It’s time to redefine ‘pretty’.
At VivoKids we want to stop passing on harmful stereotypes of ‘pretty’ on to our daughters.
In shoes, as in life in general.
Traditionally pretty shoes are narrow, pointy and, on grown-ups, include a sky-high heel – but pretty shoes make for pretty ugly (and pretty useless) feet.
As a result, women are more likely than men to get painful (and, let’s face it, hardly pretty) bunions. With some podiatrists claiming up to 70% of adult women develop a bunion over their lifetime – maybe it’s time to ditch this idea of ‘pretty’ shoes.
Bunions, (as well as hammer toes, claw toe, corns and calluses) are not only painful, but can hinder movement and cause falls later in life. Bunions are formed with the big toe is pushed inwards, and the arch of the foot is flatter (weaker) than it should be, causing the foot to deform and produce the protruding tissue – the bunion.
And it’s a myth that simply avoiding high heels in adulthood will keep foot deformities at bay: narrow and padded shoes have the ability to weaken and wreck the foot all on their own, without that killer spike heel!
Pretty shoes just can’t be ‘pretty’ if they render women’s feet pretty useless.
At VivoKids we think pretty shoes are shoes that let women’s feet act like feet: bendy, flexible and strong bits of awesome biomechanical engineering that help us walk, run and play!
We think pretty shoes are shoes that don’t push, pinch and deform women’s feet into harmful, painful conformity.
We ditched the stays, corsets and hoop skirts, right? Fashion should not be about controlling women’s freedom of movement.
Pretty shoes are shoes that let girls grow with feet that are foot-shaped, not ‘pretty’ and shoe-shaped. Pretty shoes should be shoes that help feet grow healthy: a strong Big Toe to act as pivot and anchor for the foot and body, strong arches and ankles, as well as bones and muscles that can splay, jump and recoil well into adulthood.
So ditch the ‘pretty’ (ugly) shoes and let’s raise daughters who believe pretty feet and pretty shoes are wide and healthy!
Further reading:
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110223092217.htm
