Chinese Foot Binding

©Copyright 2008Mrs. Kelly Stevens, Mrs. Chantal Lerebours, and Mr. Paul Fields

What is Beauty?

• Throughout history in all cultures a common ultimate goal is to achieve beauty. Just as all people look different, all people have a different outlook on the question, what is beautiful?

Is this beauty?

Is this beauty?

Is this beauty?

Is this beauty?

What about this?

Lengths women go through

PAIN???

• Great pain has been suffered for centuries for women to achieve perceived beauty. Probably the most detrimental act was one that approximately one billion women in China have preformed for nearly one thousand years. This act, foot binding, was an attempt to stop the growth of the feet.

How did the tradition start?• The exact way foot binding started is not fully known. Several legends have been

passed down on how foot binding originally started. The most common legend is about the Chinese prince Li Yu in the Sung dynasty (AD 960-1280) (Nadine 2). The prince's concubine, Yao Niang walked so gracefully it appeared as if she was "skimming over the top of golden lilies" (Chinese Foot Binding 2) To follow that, the "lily footed" woman became a model for China. A variation of this legend was that Yao Niang was ordered to bind her feet in the shape of half moons (Nadine 2). She was to do this so that she could perform an early variation of ballet, also called toe dancing for the royal court. This legend is probably the least likely to be true, because women with bound feet could hardly walk, let alone dance. The most likely variation of this particular story is that Yau Niang danced on a platform shaped like a lotus, as well as toe-danced within a six-foot high golden lotus flower (Jackson 28). Many women began to perform this artistic dancing style, and the dance looked best with bound feet. There are so many variations that it is impossible to know which one is true. A whole other legend is about the last Empress of the Shang dynasty. This Empress had a clubbed foot and did not want to be known as having this condition. She asked her husband to make binding feet mandatory for all girls (Chinese Foot Binding 2). By doing so, her deformed foot could now be considered beautiful. The origin of foot binding may not be clear; however the powerful affects foot binding left are apparent.

Pictures of Foot binding

x-ray of

bound feet

Foot Binding• Foot binding in China meant an attempt to

stop the growth of your feet. Foot binding is a terrible and very bizarre custom in China, yet it is hard to understand why they do it. In fact it is said that feet binding went deeper than a fashion and reflected the role of women in Chinese society. For Chinese they believed it was necessary for a women to have her feet bound for her to have a good life.

How it Was Done• The ages foot binding started at were for girls as young

as 4-6. It was done so early in life that the arch of the foot had no time to adjust.

• The mother was the foot binder and usually started the process in fall or winter so the foot would have less circulation due to the cold weather.

How was it done (Cont)– The first step was to soak the feet in warm water or

animal blood in herbs. This special potion caused any dead skin to fall off.

– Then her toenails were cut as short as possible so they would not grow into the foot.

– Then she received a massage in which her four smaller toes were broken. Yet this was not the worst pain to come.

– Next the mother soaked cloth or silk in the same water used to wash her feet in. then the bandages were wrapped around her toes and then tightly pulled towards her heel of the foot.

– Every 2 days the feet were unwrapped and rewrapped. – This process carried on for 2 years. By this time the feet

were 3-4 inches long. – To make sure they stayed the same the ritual went on

for 10 years.

The consequences of Foot binding

• As you can see the process was very painful. Every time the foot was rewrapped it was pulled tighter and tighter. Besides the pain involved in the process there were many after affects that were detrimental to the girls health. – The pain of the bound feet was never stopped. – The most common effect with feet binding was infection. – One was the ball of the foot folding directly to the heal. – Another was the toenails grew into the skin causing flesh to roll of or

even a toe would be lost. – The worst part of the process was after 3 years the feet would die

leaving a horrible oder that followed the women were ever she went. – Diseases followed infections– and even death could be a result of foot binding.

Why?• Men in china in that era would not marry a women who did

not have her feet bound. The man’s mother was responsible for finding out that information for him. If she discovered that the women had “clown feet” the man was never to talk to the women ever again. The finding out of no bound was the most embarrassing thing that could ever happen to a women.

• Also feet binding divided the men and women of China and upheld old beliefs. Foot binding kept women weak, and dominated by her husband. With a wife with bound fee the husband could dominate more easily and not worry of women taking control. The women had no choice of getting their feet bound. She was seen as an object to the men, to be observed and look pretty therefore they did not care of her health but her beauty.

Shoes

Is foot binding still done in China today?• Thankfully foot binding eventually

stopped in the mid 1600’s• Asian News Broadcast