She's here to help

What's With Dressing Toddlers in Heels? (Hi, Suri!)

Thu., Oct. 8, 2009 7:48 PM PDT by Leslie Gornstein

Christopher Peterson/BuzzFoto/Getty Images

What is with TomKat dressing Suri up like a teenage fashion freak? High heels are not appropriate on a toddler!
—Liz Ruiz, via Facebook

Well, neither is fame, but Suri's parents have had no problem parading her around in public and in the media since the day she was born. How on earth is Katie Holmes supposed to boost her image as a fashionista without dressing up her 3-year-old like a tiny runway model for an itty-bitty Paris Fashion Week?

I mean what do you want Katie to do, concentrate on her fashion line? Yeesh.

Indeed, high heels were basically designed to make females look sexier. They lengthen the leg and tilt the hips forward. But given that the shoe height on Suri is pretty small, the real issue here may actually be something more serious...

...her development.

"This is really setting the kid up for some issues," says Ray Margiano, a pedorthist and founder of Foot Solutions. "The feet are the foundation of your body. If it's not solid and correct, you start seeing stress cracks."

Specifically, bunions, hammer toes, improper muscle development and the like.

For the record, Suri's occasional high heel appears to be an exception in celebrity child shoes. Most other stars put their kids in cute little flats from companies like Geox, a favorite with the spawn of Kelly Ripa, Barack Obama and Courteney Cox.

And apparently that's a good thing.

"While the heels seen [on Suri] are not terribly high, they do force Suri's feet into an unnatural walking position," says David L. Hill, a doctor and the pediatrics expert on JustAnswer. "Worn for short periods they may lead to minor pains, but if they're a regular part of her wardrobe I think most podiatrists would have a conniption."

_________

Suri Cruise is such a li'l fashionista, we have a whole gallery devoted to her style.