To let you know that Tesco stole the skin tone plasters

[drspouse]

I just saw this on Twitter

twitter.com/lovettejallow/status/1234880832415969282?s=19

I would like to say I'm shocked but I'm not really.

Also, as an aside, buying dance shoes has been an absolute nightmare for people of colour too, pointe shoes come in pale pink, and that was the only option until 2018 I think.
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/ballet-shoes-colours-pointe-dancers-dark-brown-bronze-uk-black-asian-ballerina-a8618676.html

I still can't find brown ballet shoes for DD.

The idea for these have been around for years and years. Tesco haven't stolen the idea.

Apart from this woman being the 'little guy', how has she done anything differently from Tesco?

She is marketing and selling a product that has existed for years under her own branding. She most probably looked at samples of other plasters in her research and development. Is this shocking?

This is not an original idea. She has no intellectual ownership of it. For all she knows, Tesco may have had this range in the pipeline for some time.

No foul play. Nothing to see here.

@drspouse Freed of London are doing ballet shoes in brown

store.freedoflondon.com/leather-aspire-ballet-shoe-junior

The company referred to in the tweet launched in 2017.
A very quick google gives me another half a dozen companies selling plasters for coloured skin predating that by years.

We’re really talking about a game of love letters here.
“I wrote a letter to my love and on the way I dropped it! One of you has picked it up and put it in your pocket!”

@drspouse www.freedoflondon.com/aspire-ballet-shoe-now-available-in-ballet-brown-and-ballet-bronze/

That's a pointe shoe, she's only 5!

I thought the whole point(e haha) of ballet tights and shoes was so that all the girl's legs and feet matched when they were dancing in a line.

Bloch make them but only starting at an adult size 2.

A pair of black legs in pale ballet tights aren't going to match!

I think it's something to do with visually making the leg into a continuous line

I thought ballerinas could dye shoes or get them in various colours at the dance shops? My sister dyes her dance shoes to match her dresses.

Anyone seriously hoping to make a business of something should get the basics right, which includes patents. Just watch a couple of episodes of Dragon's Den!

I thought ballerinas could dye shoes or get them in various colours at the dance shops?

There is a video of a black dancer saying how she used to colour her shoes with a cheap foundation. She said it was messy and being able to just buy a pair in brown and put them on was a joy.

@drspouse The aspire Juniors in the first link I posted aren’t Pointe shoes (no block) and they start at a kids size 5

Oh I misread then - the link I clicked on took me to pointe shoes.
DD has white at the moment but we'll see about brown for her next pair.

Interesting. Can anyone else see that link in the OP now?

I replied saying that it wasn't the etsy people's idea in the first place, and that these plasters have been around for decades, just not easily available. And now I appear to be blocked!

I replied on twitter, to clarify

I recall this was discussed in a book I read at least 20 years ago. Non white people whom the (black) author spoke to thought the idea was patronising.

@saraclara I can still see the link. I too have found lots of plasters for multiple skin tones from way way way before their claims. I guess they don’t like being told “actually your idea wasn’t new either...”

I guess they don’t like being told “actually your idea wasn’t new either...”

I guess they don't! I rarely go on Twitter, so I'm not used to a place where making a perfectly sensible and calm reply gets you blocked by the person you're talking to!

The lady isn't happy with me.

lol that she thought she invented the idea of skin toned plasters.

It's her friend that she thinks invented them. But the friend's company has liked my tweet!

It's bad but it wasn't her idea to steal and the CF pitched to Tesco someone's else's invention! I'm glad she went bust. Tesco should stop selling aswell