I'm a fan of sensible shoes -- the low-heeled, wide-toed variety that allows me to walk without limping or tripping.

I save those shin-torturing, bunion-producing pumps for special occasions.

So I don't understand the latest trend in little-girl fashion: kindergartners in high heels.

We're not talking dress-up heels, the glittery plastic kind that little girls stash in their toy trunks or borrow from mommy's closet. Such pretend play is cute, innocent and entirely age-appropriate.

We're talking about honest-to-goodness high heels. According to the Associated Press, Internet images of Tom Cruise's not-yet-4-year-old daughter in "blingy" heels is feeding a footwear craze. A California woman told the wire service she lets her 6-year-old wear a pair of sparkly, peekaboo shoes with 2-inch heels to church every Sunday.

Those of us who believe in preserving childhood and avoiding podiatrist's bills wonder: What are these parents thinking?

I suppose that, at one time or another, we all get caught up in collective admiration when we spot a celebrity wearing a certain look. (Remember the run on Sarah Palin eyewear after the 2008 Republican convention?) Manufacturers, no fools, capitalize on this kind of fascination by producing knockoffs, and stores display them prominently.

That's fine for grown-ups if it's what floats their boats. For tykes, though, wearing heels is an invitation to trouble.

A spokesman for the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons says kids in heels are more susceptible to ankle sprains and broken bones. After all, it's difficult to keep them from running. Heel wearers also run the risk of tightening in the heel cord and changes in the foot's growth plate.

And for what -- to look like a mini-adult?

My opposition to heels for little girls goes beyond the obvious health concerns. It's really about the way raunch has trickled down to our youngest set, how provocative dress has made its way into elementary schools. Heels are simply the latest sexy fashion being foisted on children.

Trying to imitate their older sisters, little girls are wearing suggestive outfits that have no business in their closets. "Juicy," for instance, is not an appropriate slogan for a 6-year-old to wear on her backside.

Parents may think such outfits are perfectly harmless and look adorable on their pig-tailed daughters. They're not and they don't. What we allow our little girls to wear sends a message to the world -- and to them -- about what we value. Sex appeal shouldn't be on that list.

They'll have plenty of time to vamp it up when they're older. For now, let's allow our children to be children.

Women's Health Articles

 

Marriage a la Mode
Mary Sanchez

Ladies, you seem to be focusing on matrimony as the answer to your worries -- and overlooking a key truth about marriage today: that tying the knot is becoming more of a boon for men than it is for women. A recent Pew Research Center report confirms what the current recession is bringing home all too clearly, with more men being laid off than women

Helping Women Help the World
Isobel Coleman

Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn argue that "the brutality inflicted routinely on women and girls in much of the world" is "one of the paramount human rights problems of this century." Their statistics are numbing: every year, at least two million girls worldwide "disappear" due to gender discrimination. But Kristof and WuDunn go beyond moral outrage.

Reduction of Family-Friendly Job Benefits Hurts Working Women Most
Bonnie Erbe

Family-friendly workplace benefits (flex time, job sharing, telecommuting, and so on) were on the rise before the recession of 2008 took hold. I've been wondering recently how bad a whacking this category of benefits has taken.

Percentage of Women on Corporate Boards Remains Stagnant
Bonnie Erbe

Women's stagnation in the corporate penthouse continues, according to Catalyst, a New York-based organization that aggregates data about and presses for women's advancement in the corporate hierarchy.

Mammograms: See Past the Controversy
Mary Sanchez

Backlash to the shifting guidelines on breast cancer screenings highlighted one rather disheartening truth: When it comes to our health, we women may not be as empowered as we think. How else to explain the torrent unleashed when it was put before us that mammograms are not as effective for some women?

Sometimes Good Enough is Just Right
Ana Veciana-Suarez

I've often joked that children are the most stressful factor in a marriage, especially for those of us who juggle work and family. Rushed, conflicted and usually overwhelmed, mothers who toil outside the home feel there aren't enough hours in the day to keep up with parenting obligations, job duties and household chores. Life turns into a never-ending to-do list, a blaring alarm that's can't be quieted

If You Have a Friend, You Have It All
Ana Veciana-Suarez

After a few months' hiatus, I spoke to my best friend from childhood. Though we live hundreds of miles apart, we can tell each other anything, picking up the strands of various subplots -- children, siblings, work, health -- right where we left off. We vent, we rage, we analyze, we pick apart. We laugh. A lot. Mostly, though, we just let it all hang out. And my, my, my, that feels so dang good.

Websites for Traveling Women
Ed Perkins On Travel

Although most of the travel industry still thinks of travelers as traditional couples, an increasing number of women are traveling alone or with other women. Here's a brief overview of web sites tailored toward women travellers ...

Work-Life 'Balance' Laid Bare
Ana Veciana-Suarez

Can you both tend the home fires and stoke a high-powered career? Is it possible to juggle the third-grade play with the 11th-hour executive-board meeting? If you take a few years off to raise Suzy and Jose, can you still reach the office mountaintop? These are questions that have been on women's minds for decades, but over the years the so-called work-life balance has become the accepted formula for women who want to 'have it all.' Now comments by former General Electric CEO Jack Welch have reignited the old debate ...

Recession Tip For Wives: Lay off Your Laid-off Husband
By Lindsay Lyon

Male breadwinners have lost their jobs at a greater clip than women during this recession. Roughly 74 percent of the approximate 6 million jobs lost since December 2007 have been men's, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And more than a few therapists say they're seeing an uptick in relationship problems as a result. It's not so much that husbands are resentful of their breadwinning wives. Resentment, they're noting, often flows from the other side.

Time is Ripe for Enjoying Simple Things
By Ana Veciana-Suarez

Confusing times call for simple pleasures. It's the safest way to indulge with minimal payout. So now friends share frugal tips over store-brand coffee. Staycations have replaced the Riviera. A few have abandoned cars and opted for public transit. It's all about doing more with less, about being happy with enough.

 

(c) 2010, Ana Veciana-Suarez