Every so often, a development in children’s apparel is not a welcome addition to what should be cute, innocent attire fit for boys and girls. You can thank Abercrombie & Fitch solely for two of the most recent controversies, thanks to their not-so-brilliant creation of push-up bras and thongs for girls. But now a brand with a much less sinister motive has created a shoe for infants that has drawn the ire of some parents.
Pee Wee Pumps is the name of the company that makes high heel crib shoes for babies 0-6 months old. And despite noting on their Instagram page, “Pee Wee Pumps are a fun photo prop or cute fashion accessory,” some adults see nothing cute about them at all — though it seems it’s only parents across the pond who don’t see the fun in the American brand.
Citing an article in Scotland’s Daily Record which called the shoes “bizarre” and pointed to other comments on social media which labeled the accessory “monstrosities,” Footwear News noted “the label’s owner thinks the fuss is all rubbish.”
“This isn’t the first time that the U.K. has had a problem — they turn it into something it’s not; it’s a photo prop,” Pee Wee Pumps owner Michele Holbrook told the site. “They look at it like you’re sexualizing babies. That’s their opinion if they want to take it, but they are intended as a photo prop, and mothers want to use it as a fashion accessory.”
In other words, no one expects — or wants — babies learning to crawl or walk in these miniature heels, which is why the sizes only go up to six months, Holbrook explained. And looking at the photos on the brand’s Instagram, it’s hard to see how anyone could see more than adorable innocence when looking at these babies all dolled up — or even dressed down. Its photos like the one below that kill the whole argument such fashions push girls towards one gender or one idea of womanhood. This little tot is most definitely going to do what she wants when she gets older.
There are some people who are always going to have a problem with things and turn them into something they were never intended to be. But judging from the success Holbrook has had with her Pee Wee Pumps brand, those who are against it appear to be in the minority?
What to you think about these miniature heels for babies?
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