Bodies/Boundaries: October 2010

I know that last week I said that this post would be about Hooters waitresses. However, before I get to the specifics of that case, I came across something that deserves critical attention: baby high heels.

As one of my friends recently had a beautiful baby girl, I was thinking about what to give her as an appropriate baby gift. Somehow, I stumbled across a website entitled “Heelarious: her first high heels.” For $25, you can buy a baby girl a pair of shoes that look like heels. The website advertises the product as a “Pink satin heel with zebra satin lining for infants size 0-6 months” (see promotional photo below). Also, one should not be worried about the safety of the shoes. The creators of the website state: “The shoes are not intended for walking and the heels actually collapse if any little ones try to put weight on them. Heelarious, her first high heels, are not intended to harm children in any way- they are intended to be hilarious!”

After my initial shock wore off, I began to think of the ways in which babies are socialized into various gender roles and norms. Judith Butler, and others, states that the process of gendering begins with the naming the newly born child either a girl or a boy. Balloons stating “It’s a girl” typically come in pink, whereas “It’s a boy” balloons typically are blue. These gendering processes continue throughout childhood. A trip down the children’s toy aisle will see a clear diving line between pink/purple (girl’s toys) and red/blue/brown/black (boy’s toys). Thus, clearly babies and children exist as gendered beings.

However, I think that baby high heels deals with a different aspect of gendered identity: the essence of a woman. As baby girls are younger versions of women, they can, and should, exhibit qualities of a woman in a smaller fashion. Not only is the essence of a woman to be thin (see my previous blog post), but she also should be wearing heels. Thus, as smaller versions of women, infants should be able to wear “safe” heels. Many times, in order to look (or feel) sexy, a woman dons a pair of heels. Heels can range anywhere from the business-like pump to the stiletto.

What is it about heels that are so alluring to women? Numerous studies have proven that heels are bad for one’s health (including such things as: bunions, hammer toes, leg problems, knee problems, back problems). After my own bunionectomy at the age of 25, I had to drastically reconsider the types of shoes that I wear for my own personal health. Even so, sometimes I still long to wear a pair of modest two-inch heels, but at the end of the day, I remember why I typically wear my sneakers, or sometimes, my flats. My aching feet remind me of how social norms can manifest in material ways. Even after knowing that heels are bad for me, I’m still struck by my desire to feel sexier by wearing a heel. The notion “beauty as pain” comes to mind.

So, when we as a society are putting babies (remember, they’re only made for infants 0-6 months) in high heels, the expectation is that they will grow up to wear real high heels, as part of the expected essence of femininity and womanhood. The name of the website is telling here: “Her first high heels,” which implies the first in a long line of heels. These baby heels exist as part of a gendering practice built on the presumption of what constitutes an appropriate female form, and exist as one part of the socialization process.

For me, I decided baby heels would never make an appropriate baby gift, and instead decided to get my friend and her baby a book. Books can stir the imagination, and dream of new worlds to come (and hopefully a world without baby heels).

For others’ take on baby heels and/or sexualization of youth, take a look at the following: