Shoe Zone has been accused of 'offensive and regressive gender stereotyping' because of the way it depicts footwear for boys and girls on the size guide on its website. The girls' guide shows the feet of a young girl standing inside some high heels, while the boys' one shows three little boys playing on some grass.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the copy talks about how buying shoes for growing girls can be 'quite difficult', whereas for boys - who like 'playing football, climbing trees and getting up to mischief' - 'it's important he has the right pair of shoes for his adventures'.
A campaign called Let Clothes Be Clothes which aims to end gender stereotyping in the design and marketing of childrenswear, highlighted the issue on social media, describing it as 'completely unnecessary'.
