To think clarks and start rite are sexist when it comes to school shoes

[Balcanoona]

Buying school shoes for DD 9 and 11 yesterday - both walk to school, one along the canal, the eldest has narrow feet. But the only girls shoes on offer from these two companies has very thin soles which would be worn through within a month. The boys shoes had thick soles and far more robust. The extremely helpful shop assistant told me they were "fashion shoes" and companies don't really think about practicalities. We found another brand more suitable, but really, for 9 year old to think they don't run about - AIBU?

My 5 yr old dd has her first pair of school shoes and got Lelli Kelly ones, patent leather, fantastic quality but we shall see how long they last! They were £45 from a children's shop.
Ds is 13 and in a size 12 men's shoe and his have cost me £90, feet just keep growing and growing.

I think the shoe choices in Clarks are awful and many people feel like they have to buy dc shoes from there, god knows why!
My sil thinks it's another tick on the perfect parent list to have the obligatory Clarks even though her dc have often asked to buy different shoes

I paid £26 for DD3's school shoes. They're bearing up well so far.

The first time I took my dd to Clarks to get her feet measured and first pair of shoes I was struggling to get her a good sturdy pair because she has my wide feet. My local branch did not stock many of the girl's styles in the wide fit. Although my dd was young she was very adventurous so I wanted a good solid pair that would last. I asked about the boy's styles which all covered the foot better and looked tougher, I was told that girls and boys have different shaped feet! I went home and ordered a boy's pair online.

Dd aged 11 wearsboys shoes. They look like trainers.

I took GS shoe shopping yesterday. We went to Brantano, I think that is the right name? He is 9 and his Clark's shoes cost me £25 and I thought that wasn't bad. They had 25% off and I was expecting to pay closer to £50. I had a look at the girls shoes and they definitely had Clark's shoes that covered the foot, that had thick soles and looked pretty tough. However, all the little girls were looking at the "pretty" shoes, ballet type shoes, shoes with glitter and Mary Janes. Sorry but I was quite pleased with my purchase and if girls aren't wearing the sensible shoes I don't think you can blame Clarks.

They have lots of sturdy black unisex shoes in our local Clarke's. I them for all the kids in the family as I think they're great.

Granny you hit the nail on the head there. I measure my kids (and now the whole family's kids lol) feet at home now & go shopping for the shoes alone. You can't trust kids under 10 to make a good decision about shoes.

I was told that girls and boys have different shaped feet - yeah, mine do . Namely DS has the narrow small boned feet with long elegant toes just like DH, and DD has very wide chubby feet just like me.

Is there actually any evidence that girls or women have, for the same size, narrower feet on average?

RunningLulu, it does seem funny how little ones dictate. I'm all for kids having a choice but if I am spending money on something it does need to be fit for purpose. I wouldn't buy paper wellies however pretty they were and however much my GD wanted them.

Elefanten don't seem to sell black shoes in the UK (only a few via eBay).

I have to admit that Clarks have done ds well, with each pair lasting aabout a year for 3 years.

I also refuse to call them 'boys shoes' they are children's shoes ffs

No the length sizes may be the same however the width and depths of boys shoes are different because boys feet are usually a different shape/width.

Just like men's shoes are usually too wide for me at the toe.

I buy toughees for my dd, bought them for the last few years now, she'll outgrow them perhaps in the school year but there's never anything wrong with them. She's pretty rough with shoes too, plays football etc.

"I buy toughees for my dd"

Same here, just started buying them for DD3 (seven) after cheaper shoes fell apart before she'd even outgrown them. She has the "Kate" MJ style atm. She runs, jumps, climbs trees etc. in them - they seem very sturdy.

the width and depths of boys shoes are different because boys feet are usually a different shape/width.

But are they really? Or do people just assume that boys must need roomier shoes? This is of course a very small study, but just taking a random class, it was found that 'estimated average difference in mean width between boys’ and girls’ feet, for a given length, is about 2.3 millimeters. The difference in actual shoe widths (measured at local shoe stores) can be seen to be almost half a centimeter. The variation of foot widths within gender is more substantial than the variation between genders.'
www.amstat.org/publications/jse/v14n1/datasets.meyer.html

I find the same with clothes - toddler girls are not necessarily that much slimmer than boys the same height. Their clothes are just cut to fit tighter.

The t-shirts become obvious when buying school pe kit. The "boys" t-shirt is a T, the "girls" is a lovely little fitted thing, sometimes with puckered sleeves, because that's just what a four year old girl needs for PE, obviously.

We order DD3's logoed gym kit from the school - airtex shirts, shorts, sweatshirts and joggers - all unisex.

To the person who said they only have pink shoes for the little girls - when did you last go in? DD (18m) has never had pink shoes and they always have a selection of other colours, like purples, greys, patent black, etc. In fact, I've never been shown more than one pink style, when she's needed new ones. DD's latest are silver and dark metallic purple.

But are they really? Or do people just assume that boys must need roomier shoes?

Yes. There are differences. I used to fit shoes and whilst some children could have been fitted in the opposite gender shoes, most would not fit at certain points of the foot. There are overlaps in width at the given measurement point but foot shape has more distinguishable differences than just the width measurement and do make a difference to the fit.

If I could show you in person I would. Its very demonstratable.

Actually another point to demonstrate its about more than just the width measurement:

You could have two children who measure exactly the same width at the width point but need totally different styles of shoe because one has a slimmer ankles than the other. Or one actually has a narrow foot but high instep, so needs a narrower but deeper fitting shoe than the other child with the same measurement who has a low instep but wider foot.

The width measurements only use is as a starting point for which shoes may fit. When I was a fitter I actually didn't go off the width measurements, I could tell by looking which width, in which styles were most likely to fit.

loosechange
I have been buying PE kit for years now, I have never bought boys or girls kit I don't think I've seen gendered tops, both mine have the unisex stuff. In fact last year DD had DS's hand me downs.

ratley ASDA have gendered PE kit. Boys pe tops come in a clear and blue pack and are just a standard T-shirt. Girls come in a clear and pink pack and have an "effeminate" cut/shape.

Same for school poloshirts.

I think its to try and stop hand-me-downs and make you feel you need to buy new for each differently gendered child.

Which by the way I don't agree with

Well you learn something new everyday. I like that it is unisex and can be handed down.

ASDA gendered PE kit and polos...
I bought DD1 'boys' (or in fact any!) polos years ago (from a variety of shops) - then one day I picked up a packet of girls ones in ASDA (as they didn't have the right size in boys) and they were a bit small ...its not a whole size really it is something in between.

So I tend to stick to boys or girls now for DD2 as I want the next size up not a 1.5 size up - or 0.5 size up. (polos she has girls, gym t-shirts -boys)

Same with boys hoodies - I get DD2 to try them on but if she is wearing 9-10s in girls she will probably need 8-9s in boys..
Not worried about passing on poloshirts - ime white poloshirts won't survive well enough to be passed on (think white and children = mistake -wish ours could wear coloured ones) but do pass on Gym tshirts..