The company’s Dolly Babe will no longer be for sale, although the equivalent boys’ shoe, Leader, is still availableClarks are withdrawing a school shoe for girls called “Dolly Babe” after it provoked accusations of sexism, especially as the equivalent version for boys is called “Leader”. Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, was among many who found the firm’s choice of design barely credible. “It is almost beyond belief that in 2017 a major company could think this is in any way acceptable. Even the Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, usually the most unbending upholder of traditional values, told the BBC: “To call a pair of shoes for a girl Dolly Babe is dreadful. “In contrast, the girls’ shoes have inferior soles, are not fully covered, and are not well padded at the ankle.

Source: The Guardian August 13, 2017 17:19 UTC