Chinese Foot Binding
In the 10th century, in China, legend says a prince began the practice of foot binding because he loved the small “Lily Feet” of his concubine. The tiny foot became the mark of a wealthy and well-born woman. For over 1000 years, rich women had their feet bounded. The new Republic banned foot binding in 1912, and the custom finally died out in the 1930’s.
Foot binding began between the ages of four and seven. A strip of bandage ten feet long and two inches wide was wrapped tightly around the foot. The four small toes were broken and bent under the sole. The arch of the foot was bowed to make the foot shorter.
The perfectly bound foot was only 3″ long. Women who got their feet bound could not walk, run, or dance. They just sat around and said, “Ouch!”
The bandage was tightened each day and the foot was put into smaller and smaller shoes.
In two years, the process was finished. By then, the foot was useless for walking very far.
Bound feet had to be washed and cared for daily. If toe nails grew into the instep, infection could set in. If the bindings were too tight, gangrene and blood poisoning could occur. The bound foot was painful and tender forever. It often had an unpleasant smell.
X-ray of the normal
and the bound foot
Beverley Jackson. Splendid Slippers,
A slipper for a bound foot.
TM
…..sugali
These are insightful takes and intelligently put. Thank you. Compared to modern days plastic surgeries, foot binding is small to what is done to the human body in the name of Beauty. Well said
Nowadays a lot of women go throw plastic surgeries to be beautiful,surgeries which are useless and can even have lots of negative effects.If we didn’t have the technology and knowledge required for this and there was a practice to make breasts bigger i bet half of the women would have gone through it even if it was almost sadistic.In those times the girls weren’t at fault.The society was to blame for the statuses the girls were supposed to reach.Those were times when people didn’t know so much about health or about the human body so even if it hurt,it was a way of ensuring the future as a wife.So the one who said “Beauty has it’s price” was somehow right.
there is a book that im reading now that talks about the process of footbinding its called snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see.
@lisa: thanks for the info. asap I will try and check those books out
sugali
Everything for the man and security. You know what they have done to the girls in Africa for the pleasure of men!
Admin: flowergirl…yes, in Africa is an entirely different story altogether. What I have heard is that this practice is almost extinct. Have a great day!
That’s sick…not normal!
Because people don’t know what this really means, seeing how no one here does, women bound their feet, because the smaller your foot was, the sexier you were in that era. People would do this to make sure that their daughters would get married, and it was a terrible process.
it was also treated as a sex object, and rich women’s place was “thought to be in the bedchamber as a toy for men” and “not subject to the curious gazes of other men”
Actually, it was begun as a class token and then, like all stupid things that begin at the top, leaked down to lower levels. Historically, even women who worked in rice fields all day had their feet bound.
Thanks -b.galle for insight. Like you said there was no arguing..:)sugali
Sugali is right. When it started in the 10th century, it was for class. If you were a woman, you’re feet were bound. It was not a choice. It was the way their lifestyle was. Even though we say it was such a bad thing (and it truly was), during their time, even though it was painful, it was custom and you did not argue with custom.
-b.galle
@q…It is a painful way of getting a good husband don’t you think..there are a lot of body manipulations all over the world that is done for the sake of fashion or for getting a good husband…… Thanks for insightful comment r..
Actually, woman bound their feet as a sign of class. Because the woman couldn’t walk very far, meaning that they stayed at home. ( this showed they didn’t need a job.) Also, a woman without bound feet would of most likely not have found a good husband during this time !
Hi r,
Thanks for comment, it is right on the head. Incomprehensible but it was customary and pleased the ego of people in that era and they were willing to put up with it…..
‘beauty does have a cost’? thats a sick comment, this is a vile form of torture invented to please a long dead spoilt imbred.
For the sake of fashion madness, people go through a lot of torture. For this one,it is so the woman won’t be able to walk very far or possibly ran away.
I have heard about this too. It’s a painful practice, but beauty does have a cost.