Carrie

Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Carrie has kept a home base with her husband in Asia since 2003. A nomad at heart, Carrie's deep love for travel, photography, and culture has lead her on frequent travels over the past seven years. Carrie works for a publishing company in Taipei, but she also finds work as a freelance writer, editor, and photographer. Visit www.carriekellenberger.com for more information.

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77 responses to “Suffering for Beauty – Graphic Photos of Chinese Footbinding”

  1. Erica

    Oh my God, this is so sad and disturbing!

  2. Sierra

    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?

  3. Jacqueline

    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.

  4. Alice

    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.

  5. Diana

    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.

  6. beth

    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

  7. Charlene

    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…

  8. Johnna

    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).

  9. sharin

    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.

  10. Edwige

    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

  11. kelsey

    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

  12. Cassandra

    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!

  13. Louise

    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!

  14. Jess

    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.

  15. doris

    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.

  16. Jaclynn

    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 My ComLuv Profile

  17. hriti

    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.

  18. Merrill

    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.

  19. Alex

    This is sooo desterbing! I can’t believe my teacher would ask me to look it up!

  20. Arline

    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.

  21. S

    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

  22. Non of your business!!

    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! :)

  23. Paulina

    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.

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