Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 42 views

    Foot Binding

    Uploaded by

    Yakuuu Inii
    Foot-binding was a cultural practice in China from the 10th century to 1949 where girls' feet were tightly bound to alter their shape for aesthetic purposes. The binding would begin between ages 4 to 12 and force the feet into 3-inch lengths considered ideal. It originated with a dancer but became popular among elites and eventually spread through social classes. Having a daughter with bound feet showed the family's wealth and status. The practice caused lifelong pain, health issues, and prevented women from working. Ultimately, bound feet were seen as symbols of beauty and femininity enforced by China's patriarchal society at the time.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Foot Binding

    Uploaded by

    Yakuuu Inii
    42 views2 pages
    Foot-binding was a cultural practice in China from the 10th century to 1949 where girls' feet were tightly bound to alter their shape for aesthetic purposes. The binding would begin between ages 4 to 12 and force the feet into 3-inch lengths considered ideal. It originated with a dancer but became popular among elites and eventually spread through social classes. Having a daughter with bound feet showed the family's wealth and status. The practice caused lifelong pain, health issues, and prevented women from working. Ultimately, bound feet were seen as symbols of beauty and femininity enforced by China's patriarchal society at the time.

    Original Description:

    China

    Original Title

    (Foot-Binding) (1)

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Foot-binding was a cultural practice in China from the 10th century to 1949 where girls' feet were tightly bound to alter their shape for aesthetic purposes. The binding would begin between ages 4 to 12 and force the feet into 3-inch lengths considered ideal. It originated with a dancer but became popular among elites and eventually spread through social classes. Having a daughter with bound feet showed the family's wealth and status. The practice caused lifelong pain, health issues, and prevented women from working. Ultimately, bound feet were seen as symbols of beauty and femininity enforced by China's patriarchal society at the time.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    42 views2 pages

    Foot Binding

    Uploaded by

    Yakuuu Inii
    Foot-binding was a cultural practice in China from the 10th century to 1949 where girls' feet were tightly bound to alter their shape for aesthetic purposes. The binding would begin between ages 4 to 12 and force the feet into 3-inch lengths considered ideal. It originated with a dancer but became popular among elites and eventually spread through social classes. Having a daughter with bound feet showed the family's wealth and status. The practice caused lifelong pain, health issues, and prevented women from working. Ultimately, bound feet were seen as symbols of beauty and femininity enforced by China's patriarchal society at the time.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 2

    Foot-Binding

    Foot-binding, a cultural practice, existing in China from the 10th century


    until the establishment of the People Republic of China in 1949, that involved
    tightly bandaging the feet of women to alter their shape for aesthetic purposes.
    Typically began when girls were between 4 and 6 years old; some were as
    young as 3, few as old as 12. Grandmothers, mothers, or older female relatives
    first bound the girl’s feet. The ultimate goal was to make them 3 inches long,
    the ideal “golden lotus” foot. It started with a dancer named Yao Niang who
    bound her feet into the shape of a new moon. She entranced Emperor Li Yu by
    dancing on her toes inside a six-foot golden lotus festooned with precious
    stones and ribbons. And gradually the fashion became popular among the elite
    during the Song dynasty. Foot-binding eventually spread to lower social class
    by the Qing dynasty.

    It became a symbol of the subordinate role of women in China, and at the


    same time a mark of femininity and beauty, gentility and distinction. Having a
    daughter that time with bound feet signified that the family was wealthy
    enough to forgo having her work in the fields. Although foot binding started in
    the upper classes, it spread rapidly. In poorer families who could not afford the
    bandages or lack of labor associated with a hobbled woman. Women with their
    feet bound could not walk well enough to do any sort of labor that involved
    standing for any length of time. The four smaller toes were tucked underneath,
    pulled toward the heel, and wrapped with bandages. Each time the feet were
    unbound, the bandages and feet were cleaned. Any dead skin, blisters, dried
    blood, and pus were removed. The process could cause paralysis, gangrene,
    ulceration, or death, though death was rare. Once a foot had been crushed and
    bound, the shape could not be reversed without a woman undergoing the same
    pain all over again. Binding the feet continued for the rest of the girl’s life.
    Decorative shoes and leggings were worn over the bandages and could differ
    with the time of day and occasion. Furthermore, the bound foot became widely
    accepted as a source of erotic pleasure to the male. Foot-Binding was not done
    until the girls were older. Once a girl married, the bandages were taken off, and
    she reentered the workforce.

    In conclusion, bound feet in China were considered to associate strongly


    with beauty, social status, and duty. If women want to be beautiful and to have
    higher status in society it is crucial to her to undergo foot-binding. I firmly
    believe that Chinese society was male-dominated at this time and thus the
    practice of foot-binding was legitimized as expressional means of elegance. It
    would seem that pain has been suffered for centuries by women to achieve
    perceived beauty.

    You might also like

    pFad - Phonifier reborn

    Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

    Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


    Alternative Proxies:

    Alternative Proxy

    pFad Proxy

    pFad v3 Proxy

    pFad v4 Proxy