Shape Ups for Young Girls?
Shape Ups for Young Girls?
Just recently Skechers came out with a new addition to their popular shape up shoes geared towards young girls. The Shape Up shoe is hot item in the athletic shoe industry and sometimes referred to as the toning shoe. This sneaker has an unstable sole that has been said to work to tone your leg muscles while just walking or doing daily activities.
However, the jury is still out on the effectiveness of these shoes. While many of the shoe companies that make these products talk about their effectiveness many fitness experts deny their claims. As a Skechers ad states “Get in shape without setting foot in a gym.” However, The American Council on Exercise says there is "simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone."
These shoes have been targeted to woman looking to tone their body while just doing minimal work. The have been a hot selling item but now they have turned their target market to young girls. This new marketing strategy has caused an uproar in the parenting community. Parents feel that young girls with low self esteem are being targeted for the wrong reasons. It is not teaching how to live a healthy and fit life instead it’s teaching young girls how to buy into get fit quick scheme.
These shoes also claim to get you a tight butt and shapely legs. Do we really want our young daughters/nieces/friends to focus on getting a better butt or do we want to teach them to focus on living an active life style and have a healthy body image? Do we really need to taint our youth to buy into these marketing scheme? I think we need to teach our youth to run, dance, and play with their friends and enjoy a healthy and fit lifestyle.
