Lovelyish

i would have to agree with the parents here. i would feel weird buying my young daughter shape ups, even if she asked. there’s no need for those at that young of an age.

Unless the girl has some incurable medical condition that requires her to be very selective of her diet, what reason does a girl at that age have to worry about her shape? This is ridiculous. 

But what if the ARE obsess at that age?  The issue isn’t the shoes…it’s more than that.  The parents are not feeding their kids or taking away the battery powered screens they put in their hands and have them play outside.  Marketing is trying to compensate for that.

Psh I want shape ups, but nooo heh.  Commercial coulda been done better, though old people have a hard time trying to connect with kids, so they often just take ideas that match adults and put a “kiddy” spin on it.  ie making it a cartoon with a girly band but doing the same thing they would say about adults.  Get a nice butt and guys will follow heh.

meh the shoes look cute haha 

the guys dressed up as fast food… that’s just TOO MUCH. hahahaha, i’m offended FOR those children the ad is marketed towards.

This is just… awful. I don’t understand why so many companies are appealing to young girls’ insecurities now. Is there no class anymore?

@QuantumStorm@xanga - Parents overfeed their children bad food and are content letting their kids stay indoors all day playing video games rather than making them go outside and exercise. And while I’m pretty sure it’s already been proven that these shoes don’t really work I guess it’s a good way to sneak in a little bit of a workout without thinking about it. For parents that want to continue staying lazy anyways.

@MangoWOW@xanga - Nah, still not worth it. And if these shoes don’t really work then it’s pointless to “sneak” them in anyhow. It’s like sneaking in an accordion into a covert ops team trying to take down a terrorist cell.

some parents make a big deal that the naive kids probably doesn’t even see the fast food body image correlation unless it was blatantly pointed out that the shoes will only be bought if the child uses them to make herself look better so that the boys will chase them. the shape-ups name sounds catchy like fruit roll-ups, so I’d think that it was a cool name for a shoe rather than relating it to losing weight. if I was a kid and saw the commercial, I’d just think that the shoes are cute and I want them, so I can dance around like the funny girls in the commercial 

I really do not want to raise my future children in America.

Good idea – bad idea.

Good idea – fighting childhood obesity.Bad idea – giving young kids the idea that shoes will magically make your body look good just by wearing them as you go about your normal day.

shape ups are a fucking joke. if people really want to get sculpted calves and a nice ass they should do squats, lunges, and sprints. 

:\ I feel like at that age, you should just try and get your kids outside doing some sort of physical activity. Healthy lifestyles are taught, not just picked up, so by getting your kids active at a young age, you’re conditioning them to live healthy. They shouldn’t need shoes to do the work for them. Aren’t Shape Ups kinda focused on improving the butt/thighs area or something like that? That isn’t something little kids should be worried about.

Plus, these are only marketed exclusively towards young girls.  We’re indoctrinating double standards earlier and earlier.

Maybe if these parents actually watched what their kids were eating then we wouldn’t need to sell shape-ups for young girls. It’s like saying “an obese little girl is totally okay.” Yeah some people might say “oh let them eat” but the harm you’re doing to your child is ridiculous. It is NOT healthy being obese. It’s okay being a little overweight but don’t go crazy. Do I think it’s crazy that these are being sold? Absolutely. But again, if people watched what their kids were eating then these would not be needed. I read in one of my classes that if you’re getting your child one of those 6 piece chicken nuggets kids meal, they should only be eating 3 nuggets and only half of the fries. Instead, they’re throwing down the whole meal down their throats. Complaining for no reason to tell you the truth.

I don’t like the way they’re marketing the shoes to young girls, but I don’t think having Shape-Ups in smaller sizes is a bad idea. I say that as a 24 year old with size 4 feet.

Great idea – gotta whip those fatty babies into shape. Don’t wanna … yeah I don’t even know. -finishes with a snarky, troll comment- 

looool…I thought it wasn’t too bad until I saw the fast food boys.

Oh no, shoes that make your kid a little healthier!

God, why the fuck are parents so lazy these days? TV’s for babysitters, a Wii instead of a bouncy house at a party, and now these shoes to compensate for those Mac & Cheese and TV dinners. 

I don’t think I will raise my kids in front of the TV

young girls probably don’t understand what these shoes really do. but yes, it is sending a clear message that girls need to worry about weight from birth apparently. but hey these companies wouldn’t make it if they knew it wouldn’t sell. 

I have a great idea for the parents: Don’t buy the shoes. Don’t let your kid watch TV. With no incoming dollars, stupid shit like this will go away very quickly.

I first thought it was anti-childhood obesity thing..which is good. I didn’t think they were so calculating as to market these shoes to kids because they’re worried about their figure

My daughter’s best friend has these at the age of 6 and I was appalled. There’s no reason these should be out for little girls.  

When I am a parent, there will be no television in my house!

Obesity can start young, though. 

That was one of my first thoughts when I saw this add. Really? Little girls? Why target that to them, they shouldn’t be worrying about stuff like that at their age!

Do you now how many over weight girls I see pouring out of elementary schools? Too many. I am lad they make these is younger girl sizes. SOME GIRLS NEED IT. I am giving an extra pair of shape ups to my moms boyfriends FAT ASS thirteen year old. She weights 145… THATS HOW MUCH I WEIGH AT NINE MONTHS PREGNANT. She needs to burn extra calories, even if its the little amount that these shoes burn.

I am GLAD they have this commercial. 

Yeah, the concept in the commercial is sending a wrong message to the kids.

Gawd forbid somebody suggests that some overweight children might exist because of junk food!  For shame!  I think this more like the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale and those junk food boys are chasing after the little girl’s virginities. 

Seriously, why is this an issue? 

Our children is so obese. Why not market to them?

@NightCometh@xanga - that, but i think they should have angled the commerical towards getting out and playing; being active, not walking around in skirt with food-boys looking like zombies drooling over her ass. thats the part that i believe conveys the wrong message- that you should wear shapeups/excerise so you can look sexy to boys, not b/c its healthy for you body.

it’s all about the money to these companies. they don’t care if they make little girls hyper-aware of their bodies or cause them to constantly compare themselves to other girls from age 6 or 7. if they’re making money, they don’t care.

Why does no one focus on the fact that these shoes are a crock of shit? They don’t work and in general are more risky than regular shoes. And they make you look stupid when you walk.

@Ailean@xanga - exactly!

I don’t think the shoes are a bad idea, but the ad campaign is. There are so many obese children so I don’t think letting them wear a pair of shoes that could help is harmful. But they definitely need to advertise for it in a healthier image. 

I haven’t been able to see the ad because I can’t see Youtube on this computer but I feel these shoes are just ridiculous. I hate them for grown women (they’re just ugly and don’t even work) and now they’re marketing toward little girls, not boys, but girls! Woman (most, not all) already have issues with their bodies, we don’t need to start that so young. I do understand that yes, there are kids in America that are obese or even just a little overweight but that is where the parents should come in. Get your kids active with fun activities.

I knew I’d be seeing a xanga entry about this  when I saw the commercial yesterday cuz I thought it was kinda weird.

My reaction was a little different.  I wasn’t upset, but I definitely thought something was wrong.  I didn’t think about the weight issues because everything I’d heard about these sort of shoes was that they help tone your butt, not help you lose weight.  I can see what that quote is getting at, though, and I agree with the comments here about parents watching what their kids eat (or watch on tv).  However, my thoughts when I saw the commercial were, “Why would a little girl need to tone her butt?  And WHO is she doing it for?”  Is she planning on looking good for that 10-year-old boy that picks on her in class?  Her teacher?  Maybe some creepy pedophile that’s hanging around?  Haha, okay, maybe not that (MAYBE, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that someone older would check her out).

I didn’t like it at all and while watching the commercial, I noticed that they seemed to try to make it neutral and not provide a reason for young girls to buy them.  The commercials that were directed at older women, though, placed some focus on making your butt look nice and had scenes of people checking them out.

hahahah how about buying your children some real sneakers and.. gasp.. encouraging sports and other excesize!  and not buying your kids junk food!  why do people feel the need to spend extra money on shapeups and diet pills and diet foods and all of the fat-hating products… when the most simple, most direct way is to eat food closer to the source, and to sweat a little bit?! I think that we are teaching children unhealthy thinking patterns… looking for the quick/lazy fix

I’m halfway expecting studies to come out proving that Shapeups screw up the spine… but then again, what major authority *cough* corporation *cough* would pay for them?

i dont think the shoes are a BAD idea, but just having them for little girls proves that we are discriminated against and taught to hate our bodies. they could have done a little better of a job by NOT having her being chased by junkfood. c’mon now, they were cool with the rocking out… until the girl was needing shoes to fend off junkfood.

My problem is that they are being marketed only for young girls.
Is more of a double standard imo. As if only girls need to be in shape.

At this young of an age (for these shoe sizes) they honestly don’t need to worry about having a firm butt/thigh area.

Know most will only look at the shoe design and think cool but what kind of message as a parent are we really sending?

Shape-Ups are BS, barefoot all the way!

Kids need to exercise. Parents need to stop letting the TV raise their kids and force them outside to do some exercise! If these shoes encourage that, then great

Yes, there are children out there who are obese. But, really? Some of you people think this SHOE is a good idea to market to children? Well, yep. A shoe is going to solve the problem! LOL.

That said, yeah. It’s stupid. No kid needs these shoes, obese or not. Kids need to just get out and play. And, just because parents and kids see this commercial, doesn’t mean they sit in front of the TV all day. You know, some people actually watch reasonable amounts of tv. Crazy, I know!

@ohforrealson@xanga - agreed

i was more annoyed by the music “nanananana! heidi’s got new shape-ups!” it’s like they’re teasing her about wearing shoes to tone your muscles.

whats the difference between a pair of shoes that tone your legs and bottom, and putting a child on a sports team?  these shoes will do nothing less than prevent obesity in children, which is an epidemic if you havnt noticed.  parents who complain about this, simply have psychelogocal issues.  I wish I had something like this when I was a kid, it would simply be a fun way to exercise.

Don’t be so damn sensitive. I was a fat kid in elementary school and worried about my weight then. The girls will be fine. I promise. A commercial isn’t going to cause an eating disorder.

Children do not need those shoes, & do not need to worry about their bodies, & do not need to label foods ‘good’ & ‘bad’. This is why I hate our society.

I honestly see NOTHING wrong with this commercial.

America is a Fat country, and believe it or not,a lot of children are over weight. The article sayssomething about starving off the cravings? Ok??What I see in the commercial is that childrenneed to exercise more and stay away from JUNK food.And the ending saying, is just to stay fit.since when is it a crime to have children exerciseinstead of watching tv and playing ds?Over analyzing everything is another problem in this country.

Probably not the best idea in terms of marketing, but I don’t honestly see what’s terribly wrong about it. It’s not like they’re saying girls require an ungodly amount of exercise. It’s just a shoe, which yes, you do wear anyway, that provides a very small amount of additional exercise. Even thin girls like to be toned. I believe that’s what they claim their shoe does, tone, not weight loss.