I was thoroughly disgusted when I saw this ad the first time. “Stay fit!” Yeah right! As IF the kids haven’t already seen the adult shape-ups ads…

It’s inevitable. And some parents will buy into it. Probably more parents than we would want to think.

These shoes are actually bad for ADULTS, so they’re only going to wreck developing kids more (and I mean physically, never mind the emotional damage).

this just pisses me off to no end.
if it were about staying fit and healthy they would have a boys line.end of story.
way to start ‘em young, america!

http://www.nodtostyle.blogspot.com

This reminds me of a Saturday Night Live commercial – it’s that wrong and ridiculous. I can’t even wrap my mind around it!

I have not seen the commercial, so I can not speak on the marketing strategy. I can however say that kids today are obese and if a shoe will help them burn a few more calories, then I have no problem for it. I love my shape ups, I have no backaches after working 12 hr shifts, and my legs are stronger. For those upset about the commercial, has anyone really sat down to watch the cartoons on Nick in the afternoon? adult content is implied….. see for yourself.

I have three daughters under the age of nine and am pretty attuned to this cultural shift toward making them sexy. It’s disgusting. So many of their classmates (third graders!) are in “love” with Bieber, sporting makeup and wearing really inappropriate clothing. When we went shopping for Easter shoes this year, we ended up buying adult shoes (ballet flats) because all the shoes in the children’s section in their sizes had heels. Heels! W.T.F.? With all that being said… I think the commercial is crap, but most commercials and cartoons geared toward this age group are crap. I don’t know the statistics behind how healthy these shoes are for developing gait (healthier than heels on all the Easter sandals, I presume)… and I wouldn’t likely buy them, but I don’t see this particular product as necessarily part of the evil “let’s sex em up” agenda… more along the lines of “our kids don’t get any activity and instead of signing em up for a sport that requires time and effort, we’ll buy em these shoes and hope for the best” appeal to lazy parenting.

There is a huge difference between being healthy and hating your body. All kids should get exercise so they can be healthy not for looks. These shoes are a great idea and I’m going to buy some for my daughter and if all these ignorant parents learn that their children will believe what they teach them and stop trying to make shoes look bad, I will buy them for my son as well when they make them. Just like the shape ups came out for women first and then for men I’m sure the shape ups for boys are already being made. These shoes help with posture. I understand that they seem like the Reebok easy tone that promote on getting a better butt, but they are not the same shoes.

I’m on the fence with these shoes. The truth is, obesity I a HUGE problem (no pun intended), and I see nothing wrong with a product that promotes strength and health for children. However, as nearly everyone has pointed out, this is not directed at health per se, but being ‘hip and cool’ and a possibly sexy image for little girls. Almost as if saying “You’re not good enough, young lady. You’re fat and eat too much, but these shoes will make you attractive”. Why not make these sneakers a prescription, from trained medical professionals, after an evaluation? I could see a doctor telling a parent that their child has a weight problem and could use these to help him/her. A helpful suggestion, if you will. Skechers should’ve thought this through, because this could’ve been a very positive product, instead it’s another damaging product for the ‘machine’ that the media has created, that tells each and every one of us that we need to fit a certain mold. Another good idea, that’ll distort more young minds into looking like the countless robots they see on tv and in magazines.

I believe the cause of unhealthy America can be associated with the movement to cut school programs that teach children fitness, life and community skills. It’s my opinion State and Federal Governments should be correlating the upfront investments in these social programs to reducing long term health costs (insurance, Medicare, Medicaid) and producing happier communities. Based on the definition of liberty one could argue that being a productive citizen of the United States requires more than academic excellence.

If Liberty is defined as “not merely freedom from bodily restraint but also the right of the individual to contract, to engage in any of the common occupations of life, to acquire useful knowledge, to marry, to establish a home and bring up children, to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and generally to enjoy those privileges long recognized at common law as essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men.”(1905).

Until the media, corporations and athletes stop the movement to sexualisation of sports nothing will change. One Company is not the problem its the entire industry. Tami Stainfield

As physician who deals with young women, I see the problem of obesity in teenage through middle aged women every day, even in a state with a “relatively” low obesity rate such as Vermont. I didn’t see anything particularly sexist in this ad—just a message to stay in shape and be healthy. I didn’t see anyone pushing for young girls to look sexy, just to make healthy food choices and be active. I have 2 daughters, and I have no problem with their buying these shoes or seeing this ad. We need to do everything possible to get our kids to make healthier food choices and be more active.