A friend alerted me to these today:
They’re high-heeled crib shoes for babies. In other words, baby’s first pair of heels. Now, don’t go off the deep end yet – they’re not real heels. If a baby tries to stand on them, the heels collapse. They’re meant for fun, of course.
These are cute, and I’ll admit I laughed when I first saw them. But of course, I always wonder what message this is sending to little girls, especially at the hands of women who are obsessed with heels. Oh sure, the baby isn’t going to remember being dressed up in her leopard print heels, but her big sister might. Will she be wanting heels also? And then demanding to go see Sex and the City with you and your friends?
When I started junior high, the pressure to fit in really hit me, and I wanted to wear heels like the other girls. I begged and begged my mom to get me a pair of shoes with heels, preferably something larger than half an inch. She continued to refuse, until my first band performance, when we were required to dress up: black skirts, white blouses, and black dress shoes. I had outgrown my old dress shoes, and used this chance to pressure my mom into a pair of heels.
I found this beautiful pair of shiny black shoes with a two and a half inch heel. Mom said no way, naturally. But I begged, throwing in that all the other girls were wearing heels and I didn’t want to be the reject who didn’t have heels and yes, I’d like to go jump off that bridge with them, too.
My mom is a smart woman. She recognized a pre-teen teaching moment in the shoe section of Sears, and agreed to buy them. I got home and immediately took my new prized possession out of the box and slipped them on. I wobbled my way around the house, trying to keep my balance without looking down.
And five minutes later, as my legs ached and my toes burned from the pressure, I realized I did not want heels. But it was too late. My only pair of dress shoes for that school year had been purchased, and I had to live with my choice.
Five minutes at home was nothing compared to an hour and a half band performance. And I didn’t play an instrument that let me sit down – I played drums/xylophone. Each time I had to wear those shoes didn’t seem to lessen the blisters, the pain, and the thought that I was insane for thinking heels were a good idea. (And yes, the shoes fit well.)
I was so happy to get rid of them at the end of the school year. I still wore heels when I went to prom, and a few other occasions, but I generally wanted them to be shorter.
Now, I’ll admit to not being fashion forward. My fashion tends towards comfort than style most of the time. I haven’t willingly worn high heels in a long time. Even for my wedding, I wore silver sandals – I refused to be uncomfortable on my wedding day. This isn’t to say that I won’t wear heels at all, but an inch or so is my absolute max, and it has to be a chunky heel to prevent any chance of wobbling. Most of the time I prefer flat shoes. Go ahead, call me a fashion don’t or a hippie – my relaxed feet can take it.
For nursing school, we have a clinical at a different location each quarter. This quarter we were at an orthopedic surgery floor. Lots of people having total joint replacements, ankle stabilizations, corrective foot surgery, etc. Most of the men I cared for had the same start to their problems: sports. Many of the women I cared for also had the same start to their problems: wearing heels all the time. Suddenly my choice doesn’t seem so backwards, since flats are more fashionable than surgery scars.
So my reaction to these baby heels is that they’re cute, and should be used as the creators intended: to dress a baby girl in for one or two occasions as a good joke (hence the name Heelarious). But if you’re putting your infant daughter in them more than once every week or two, I think it’s time for a high heel intervention.
Amen! I love the look of heels. I wore two inch heels most of the time in high school, and ended up having some as high as five-inches (yikes!) before my back surgery in 2006. Now I can’t wear anything more than an inch, and that’s just if I don’t plan on being on my feet much in them…
All I can think is how much wear MY heels would be saved by buying a pair of those. But maybe the magic would be lost if dress-up involved shoes that weren’t 15 sizes to big?
Thanks for the scoop. They ARE Heelarious!
um, i wear heels almost every. single. day. i actually feel strange and awkward when i’m NOT wearing them!
They are kind of cute, though 😉
I must admit, I hate to wear heels, too. I’m also all about comfort. Maybe that’s the reason my toes hurt sometimes. Perhaps it’s not from arthritis like I thought after all *LOL* I feel younger already! 😉
I always wore heels when I was younger. Now, though, forget it. Hubby bought me dress boots and I can barely wear them ever because of the 1-1/2 inch heel LOL I have very weak ankles too, so that helps my decisions.
The shoes for the baby? Kinda goofy to me.
Wow! As a person who wears flip flops 99% of the time, most of the time I can’t even imagine wearing heels. I tried wearing heels to my husband’s graduation, but we ended up having to walk so far that I really regretted it. Especially when his dad kept turning around and telling me to hurry up! haha. These would be good for dress up maybe, but that’s about it!
The first thing that went through my head when I saw the baby high heels was that infamous line from John Water’s movie Female Trouble, “But Dawn, nice girls don’t wear cha-cha heels!” (In the movie high schooler Dawn Davenport doesn’t get a pair of cha-cha heels for Christmas, runs away from home, and into a life of crime.)
Seeing these shoes makes me want to rework that famous line to read, “nice babies don’t wear cha-cha heels!”
My first reaction was ‘that’s just wrong.’ But … they are kind of cute!
I went shopping for some nice heels recently and it is insane how hard it is to find normal sized ones. Practically the only ones available are 4-5inches! I don’t want that kind of pain, thanks.
Isn’t it great that ballet flats are in sytle now! 🙂 LOL. I own several pair.
I do wonder what we are teaching out daughters… but those shoes are adorable. My youngest is only 7 mos, and she owns 6 or 8 pair of shoes. What is THAT teaching her… boy I’m in trouble.
Did anyone else look at those and think they belong on Miss Piggy’s feet? No? Just me?
I am a no heel kind of gal too … never have worn them, not even to prom … don’t like them! Grew up a tom boy and never go into them … like you for my wedding … flip flops … one of my favorite pictures of us … him in his and his tux me in mine with my wedding dress on … beautiful!
I’ve never seen anything like those before. They certainly aren’t going to do anything for the feminist movement, huh?
I always where shoes with a low heel (aside from sneakers) because I think they absorb the shock better than flats with a thin sole.
I saw those the other day and was really weirded out. I just don’t like putting adult stuff on babies, especially adult clothing that is meant to be sexy. What infant needs to be sexy?
Ugh! From a former high-heel wearer who now sports flip flops and running shoes most days, I think why start so early (although I do admit they make me smile). She’ll be wearing her Cinderella and other princess dress-ups shoes in just a few short years.
This is horrible, between things like this and Britney Spears the next generation of females aren’t going to understand how to be a respectable (and respected) woman.
Trev
http://elliots.eachday.com
Had someone actually given me these, I might have had to give them right back. I’ve worn my share of heels, and I like the look, but I know how bad they are, and encouraging little girls is bad, bad, bad.