And I’m sad that these are on sale for little girls. Not in some weird online place but in a high street shop.

I’m going to complain to Monsoon. I would have liked to have given them the feedback instore today but the sales assistant shrugged and said ‘I’m just a sales assistant’ and the manager was ‘too busy’ to talk to –annoying people who think girls should be allowed to be children-- me.

Oops you should have posted this in chat unruly

My issue Derek is that I think children should be children and that girls, in particular, should be allowed to be children without having to absorb the message that prettiness is more important than comfort.

That's my issue.

You are sooooooo NOT being unreasonable OP.

Until a child is 16 or so, the feet are like gristle rather than bone and very mouldable.

It is very irresponsible of this shop to be selling these. I was a bridesmaid at 6 and wore flat ballet shoes, with which I was over the moon.

The badly-made children's shoes on sale generally make me - like those with inflexible soles.

Ooooh. Raw nerve. Grrrrrr. Fight the good fight OP!

I'm not feeling very chatty :)

Thanks catsize. I knew someone would come along eventually with proper science.

Flat ballet shoes are so bad for your feet to walk in.

You never see a ballerina wearing ballet flats off the stage.

They aren't high. They are also a block heel which the vast majority of people would have no problem walking in. One of my kids went through a prolonged 'clippy cloppy' disney princess type high heel phase when she was about 18-30 months. She could run, play football and climb up the steps to the slide just as well as she could in trainers. It's not as hard as you might think. Also, playing isn't necessarily 'running around'. Plenty of kids are more quiet/introverted and simply do not need to have special running around shoes on, especially at an occasion.

And no-one puts boys in shoes like this do they? Most men don't wear shoes like this.
Yes you can't run and jump in them, but no one is expecting children to in this.

I can see a little girl who is to be a flower girl or a bridesmaid getting very excited to wear shoes like this. It will make you feel all grown up for a day. And I would expect that the parent of the little girl wearing these to a wedding would take a pair of sensible shoes along so she didn't spend the whole day in them if she wasn't comfy.

What did you expect the manager to do?
As said before, write to Monsoon if it worries you so much.

Those shoes don't look uncomfy.

So should the bride wear a nice pair of footgloves then, for comfort?

Yes ballet flats are also shit. Very shit.

As WooWoo said earlier - need doesn't really come into it with something like a party shoe or anything of that ilk whether for adults or children - really the importance is 'what is the likely impact?' - it's just as important for children to play at being grown-up as to play at anything else.

Mind you, it is a bit subjective as I'd have no issue with the shoes you've linked to, but might have at the Brantano ones, simply because, like the padded bikinis in Primark, they imply 'serious, possibly sexualised, grown-up' rather than 'party/playing at grown-up' IYSWIM?

P.S. - if anyone has some tweezers to help with splinter removal due to excessive fence sitting it would be much appreciated!

And no-one puts boys in shoes like this do they?

No, of course they don't.

I'm assuming the bride at this hypothetical wedding will get to choose her own shoes? So she can wear whatever the fuck she wants can't she?

Not the case if you are 3 though.

Men do not wear shoes like this no. I think that is also part of my point...

A shoe for occasional wear with one inch square heel in a round toe she with a strap isn't going to damage feet and won't cause pelvic tilt or sexual display.

If the heel were narrower and maybe twice as high, and the shoe was narrow toed and with no strap then it might cause worrying compression in even a shortish time. But that's not this shoe.

(Is it just me, or is this thread becoming very like the dance shoes one?)

You have lost me unruly. they don't even come in Mens' sizes in any case.

What did you want the manager of the store to do?

I'm going to keep asking as you keep avoiding the question.

These shoes resemble the dance shoes I wore from age 3 (Ballroom and Latin dance lessons from age 3). They have the same size and style heel. Whilst not great for every day wear, the heel was hardly noticeable when wearing them, and they were very comfortable to walk and dance in for a few hours every week. They seem absolutely fine for the intended purpose of bridesmaid / party shoes.
Had they been marketed as school shoes or every day wear, I may have seen your point.

"Men do not wear shoes like this no. I think that is also part of my point..."

Try looking at pix of school shoes from 1950s/60s/70s. You might be surprised by the heel heights for both sexes.

Why is the heel there though? Why should a child that young have heels?

It's just weird.

Very like the dance shoe one.

I absolutely hate heels on little kids. Makes me cross that boys are generally dressed for comfort, but girls often have to put up with uncomfortable clothing for the sake of prettiness.

Mainly this thread has me concerned that my DD actually has flippers instead of feet. She has just turned 10 and is a size 5!