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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Clarks are outrageously sexist?

80 replies

BakingEating · 15/02/2015 13:32

So my dd is nearly one and just starting to walk. I decided to have a quick look online at shoes so that I'd have a good idea of prices and styles before I go shopping.

I'm now seething with rage at the ridiculously sexist way Clarks are categorising their shoes. Shoes for baby girls are either pink or purple, or they're covered in hearts or flowers. A plain green pair of canvas shoes are "for boys". A yellow pair with giraffes on are "for boys". Why?

www.clarks.co.uk/c/babies-walking

I know most baby and children's clothes shops do this to some extent, but Clarks is the worst I've encountered so far. You'd normally expect some overlap between what they market at girls and boys.

Normally I just buy what's nice and get on with life. With Clarks though it's too bad to ignore.

AIBU?

OP posts:
mommy2ash · 15/02/2015 15:55

i don't understand the rage. i have a girl i have always dressed her like a girl and there is nothing wrong with that.

i don't shop in the mens section as a woman why would i shop in the boys section for my girl.

TheFairyCaravan · 15/02/2015 16:05

I don't understand the rage either.

I managed to get my boys to the grand old age of 18 & 20 without ever seething with rage over clothes or shoes. When they were little they had their feet measured and I bought the shoes that were the best fit. I didn't have the fucking energy to get worked up over the range of colours they had for one gender and not the other, and tbf if I had have I couldn't have given a shit.

Gileswithachainsaw · 15/02/2015 16:20

The choice of colours doesn't bother me.

What does is the fact that so called girls shoes are far flimsier and less protective and supportive of the feet.

school shoes especially t bars do have alot of the top of the foot exposed leaving them cold and probe to getting wet.

they are not as easy or practical to run jump or kick a ball around In

Gileswithachainsaw · 15/02/2015 16:26

You effectively pay 40 quid for half a shoe

morethanpotatoprints · 15/02/2015 16:30

seething with rage
Oh dear, you'll have a lot to seethe about before dc is 18 if this bothers you so much.

LiegeAndLief · 15/02/2015 16:34

School shoes are absolutely the worst for this. I have started a thread about it before! Not just Clarks either, I really struggled to find anywhere that stocked school shoes which weren't overtly "boyish" or half a shoe. And then when I finally did, dd refused to bloody wear them because all her friends had Mary Janes and she didn't want "boys' shoes"!

KarmaNoMore · 15/02/2015 16:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gileswithachainsaw · 15/02/2015 16:40

What shoes did you get liege

makeminea6x · 15/02/2015 16:46

I don't mind pink. But you know what? It is shit that girls are being limited by their shoes and the perpetuation of the idea that they should be wearing something pretty and not engaging in active outdoor play.

I'd love it if Clark's had even one pair of pretty and practical warm winter shoes for my DD when we were last there but they didn't, so she ended up with blue and black boots from the "boys section".

I've never been given any shit at all by an assistant for this though.

pourmeanotherglass · 15/02/2015 16:52

It is a bit annoying - I like to get shoes from Clarks because they fit them properly and have width fittings, but DD1 has just started secondary school and walks half an hour each way in all weathers. The sturdiest style Clarks can come up with (the brogues) are much flimsier than the boys equivalent. The only girls pair with a thick sole also had quite a high heel (not practical).

BikeRunSki · 15/02/2015 17:00

Since 2 branches of Clark's measured DS's feet 3 different sizes (length/width) in the space of 48 hrs, I am not convinced their fitting is particularly good. Thus is enhanced by the "fitter" who told me on another occassion that width fliting doesn't matter when the shied I wanted were not available in the size needed.

BoneyBackJefferson · 15/02/2015 17:00

Try buying a pair on men's shoes then.

Limited range (in any shoe shop) surrounded by women's shoes, boots, and sandles etc.

ManOfSpiel · 15/02/2015 17:17

I have no idea if Clarks's shoes are sexist but I do know they just sell shit shoes for all, whether it's men, women or children.

I do think YABU though if you're seething with rage given there are a great many shops selling shoes. If you don't like Clarks then don't spend your money there. It's not like their shop assistants are twisting your arm and forcing you into the shop.

I have girls in their teens now and have never, I repeat, never had any problems buying hard wearing or non girly looking shoes. Clearly you're not looking or trying hard enough.

VashtaNerada · 15/02/2015 17:18

Oh, I know what you mean OP! It's so random which colours/animals/etc they designate for boys and girls. I was told they'd sold out of sandals when I went with DS but there were plenty in bright, primary colours they just assumed that putting a boy in coloured shoes was akin to putting him in full drag with a bra and make-up! (We bought him purple sandals in the end which nobody outside of Clarks ever once considered to be 'girls')

Catsize · 16/02/2015 07:36

There are many threads on here about how rubbish this shop is.
My biggest gripe with them is that they will put children in shoes WAY before they are ready (cruisers???). Makes me Angry
A child should be able to walk confidently (not wobbly) on their own across a large room before they are fitted for shoes shoes. Until then, they are learning to flex their feet for balance and develop the muscles.

MelonBallersAreStrange · 16/02/2015 07:53

School shoes for girls are awful. DD has boys shoes this winter because her feet kept getting soaked and freezing at playtime in those ridiculous mary janes.

She is lobbying me to go back to girls shoes when she grows out of them. She says she won't cry or moan no matter how bad her feet feel! Peer pressure. What a ridiculous situation.

All they would have to do is to put some butterfly or heart stitching motifs on the "boys" shoes and the little girls would be fine with it.

I'd prefer it if the girls were happy to wear boys shoes but it doesn't seem imminent.

Bellwether · 16/02/2015 08:35

Look at the style, too. Maryjanes for girls - open shoe, perfect for getting drenched in the rain, your socks muddy and useless in snow. 'Boy' shoes - sturdy, closed boots, 2 or 3 velcro straps.

I had my daughter in boy's shoes when she was very little but eventually they did start to look odd with her outfits. I now browse online a lot - Zulily can be very good for stylish girl's shoes in proper styles and muted colours. Vertbaudet as well.

vdbfamily · 16/02/2015 09:27

Is it that different to having a male and female adult range? Are you raging about that too. Most women do not want to wear mens shoes. I am a size 11 so do not have that much choice on the highstreet. Often I buy mens shoes for work that are quite Unisex but I have to shop in the Mens section. If you like the boys shoes more then buy them! Shops are consumer led generally. They would be stocking more unisex stuff if that's what the public were asking for, so you need to be raging at society, not Clarks !

MojaveWanderer123 · 16/02/2015 10:24

Just because it says for boys/girls doesn't mean anything. Just choose what you want regardless. Boys feet are no different from girls feet.

Aberchips · 16/02/2015 11:01

YABU - first world problem if ever I saw one. They don't ban you from buying a pair of "boys" shoes for a girl. There are better things to be seething with rage about.
Fast forward 5 years to when she is at school & see how you get on then!! My 5 yo son is now so gender stereotypical now he is at school it's not true. Speaking to girls is not cool & it's all about superheroes & Ninja Turtles! He doesn't get this at home so it's all been picked up in the playground.

OTheHugeManatee · 16/02/2015 11:03

YANBU and YABU.

What you're really complaining about is that clothes designated as 'female' are less practical and wearable. And this starts at toddler age.

YANBU to complain about this, but YA arguably BU to home in on it as a problem specifically in toddlers' shoes. As part of a general complaint about the silly nature of women's clothing, it's fair enough Grin

(As an aside, I just googled to see if girls' school shoes have always been silly. I found lots of pictures of Victorian school-aged children, where both sexes are wearing nice sensible sturdy boots. It's a shame that doesn't still happen.

Unfortunately overall the girls' clothing in those photos still looks more silly than the boys' as it's generally white or pale, and therefore less practical. Le sigh Hmm )

Suzannewithaplan · 16/02/2015 11:10

surely they only do it because it is a profitable strategy?

sparechange · 16/02/2015 11:11

Agree with the others who have said this is rife on the high street, but I think the shops are doing this in response to customer demand.
On the facebook selling sites I look at, the vast, vast majority of people putting up 'wanted' notices say things like 'Looking for XX item. Must be pink or purple as it's for a girl'. When people reply offering the item in green or yellow, they are all told 'sorry hun, it is for a girl so i can't take it in green'
It is ridiculous, but the shops aren't soley to blame when idiot parents are so set in their ways about girl and boy colours

Suzannewithaplan · 16/02/2015 11:15

I suppose we could ask to what degree are they reflecting demand, or are they creating demand?
Probably a bit of both, ie, gender norms are created via an interactive process which can't be precisely controlled ?

Suzannewithaplan · 16/02/2015 11:18

Facebook book selling and the use of 'hun' indicates that you are referring to a certain type
Not everyone would be so keen to stick to the pink for girls theme ?