11 yo DD & Hotter Shoes

[TheClitterati]

X took DD school shoe shopping. We discussed getting DM,s or Clark's. DD now has a pair of Hotter black school shoes. Aren't they for the over 50's?
Will this potentially ruin dds first year at high school?

WIBU to raise the matter and suggest we return them?

NB: This would also mean I'd have to spend this weekend looking for School shoes.

AIBU?
WWYD?

Please take them back!

Girls wear so much more practical shoes that when I was at school and that is great, but those are too far.

Bit surprised that the bullies are getting to decide how a kid dresses for school. I don't think my teens even know what Hotter is? And fwiw dd had very narrow feet and so because the school had a stupidly strict footwear policy she had to wear what looked like primary school shoes till she was 15 - no one said a thing to her.

To all the posters on this thread who say take them back - don't be so (insert word of your choice here)

If the girl likes them and they are comfortable - let her wear them - do not take them back - FFS

Oof, I love a comfy shoe but those are bloody horrible! Get those beasts returned and find something that doesn't look like it was prescribed for a limp

Year 7 in a new school? No way would I be sending her in those. Please get her some age appropriate ones. I'm 51 and wouldn't be seen dead in those.

At 51 I’m guessing you wouldn’t be seen dead in a lot of shoes kids wear.

Well looks like your Dd's more sensible than half of Mumsnet. If you're going to be wearing shoes all week traipsing to/around/from school, comfort absolutely should be number one priority. And bullies will always find something to bully "about", but really it's about being a bully.

PS they look like the preferred style most of my class wore at school.

Take them back. I speak as one who started secondary school in hush puppies.

For those who said about the label....I don't know any 11 year old girl (as a secondary teacher) that would have a clue what hotter shoes are!

I think they look like trainers.

I think she's more likely to get questions from staff about trainer style shoes.

There should be some sort of law against selling those things to harassed dads of 11 year olds. I have to say that my 80-something gran wouldn't wear them.

(they're not bog standard black school shoes).

Don’t think anyone should be calling someone else’s kid a ‘nasty child’. Not kind.

@TheClitterati my niece has had those kickers every year since she started secondary. She's just starting year 11 with her 5th pair!! She is not trendy but not a terrible geek either. She just likes what she likes. Never had the piss taken and great and comfy for waking to school, last all year. If you shop around you can get them cheaper.

Also my daughter would wear those hotter shoes. She's going into year 6 though and has problem feet!

Mine has kickers, I wanted her to have Docs but she's not 'ready' for that yet (I imagine that I will be buying her docs by Christmas).

Good that you are not 'that mum' (like mine was) who insists boys nature trek shoes were the same as kickers (thanks mum, still mentally scarred) and that docs were 'exactly the same without the label or price tag' as boys wedding shoes.

I hate DD's trainers, DH took her for them, I am going to buy another pair for her.

‘ What a nasty child you have bought up‘

That’s out of line. There are lots of adults who have agreed with her. Why pick on the teenager?

@iamthere123
A nasty child really? Well that must apply to every PP on here saying don’t wear them!
I can assure you she’s a lovely girl, so do learn not to make assumptions about someone else’s child, you’re the nasty one.

There is a lot of ageism and sexism on this thread (laughing at the idea of a dad going shoe shopping).

Who are all the parents letting their children be bullies? Some of the other shoes people have posted I think look hideous and others don’t look any different to the Hotter shoes.

I wear Hotter shoes and have done since my 40s. I must have strange feet as I struggle to find comfortable shoes. I mainly wear their boots or sandals. They do brogues so could always do a swap if she finds them comfortable, they are very good at returns.

I'm 33 and have their old pixie boots in three colours and two pairs of other very stylish and beautiful heels.

They are the comfiest shoes I've ever worn and they have lasted me 5 years so far and always look immaculate.

I get compliments from everyone and always asked where they're from.

I would've loved them as a teenager too.

If DCs don't know the Hotter's brand then I don't think they'd judge these shoes as harshly as MN. As PPs have said, they look like a cross between trainers and Vans. Both of which are very popular. I'm picking up Vans today for my P7 to wear outside of school. He wears Kickers for school
But having been picked on for wearing the wrong coat to high school, I can completely understand your worries about this. I think a PP's suggestion to pick up a cheap, alternative pair is great. Then your DD can choose which to wear and her choices may change as she moves through the school year.

OP I'd rather my kid worse those than wear crap plastic shoes that will damage and scar their feet. Or have we all forgotten the pain of blisters from shitty 'fashionable' shoes? Yes including kickers and DMs.

And the irony is half of you on here would've ripped seven shades out of us that did wear DMs 20yrs ago 🙄

It's a fairly innocuous, plain black pair of shoes. Obviously leather and too plain to be mistaken for a trainer. If she's happy, let her be.

I'm in my 30s and discovering Hotter was the best thing ever for my feet. Yes, some styles are frumpy, but they do make some pleasant, actually wearable shoes that I could bare to stand in all day for work and actually look nice with skirts and dresses without looking like one extreme of 8 yo or 80 yo, a challenge with sensitive, awkwardly proportionned feet.

I hate shoe snobbery. Some people just don't get much choice about what they can actually put on their feet and bare weight in, let alone move around in all day. I just remember the relief that just in time for y7 I had finally reached the size necessary to have lace-ups and finally after many years of repitition to finally ditch "THE H-width Startrite that fitted" which was a pretty tragic T-bar style. Not that "THE H-width lace-up Startrite" was vastly better, but hey, what else can you do at size 13.5 H. I was a bit square and never cool anyway, but never specifically targeted for my footwear.

My only annoyance was later when DM refused to replace the uncool coat that had growing room (I'd stopped growing) and wondered why I flatly refused to wear a coat for over 2 years when I had a "perfectly good coat".

Each school will have its own twist of fashion anyway and it can be hard to know what's ideal until you're in. All y7s are finding their way anyway and by y8, they'll have it sussed.

I would definitely take them back and go for something like the DM MaryJane.

Whilst I agree that bullies are arseholes and that they will always find something if they are set on it; don’t make their job any easier. I’ve had 2 daughters go through the secondary school Year 7 process. The first term sets the tone for the rest of the time there is our experience.

Superficial things like this should not matter. But sadly they seem to; so to smooth the way for your daughter I would get something different.