This book is written in a way that neither supports or opposes the practice. Honestly though, it was a bit graphic. It was very detailed about how young girls, aged 5 or 6, have their feet wrapped, their toes pulled under and the front of the foot pulled back towards the heel. I googled foot binding and the images freaked me out a bit.
So then, this is a natural foot compared to a shoe meant to be wore by a bound foot. Ladies wanted the ideal three-inch golden lotus, as bound feet were called, and continued to pull and re-bind their feet for most of their lives. Actually, I should not say that ladies wanted their feet to be this way. They had no say in the matter. The liking, or more accurately, the fetish for small feet was a man's problem. So, of course, women had to conform to fit this odd view of beauty. Woo. Go women.
I have to say, I do not understand how they handled the process. At such a young age, the foot was broken and the children had to learn to walk and continued with their normal lives while their bones were being re-shaped. I could not handle it. I would be the runaway who unbound their feet at night and joined a traveling circus.
The origin of binding feet is not completely known but most agree that it was passed down from court dancers with tiny feet. Rich men liked the look and of course pushed their wives to follow the trend. The practice fell into the lower classes, as they wanted to be like the wealthy above them. Field workers however, and other women who needed to work to survive, did not bind their feet; it made it impossible for them to make a living.
So, as this small foot fetish blazed across China, it become a standard for women in order to marry. In lower class families, the eldest daughter was the only one to have her feet bound in the hopes she would marry into a higher class. Her poor, younger sisters would have terrible natural feet and marry laborers. Or become mistresses. Apparently, that was reserved for the big-footed women. The idea behind marrying a women with three-inch feet was that she would not be able to work, therefore the husband would be super testosterone man and be the only provider for the family. She would be a literal trophy wife.
And then, the westerners invaded.
Yeah, they did not look like that. I just happen to find this picture quite humorous.
These ideas began seeping into the Chinese culture first through Christianity. A very liberal group of Christian ladies thought the end of foot binding could lead to more equality between the sexes. More educated Chinese individuals - probably men, since women were generally kept out of higher education - thought that the practice reflected badly on the country when they sat on the same world stage as other nations. Some thought that the practice should be abolished because supposedly women with bound feet gave birth to sons with bad feet. Because, as everyone clearly knows, the man-made small feet magically became genetic. I could see this argument hold up better if we assume the women were sickly from infections or limitations that come with the process. My favorite were the ones who did not like foot binding because it hurt women. Yeah, that one is best. Hm, this is harming people and it serves no useful purpose? Yeah, I like that argument the best by far.
Many people are absolutely horrified when they first learn about this practice. I am in no way agreeing with foot binding, but I find it a bit ironic considering what we are used to hearing from other cultures. Take the corset for example. The only purpose it served was to please men - it certainly did not help help the women that broke their ribs from the practice - and was mandatory for years. Even today, tanning is another form of alteration that society sees as beautiful when it is in fact very very harmful.
So there you go! A piece of Chinese history to spice up your day. This practice is not recommended. Nor is wearing corsets, or tanning.
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