Do girls at age seven need Sketcher Shape Up shoes?

18.05.2011
Sketchers Shape Up shoes claim to bring fantastic fitness results to women and men. But now, the famous shoe has a new target audience: seven year old girls.

Psychologist Dr. Wade French, says this could cause issues for girls down the road. "These people will do anything for a buck, evidently," says Dr. Wade French, "Your instilling in them a belief that your value as a human being has to do with something with your looks your shape and social presentation."

There have been plenty of studies that say children's advertising works. But ultimately, parents make the purchase.

Justin Rowe of Tyler says, "I don't think even at an older age, when they're out of college I would buy it for them, it's just too much of a marketing gimmick to me."

Nicole Babineau says she struggled with body image as a young girl, "I don't think you ever loose the mentality of having issues of body image and eating disorders, I think you can get past it, but I think it's an ongoing struggle everyday when you look in the mirror," says Babineau.

Babineau feels Shape Ups deceive young girls to believe you have to be skinny to be happy, and says she sees her daughters already struggling with body image issues.

"I think for a 10 year old to write that their biggest fear is to be fat is really really sad, and just breaks my heart for these girls that are being lied to by the world," Babineau says.

Not everyone completely agrees. Kristen Skaggs says promoting physical fitness is a good thing, "I don't think there's nothing wrong with the shoes, but I just don't necessarily know if they're just for 7 year olds."

Dr. French says, "Let little girls be little girls, they'll be young women soon enough."

The company - manufacturer of children's footwear for fitness also worries for health of children. Therefore on the site spends interrogation - whether Sketchers Shape Up shoes is necessary for children? Among taken part there is, that a majority of people against such footwear and such production, the some people consider that such footwear should be released not only for girls, and and for boys. And only absolutely small part believes, that such footwear is really necessary.

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