I caught a segment on this morning’s Today show (I swear I was just flipping channels) about outrage that Sketchers, the company that makes Shape Up Tennis Shoes, has just announced a Shape Up line for girls as young as 7-years old.
Parents and psycologists are shocked…SHOCKED…that this company would introduce such a product to consumers. What message does this send to little girls? Why are we telling little girls to “shape up.”
While I agree that the whole thing is kinda gross (but then I think most clothing designed for little girls is pretty gross), why the outrage at this company and so little outrage for Michelle Obama and her constant drum beat that kids are fat. What message do these same outraged parents and psychologists think the First Lady is sending young girls when she talks about her daughters weight (on national televisioni), when she constantly repeats the (wrong) statistic that American children continue to gain weight and that fat kids will die early.
It seems to me that Sketchers is just reacting to market trends; parents and kids (particularly little girls) are obsessed with being thin…and with shaping up.