This 8-year-old feminist hero fought to wear dinosaur sneakers (and won)
Just because a child is female doesn’t mean she has to wear pretty pink princess clothes. That’s what 8-year-old Sophia Trow proved this week, because the world is an awesome place.
Sophia and her mother, Jane, went to a Clarks retail store in England to purchase a pair of Stomposaurus shoes. The collection is actually super awesome, featuring little dinosaurs fit for any adventurer. There was just one problem: the shoes were labeled as boys’ shoes. When Sophia claimed that she wanted them, sales associates told her that they aren’t made for “feminine bone structure.” Ugh.
Well, that didn’t fly with the amazing Sophia, who wrote the following letter:
Metro reports that Sophia went on to explain, “I don’t like how girls just have to like pink and purple – I like blue and science and fossils. Clarks should learn what girls really want and do something about it.”
Amazing, right? Sophia’s mother thought so too, and she tweeted it to Clarks. “I want my children to have options,” she said. “I don’t want them hampered by expectations that tell them how they should behave as girls – I want them to be able to do whatever they want to do and become strong women.”
Luckily, Clarks didn’t skirt the issue. They responded:
“We are sorry to hear that Sophia was informed these shoes aren’t suitable for girls. The Stomposaurus range can safely be worn by all children. We are also developing a broader range of unisex styles which will be available from Autumn/Winter this year.”
Way to go, Sophia, our feminist warrior of the week! Girls and boys shouldn’t be forced to wear what society tells them to wear: they should be allowed to wear whatever they want. We totally love Sophia, and we’re sure she’s going to end up doing great things, all while sporting her fab dinosaur style. In fact, maybe we’ll petition Clarks to make these Stomposaurus shoes in adult sizes, too…
