Women Should Not Be A Mandatory Procedure For Chinese Women

    As part of a practice, Chinese girls have their feet put in bindings. These bindings are part of a process known as foot binding. The foot binding reconstructs their feet physically and marks their worthiness in the eyes of their civilization. Lily has her feet put in bindings for these reasons. However, not only does it change her feet and worth, but the foot binding also alters her “whole character,” causing her to “follow” demands “without question” (4). It is from her lack of rebellion that Lily hides her emotional suffering. Her hurt stems from not telling anyone of the “torturous pain” buried deep in her “heart, mind, and soul” (4). Moreover, from this agony, a battle rages with “the person [she] should

What Is Foot Binding? Foot binding is a process used by all women during the Tang Dynasty. Women did this to show their high status and rank. This was a sign of beauty.

A central idea of Lensey Namioka’s novel, Ties That Bind, Ties That Break, is that we don’t have to diminish ourselves to societies standards. With the setting being in the early 1900’s of China, we meet the main character, Ailin Tao, who shows us that traditions and standards are meant to be broken. Ailin is a five-year-old girl who refuses to have her feet bound, which causes her engagement to be broken and later become the symbol of shame for her family. Eventually, after ending up in America, Ailin proves that she didn’t need her feet bound in order to make a living. Whilst talking with a fellow passenger on her voyage to America, it is brought to her attention that “[she is] a revolutionary, and [is admired] for fighting a war, a war against

Foot binding is now considered a very extreme and cruel form of body modification. It is almost near impossible to find information on the subject without it being shed in a negative light. The important thing to remember, however, is that body modification in different cultures is usually viewed as a right of passage and honor, not a form of torture. To be able to have your body altered to the definition of beauty in China’s society was a great privilege, and surpassed any pain that went along with the modification.

The power of how women feel about there own bodies is a big issue in today's society, but that doesn't mean she was right about everything. Mernissi's went a little to far when she compared Western men's control to the Chinese foot-binding. Which was causing women pain to being what Chinese men thought smaller feet was labeled beautiful. Western women choose to do things to there body for themselves not because a man or the government told her too. Foot binding doesn't even compare to the Western society's form of beauty.

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.

Despite the oppression women were subjected to in China, they still occasionally overcame it and accomplished something extraordinary. Some worked, and helped to earn the family living, some were extremely honorable in their efforts to uphold their chastity or their family's honor, and some accomplished even more influential feats. Fa Mu Lan trained for fifteen years in order to become a woman warrior. She became as strong as a man, but swifter and more graceful. After saving her father from the draft by dressing up as a man, she assembled an army. Her army never lost, because Kuan Kung, the god of war and literature, would always ride before her into battle. Interestingly enough, another of the more extraordinary feats was that of

Beauty of a woman was very important to men because it often showed wealth. Footbinding was a cruel way to show a woman’s beauty in Ancient China, especially during the Song dynasty. It is thought that foot binding began in around 900 AD during the Tang dynasty and continued until 1911 when it was finally banned. "The practice of binding feet was originally introduced about a thousand years ago, allegedly by a concubine of the emperor. Not only was the sight of women hobbling on tiny feet considered erotic, men would also get excited playing with bound feet, which were always hidden in embroidered silk shoes” (Wild Swans) Footbinding was considered very attractive and was very common. Many times, a girl who did not have bound feet were rejected by

In a woman's eye, this represented beauty and eroticism. Men didn’t enforce this act upon women, but there were benefits from doing so. For example, foot binders had increased marriage options because of their new beauty. If a woman didn’t have their feet bent backwards, they were negatively looked at. Because of all of these societies, patriarchy has had a major effect in the world throughout history and remains to affect society

Foot binding has been illegal in china for a century. But a number of older women, who, continued the traditional custom in secret, are now featuring in a new photography series that aims to bust myth about bound feet.

Imagine someone’s toes must be bound except the big toe against the soles of their feet. It hurts just to think about it, doesn 't it? Traditions can make someone powerful by accomplishing them yet painful at the same time. Beauty traditions that girls go through bring pain. Family honor is also the reason why girls uphold such traditions. In the novel Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka, she explains how young Chinese girls are afflicted by pain by getting their feet bound. Being able to have bound feet are something those young girls have to bear. Also, “The journey by Inner Light”, by Meeta Kaur, she explain her journey to find her inner self both mentally and physically through her tradition. By following the

Many years ago the sign of feminine beauty was small feet. To accomplish this goal many women would bind their feet. Foot binding is an extremely excruciating custom from Asia and went from 970 AD to the 1950’s. For 1,000 years foot binding was considered the standard of feminine beauty.

Women have been taught from a young age about her their future roles of wife, mother and daughter-in-law. In the book Lesson for Women written during the Han dynasty by Ban Chao a woman for unmarried daughters to prepare them for their duties in marriage teaches women to practice humility, obedience and devotion to her husband (e). This shows that women were expected to work for her husband and his family, thus constantly self-sacrificing by putting other before her needs. Confucianism wanted cosmic order through patriarchal families as the foundation for a stable society where women were not given the freedom to make their own decisions because her role was within the family and her status was not equal to a

When coupled with the line "the bound feet" (Piercy, 20), the poem appears as if it were a comment solely about the injustice forced upon Chinese women from 934 until 1949. Foot binding is a painful process which includes breaking all of the toes and arch of the foot to grossly alter the shape of the foot, so that the foot, when mature would be no more than four inches long.  The first break was usually made when a girl was three to five years old, then the feet were wrapped in yards of cloth to prevent them from growing or reshaping. The pain from the initial break was nothing compared to the enduring pain the women experienced for the rest of their lives. The pain was caused by the drastically deformed feet. (Chinese foot binding- lotus shoes)

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