Foot binding (Simplified Chinese: 缠足; Traditional Chinese: 纏足; pinyin: chánzú, literally "bound feet") was a custom practiced on females for approximately one thousand years in China, beginning in the 10th century and ending in the early 20th century. In Chinese foot binding, young girls' feet, usually at age 6 but often earlier, were wrapped in tight bandages so that they could not grow and develop normally; they would, instead, break and become highly deformed, not growing past 4-6 inches. As the girl reached adulthood, her feet would remain small and dysfunctional, prone to infection, paralysis, and muscular atrophy. It should be noted that this was initially a common practice only in the wealthiest parts of China, particularly in north China. However, by the late Qing Dynasty, foot binding had become popular among people of all social classes, including the poor. Today, it is a prominent cause of disability among elderly Chinese women.
Origins
The practice of foot binding started during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). According to legend, women were bound in this way to replicate an imperial concubine who danced with her feet wrapped in silk; the other concubines were envious and they all started binding their feet in order to impress the emperor. By the 12th century, the practice had become widespread among the upper classes. However, earlier forms of foot binding were not nearly as debilitating as those used during the later Qing Dynasty (1636-1911). During the Qing period, girls' feet were bound so tightly and so early in life that, as adults, they were unable to walk significant distances. They were essentially crippled and deprived of autonomy. Foot binding of this kind was a status symbol, since only the wealthy could afford to keep women unproductive. The Hongwu Emperor's consort, born of humble origin, had normal feet (considered unattractive by the standards of the culture). Emperor Hongwu killed the neighbours of those who mocked her.
If a girl's feet were bound in this manner, sometimes beginning as early as age five, four toes on each foot would break within a year; the first ("big toe") remained intact. The arch had to be well-developed for the perfect "lotus foot" to be formed, so some women would bind their girls' feet at a later age; the ideal was a 3-in. foot, and no longer than 10 cm (4 in). Bound feet would bend, becoming so concave they were sometimes described as "lotus hooks". The binding process resulted in intense pain and caused phalanges to fracture easily.
The earliest recorded opponent to footbinding was a writer from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) called Ch'e Jo-shui, and the Manchus who conquered China in the 17th century tried without success to abolish the practice. [1]
One of the objectives of the Taiping Rebellion was to establish gender equality by ending footbinding.
Modern times
In 1911, the Republic of China government banned foot binding; women were told to unwrap their feet lest they be killed. Some women's feet grew 1/2 - 1 inch after the unwrapping, though some found the new growth process extremely painful and emotionally and culturally devastating.
According to a study conducted by the University of California at San Francisco,"As the practice waned, some girls' feet were released after initial binding, leaving less severe deformities." Some effects of foot binding are permanent, and today, some elderly Chinese women still suffer from disabilities related to bound feet.
Foot binding is rarely, if ever[citation needed], practiced today. Many people would treat the behavior as child abuse and punish it accordingly. It is commonly cited by sociologists and anthropologists as an example where an extreme deformity (by the standards of both modern societies and from a medical viewpoint) can be viewed as beauty, and also where immense human suffering can be inflicted in the pursuit of a beauty standard.
Reception and appeal
Bound feet with and without shoe.
While bound feet were considered desirable by some men, a misconception is that men found the deformed foot, in the flesh, erotic. [citation needed] In general, men never saw a woman's bound feet, as they were always concealed within tiny "lotus shoes". Feng Xun is recorded as stating, "If you remove the shoes and bindings, the aesthetic feeling will be destroyed forever." Some scholars have claimed that the erotic effect was a function of the tiny steps and swaying walk of a woman whose feet had been bound. The very fact that the bound foot was concealed from men's eyes was, in and of itself, sexually suggestive.
Process
A grandmother or mother wrapped her daughter's or granddaughter's feet when the child was around 5-7 years old. The toes were doubled under the soles, and deep cuts might be made in the soles to make this easier. As the process proceeded, the girl experienced severe pain. Her heels developed hard callouses because she walked on her heels, unable to put weight on her doubled-under toes. After years of this process, the bones would heal in the position of the binding, and the girl would no longer feel pain. There were contests by parents to obtain the daughters with the smallest feet. The smaller the feet, the more beautiful a girl was, and the more likely she would be chosen as a bride of a desirable husband.
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