Many parents are outraged about how shoemaker Skechers is marketing its new collection of high-heeled wedge sneakers, called "Daddy's Money," to teen girls, calling both the name of the line and the idea behind it "sexist."
The shoes run between $50 and $80 and are geared toward pre-teen and teenage girls with the tagline, "Get spoiled with Daddy's Money, ultra-cool shoes that will put you in the spotlight." Each shoe has its own name depending on its design pattern. There's "Gimme Kisses" (lips), "Gimme Starry Skies" (stars), "Gimme Wicked" (leopard print), and just plain "Gimme" (flowers). In marketing materials, the "s" in "Daddy's" is replaced with a money sign (Daddy'$).
Commercials for the Skechers line have aired on The Hub, a cartoon channel meant for kids, as well as MTV. The spot features girls in short shorts and belly shirts dancing around and holding fans made of cash. They sing along to the "I'm a Daddy's girl" jingle. The last lyrics appears to be, "I'm a naughty little…"
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Parents have spoken out, calling the line sexist and condemning the sexual nature of the commercial.
Julianna Miner, a mom of three who blogs at
RantsFromMommyland.com, thinks the whole Daddy's Money thing is degrading to women and sends the message that girls don't have to work for what they want.
"Instead, put on tiny shorts and a belly shirt and go ask 'Daddy' for some money," she wrote on her blog.
She also takes issue with the hidden two-inch heel inside the shoe.
"Are we teaching [our girls] that they need to be taller? So that what? They appear to be thinner? Because whatever their size or height or body type, it's wrong," Miner wrote. "To dress in tight clothes and go to their daddy with their hands out and say 'gimme,' is not a lesson I want to teach my kids."
Joslyn Gray, a mom who penned a "Top 10 Things I Hate About Skechers' New Daddy's Girl Shoes" article on parenting site
Babble.com, wonders if "Daddy" is short for Sugar Daddy.
Skechers responded to the criticism in a statement to ABC.
"The Daddy's Money name and the collection's advertising are designed to be fun and lighthearted," the company said. "We regret that some people have been offended by the name."
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Last year,
the Federal Trade Commission ordered Skechers to pay $40 million after it was discovered that the footwear company made unfounded claims that their Shape-ups shoes would help people lose weight.
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