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The barbaric practice of foot binding in China began in the 10th century sometime during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and ended over a thousand years later. Foot binding was practiced on young girls usually six years of age and younger. Feet were wrapped in tight bandages and broken so they couldn’t grow. Foot binding was generally practiced by wealthy families, as only wealthy families could afford to have the women of the house not at work. It was a sign of prestige, beauty and wealth.
Eventually, foot binding moved from wealthy city families to women in the countryside, where women realized they could marry into money by having these prized three inch feet. For centuries, women suffered terrible pain in the hopes of having a better future.
Zhou Guizhen, who is 86-years-old, shows one of her bound feet where the bones in the four small toes were broken and forced underneath the foot over a period of time, at her home in Liuyi village in China’s southern Yunnan Province, February 2007. Villages in China where women with bound feet survive are increasingly rare but the millennium-old practice nevertheless took almost four decades to eradicate after it was initially banned in 1911. Full story at Wired.
To bind feet, feet were first soaked in a warm bowl of herbs and animal blood, which caused the dead flesh to fall off. Toe nails were cut back as far as possible to prevent ingrown toenails and infection. Silk and cotton bandages were dipped in the solution and were wrapped tightly around the feet after the toes were broken. Four toes on each foot were broken and folded under. The big toe was left intact. Feet were often bound so tightly that even short distances were unable to be walked.
The bandages became tighter after drying. While drying, the toes were forced down and inward. Sometimes cuts were made in the sole of the feet to make the binding process easier. Most footbinding was done during the winter months, when it was thought the cold would numb the pain. The wrapping process was repeated every couple of days with fresh bandages. Each time, the bandages were pulled even tighter, causing excrutiating and long lasting pain.
In 1912, the Chinese government ordered the cessation of footbinding. Women were ordered to unwrap their feet. Failure to do so resulted in heavy fines and in some cases, death. When the Communists came into power in 1949, they too ordered a nation wide ban on footbinding. This was especially devastating to women with bound feet because most of them were forced to perform hard physical labor in the 1950’s.
According to the American author William Rossi, who wrote The Sex Life of the Foot and Shoe, 40 percent to 50 percent of Chinese women had bound feet in the 19th century. For the upper classes, the figure was almost 100 percent.
The ideal foot was three inches in length. Three inch feet were called golden lotuses. Feet that were between three and four inches in length were called silver lotuses.
For more information, read this story about a Chinese Girl With Bound Feet.
These pictures were emailed to me. I had to do an Internet search to find the photographer. I believe the professional photographer who took these photos is Michael Yamashita.
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Oh my God, this is so sad and disturbing!
Hi Erica,
Yeah, I think so, too. But I also equate it with all the plastic surgery victims out there today. I was just reading about a guy whose nose actually rotted off from having too many nose jobs.
I heard about this from my grandmother. we both think that if you do this to marry money why dont you just make money of your own?
I just finished a novel by Lisa See – “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” that portrayed factual information on the Chinese culture regarding footbinding, women’s secret written language called nu shu and old same sworn sisterhoods called laotong. The author, See, is a Chinese American who wrote this passionate story of two young girls, their sworn laotong relationship, and the physical and emotional pain they experienced throughout their lives. See’s writing is a well-researched account of the Chinese culture that lasted one thousand years.
That is simply grotesque. I can’t believe that men can dream up such things as this to accept their woman as attractive. The ways that women have been treated in different cultures for their own selfish pleasures is just appalling. This and the genital mutilations going on in Africa denying woman of the right to enjoy sex while these men still are able to enjoy their pleasures is nothing short of the worst criminal and animalistic behavior. Actually even animals behave better than this.
I am watching a movie called The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. …and it shows some of the struggle of the banning of foot binding. So I came online this morning to find more information on the subject. Thank you so much for this post.
i agree that this is wrong and think that you should like your body the way god made it but you must understand that footbinding is apart of their culture, when you begin to footbind is when you become a woman its a right of passage for them, like having your period or first kiss or something is becomeing a woman for american girls which makes most of you just as wrong to judge
jaquline, im also reading “Snow flower and the Secret fan” and iv gotta say its very good
so to anyone else who wants to learn a little more about footbinding try it if you want or not ..its a good book
I recall seeing a doc on CBC on foot binding and it made me realize just how fortunate I am to live in the time that I do and in my country…city…home.
I now live in Toronto, Canada. But I grew up with my brother and mother, who was a single parent, in her community; Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island. I am blessed to be a part of a culture where the women held as much (if not more) power with the men. The earlier posts about how women have been subjects is such a sorrowful part of our world’s history. But, it is our history none the less. I believe that it is our individual responsibility to treat all humans as equal. I think that if we can do that then those looking back on us will be proud and happy. Mostly because there won’t be a need anymore to work that issue…
In response to Sierra’s comment on why they wouldn’t just make their own money? You have to understand the time period and culture. There was no way for women to make money. In this time period, they were married off by the age of 14-16 (arranged). A young girl living in the countryside had few options: forever work as a slave to her own father, or be married off to work as a slave to her husband. OR, footbinding provided at least the chance to improve their living conditions. These women were traded as objects.
Many others have commented on author Lisa See. She also has two other wonderful books called “Peony in Love,” and her newest book “Shanghai Girls.” She has done much research, and because this was such an integral part of a girl’s life, the footbinding process is mentioned in all of her books. If you are curious about understanding women in the Chinese culturem another great author is Amy Tan (most known for “Joy Luck Club).
I have suffered from the genital mutilations going on in middle east denying me of the right to enjoy sex while the men still are able to enjoy with as many women.
I had a horrible husband father, stupid mother. Can’t stop enving anything live in USA.
My sister and I were driving to sanfransisco once and wished we could have born as
the cow, we were observing rather than what we are now. If I could write a Novel
there would be no depressed women in USA. trust me.
I am reading the Binding Chair (Kathryn Harrison) and wanted to learn a little more about footbinding tradition in China. It is appaling to see what women put themselves through in order to please men! Yes I agree with previous comments left, that current use of plastic surgery is, for most women, not about their feeling, but to improve their looks for someone else, usually a man….Sad
I think this a horrible thing to do and I dont think this is pretty at all. It is horrible what women do to themselves for men. It would be sooo panful to get this and I feel sorry for the people that got their feet binded
That is so horrible and disgusting. The foot is deformed and they believe its beauty? I can believe poor girls were forced to do that. I’m glad it got outlawed!
I am busy reading Snow flower and the secret fan and was compelled to look for a picture of bound feet. Even more revolting – is that Japanese men were acutually turned on by these feet!!
The poor women ended up stooped over double and limping or walking with sticks in their old age.
I have to say that when I read stories like these – I appreciate that I am a liberated woman and that if anything is done to my body – it is with my permission!
I cannot believe what hideous things women will endure for a ‘loving’ relationship. Doesn’t this show that men only care about good looks? I find the pictures somewhat revolting and I feel ever so sorry for the women that had to go through will it.
I too, am reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and was also compelled to look. The depth of my horror has left me silent. I care for al elderly chinese woman and thank god she escaped this torture.
I find the comments comparing plastic surgery to foot binding very interesting, and I have to agree. It’s true, most women do it not for themselves, because what woman in their right mind would want to have huge, numb, immovebale plastic breasts? It’s to fullfill some disgusting image of femininity portrayed in a male dominated society. I’ve had plastic surgery, none of it permanent, but it was painful and expensive and I felt really pressured into doing it. Sad.
Jaclynn´s last blog ..Precious Vicious Clothing, Los Angeles CA
Hi Jaclynn,
Thanks for sharing. I’m sad to say that while I haven’t had any cosmetic surgery to date, the older I get the more pressure I feel to have something done.
we were studying about china, when we came to this topic. how could anyone do this to girls. do only girls have to suffer this wiered stuff?
they have to fight against this.
Luckily, the practice of footbinding was banned over 60 years ago. The modern woman has to worry about other things now instead, like cosmetic surgey, female genital mutilation, and the hazards of wearing high heels.
Are we so arrogant as to think that we, as modern women, don’t do very similar things for the same reasons!? Four inch heels, push-up bras, boob jobs, nose jobs, liposuction, cheek implants, lip implants, to name a few. Yes, the foot-binding is grotesque and the pain was far worse than anything we’re likely to ever experience, but that doesn’t make modern women liberated and free from our own dependence on men. Many thousands of women painfully transform themselves to make themselves more marketable to men. They, too, are commodities.
This is sooo desterbing! I can’t believe my teacher would ask me to look it up!
Thank you for sharing these photos. I, too, am reading Lisa See’s incredible book, “Snow Flowerand the Secret Fan” and wanted to see what she had so vividly described. I don’t remember the cut in the sole of the foot, but I will re-read that section to see if I missed it. Everyone should realize that cultural mores are ideosyncratic to the times and region and therefore should not be judged by today’s standards. Perhaps in a thousand years, people will look aghast at today’s customs of piercing and tatooing.
your are forgetting that yes women in America have plastic surgery….but in foot binding the women doesn’t have a choice it’s done to small children, painful and torturous Can you imagine the screaming? Plastic surgery is a choice a Women makes, stupid or not
Suffering for beauty? What the fuck. This isn’t beauty, this is.. I don’t know. It’s ugly, it’s gross and it’s far behind beauty. This is sick and gross!
It must have been excrutiating for those women to have experienced such an ordeal. As a 17 teen year old im already feeling the pressure to look a certain way though im quite certain i would never undergo surgery to alter my appearence.