Footbinding Summary

At the age of two to eight, female children would undergo the process of foot binding this would be done by bending/breaking the individuals four small toes underneath the sole of the foot, then would be wrapped in a tight bandage in order to make the foot appear four-inches long The process of foot binding would take six to ten years to completely reform the foot Animal blood and herbs were also used throughout this process (Tan, M 2012) This cultural practice took place in order for the women to be deemed gentle and to appear more feminine and beautiful

According to Mackie (1996: 1001) the practice of foot binding spread from the imperial palace, transmitting down through the classes until it was nearly universally adopted. Thus, foot binding can be seen as symbolising one's status. Foot binding came to symbolise gentility, and it was only the absolute lowest of the lower class who were the exception to the convention. Such destitute individuals could not afford for female family members to be foot-bound when their manual labour was needed (Mackie 1996: 1001). However, to avoid such disgrace, many poor families preferred to “struggle along for a precarious living, bringing up their daughters with small feet” (Doolittle 1865: 201). This is in keeping with Veblen's (1934) view that foot binding is a costly display of a family's wealth (Mackie 1996: 1002). Likewise in Africa, female mutilation reportedly spread partly due to individuals wanting to emulate their higher status neighbours who had already adopted the practice (Mackie 1996: 1004). In addition to symbolising wealth, Mackie suggests that female mutilation symbolises a family's commitment to values of purity and chastity (Mackie 1996: 1000, 1008). Given the costs and risks associated with female mutilation, that a family would choose to commit to the practice shows how willing they are to ensure that males can be confident in terms of paternity. With this intention, female mutilation can be seen as symbolising a female's purity and future fidelity (Mackie 1996:

The most prevalent symbol in the poem “Flower Feet” by Ruth Fainlight are the feet of Chinese women who were forced to bind their feet. Foot binding is an old Chinese trend in which young girls had their feet broken in

“Bound Feet”, by Jung Chang, explains that women in China who had bound feet brought happiness to themselves and their family, it was, also, very attractive to men. Chang says in the essay that her grandmother had to go through the long, painful process of having her feet be bound. As much as she begged and pleaded her mother to stop, she had not. Her mother would only loosen the cloth to go to bed, but it was never removed. The cloth, says Chang, when taken off was “covered in rotting flesh and stank”. It was said that women in China who did not have bound feet when they got married, the groom’s family would disapprove of the bride, and it would bring shame to the bride and groom’s family. Chang’s grandmother was the last in her family to

Even peasent women had to have their feet bound, so this meant while they were working in the fields, they basically had to crawl. Foot binding was not only for the sake of beauty, but it also served the purpose for the Chinese young girls to be restricted from going out of their houses. This practice lasted for about a thousand years. Thus this unhealthy practice prevented Chinese women from going beyond their homes and thus limited their freedom to gain knowledge from the outside world.

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Foot-binding was considered a symbol of beauty. Women in the upper class practiced foot binding for the reason that men found small feet sexually appealing. Generally, women in the upper class practiced foot binding; however, those of lower class also craved it. Women in the lower class would bind their daughter’s feet at a young age with hopes that she would marry into money. Bound feet were not only an indicator of social standing but wealth as well.

Remember the carefree days you spent as a kid running barefoot in the grass? Or the feel of sand between your toes as you built sandcastles on the beach during summer vacation? For many kids, this carefree time was often interrupted by parental figures proclaiming the need for footwear. Mom and dad had a point. After all footwear, for the most part, is made to protect the feet from dangerous stuff like sharp objects and abrasive surfaces. But as it turns out, going barefoot also has a plethora of health benefits from preventing leg and foot injuries to reducing insomnia and easing stress.

China has centuries of rich history that is studied today. China is a popular and common area of study when researching East Asian topics. Throughout history, it was recorded that many European explorers were disgusted by the cultural practice of foot binding. They viewed the practice as cruel and unnecessary modifications to women’s bodies. In an article released in 1898, the Washington Post says "man has feet as house-pillars have stone supports, as the cart has its axel. There is no movement nor activity without the use of feet. Therefore in binding there is cruelty like that of cutting off legs." In the nineteenth century, to what extent did western perceptions of foot binding in China differ from Chinese perceptions? This essay argues

Foot binding was a practice in China that began around the 10th century. It lasted for a very, very long time in history – all the way up until the mid-20th century. Foot binding consists of pressing the toes up

As a rule, the vast majority of the analysts from various parts of the world have understood the cozy connections amongst footbinding and sexuality. Ladies' bound feet have assumed a very uncommon part in the sexual dimension of the Chinese life. In most scholastic writings, a general public-wide suggestive interest with bound feet is often considered as the assumed position. The prevalent creative energy holds that footbinding was basically roused by sensuality. At the end of the day, the motivation behind why footbinding was kept up for such quite a while is its sexual fascination for Chinese male population. As far back as the Song Dynasty, too much pointed and little feet have framed a vital trait of a lovely lady, and there slowly created

Firstly, the physical aspect of a women’s body was transformed at a young age to embody the beauty standards of the Song dynasty. The primary Confucian philosophy for these transformations were based on the belief that men and women must “do things differently as a way of manifesting their differences” (Ebrey, 35). These differences were shown through paintings, literature, and practices such as “footbinding.” In the article “Separating the Sexes,” Patricia Ebrey displays a painting of a Chinese man and woman side by side to differentiate the male and female features. The female is shown as a vibrant, feminine figure with a colorful multipiece gown, facial cosmetics, and their hair tied up. In contrast, the male would wear a colorless gown,

Many people have been binding feet since 1912. Some people who survived living in Liuyun. Zhou Guizhen for example survived this barbaric. Zhou was born into rich family and all her possessions were confiscated by communists. Now footbinding stands for female subjugation. The women are victims of a history in a society that finds their plight an embarrassing.

One of these such cultural traditions is the Chinese Foot Binding. Foot binding was the custom of applying tight binding to the feet of young girls to modify the shape of their feet. The practice possibly originated among upper class court dancers during the 10th century China specifically the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Foot binding became popular as a way to display status among others and also became a means to show how attractive you were. This practise ruined the feet of the women who practise it.

In challenging the sufficiency of popular theories like Mao’s, an alternative theory is proposed by the team. In their discussion, they announce “…we have growing evidence that footbinding was a form of labor control to boost the contribution of young girls to handcraft production…We think changes in the larger political economy that threw spinners and other handcraft producers out of work explain the cause of footbinding’s demise” (1062, 1063). This novel perspective is the basis for redefining women with bound feet as subjects with industrial capabilities, as opposed to static playthings. Understanding these implications solidifies the multidimensionality of bound feet and high heels. From here, thinking about the effects of the two in numerous contextual relationships begins. Broadening analysis to incorporate both marriage and labor reveals that universal patterns of the patriarchy exist even in distinct environments. Karen A. Callaghan observes that “The gender hierarchy is sustained by beauty norms that define women’s power, self-assertion and worth in terms that reify male dominance” (Callaghan ix). In this sense, boundaries which weaken a woman’s power and self-assertion are examples of universal patterns which coincide with the consolidation of patriarchy. Considering our hierarchal framework, such limitations are understood to produce the effect of relegating women to power niches beneath that of men in the hierarchal chain. Defining how bound feet and high heels