Introduction

Foot binding, referred to in Chinese as “lotus foot,” was a centuries-old cultural custom that left a painful and indelible mark on China’s culture and history. Although the practice was outlawed in China in the early 20th century, it has left a lasting legacy in the collective memory of many generations. Foot-binding disabled women inflicted constant pain and brought public shame. But why did this finalism last nearly a millennium? Why would anyone want such a debilitating tradition to endure year after year and generation after generation?

In the following article, we will discuss how this disgusting practice became part of the Chinese culture to different degrees and offer its historical and cultural context and consequences. We will explore the psychological, social, and physical implications for the women coerced into it and how and why the pressures to accede to it have reached ubiquitous culture.” The story of the tiny feet is heartbreaking, born of the machinations of centuries past, an ugly chapter in Chinese history.

The Origins of Foot Binding:

While the practice is believed to have begun in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), it did not become widespread until the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD). Historians say that while the precise origin of the custom is unclear, it may have originated as a standard of beauty, social control, or a combination of both.

Among the most well-known accounts of foot binding’s early popularity is from within the royal court of the Tang emperor Li Yu, where wives and concubines were known to bind their feet to create a small-footed look, viewed as graceful and aristocratic. The practice was not limited to the imperial court but spread across the country and into the upper class.

It was likely inspired by a performance held at the imperial court during the Tang Dynasty, in which a dancer named “Yao Niang” gave a famous foot-bound dance that made her feet appear smaller and more delicate. As an obsession with female beauty grew in Chinese society, particularly around certain physical traits, such as tiny, dainty feet, the practice took hold. Those were some of the methods that may seem contradictory to displaying a woman’s worth; the former sought to compress her feet to create a reflection of femininity, elegance, and high social rank.

The Practice of Foot Binding:

The foot-binding process usually started around the age of 5 to 7, a period known as “prepubescence.” As such, their feet were still soft and malleable at a young age and could be shaped to fit the desired mould. This practice forced the toes under the foot arch, and the foot was then wrapped with cloth to prevent it from growing. As time passed, the fabric was tightened, and the process was repeated, allowing their feet to grow as they did.

This was done so that the body could achieve a foot size that did not exceed three inches in length, as this was considered the ideal for beauty. As time passed, the feet were tightly bound, resulting in an extreme deformity. The toes would soon be crushed and broken behind the initial bend beneath the foot. The foot arch would be raised high, sometimes painfully, so that infection could occur. Most of these women developed permanent foot deformities that rendered them incapable of walking.

Women who had undergone foot-binding were typically unable to walk unassisted. Their walking style was highly restricted, often described as a slow, waddling shuffle. They might have used canes or other walking devices to get around, and even the most basic tasks, such as getting up or standing still, could be impossible.

Unique Cultural Significance Associated with Class and Gender

Foot binding eventually became closely linked to imperial China’s social and cultural values, where skin-deep appearances, including the size and shape of a woman’s feet, indicated her social status and desirability. And because the girl with bound feet was thought to be better off married than one with unbound feet.

Foot binding became a symbol of social status as well. For the upper classes, bound feet indicated a woman’s elite class status and social privilege, signifying that she did not need to engage in physical labour. This painful sartorial practice also took on class and exclusivity overtones; to suffer from the inability to walk correctly was increasingly considered the province of the wealthy.

Foot binding was considered pretty among Han Chinese females but unattractive among other ethnic groups (e.g., the Manchus, who condemned the practice). Elite women from Han Chinese families continued to engage in similar practices to ensure a good marriage, especially at higher social strata.

The Pain and Consequences:

The human body suffered tremendously from the practice of foot binding. During the 19th century, as many as 40% of women in China reportedly had their feet bound, resulting in untold agony and severely restricting movement. It had varied but dire long-term effects, the most common being a lifetime of painful ailments afflicting the majority of women.

One of the more immediate effects of this was the pain caused by the constant strain on the feet. The binding was agonizing, and over the years, the women were forced to endure broken toes, infected flesh, and abscesses. Many women developed permanent deformations, including permanently bent feet, misshapen toes, and impaired foot function.

The lack of ventilation led to infections in the feet, which sometimes rotted away and were eventually destroyed by gangrene. Women were taken to the boat to bind their feet forever, and that was that; mainly, the pain and suffering they underwent were ignored — it was a “right” women could exercise to acquire a place/societal beauty. The procedure most frequently occurred between the ages of 6 and 7.

Psychological Factor of Foot Binding:

So, why did foot binding last so long in an intensely physical and materialistic society? For many women, bound feet represented a significant aspect of their identity. At the same time, the process was ingrained in them from an early age, socialising them into accepting it as an emblem of beauty and femininity. Parents and friends applauded the girls for their resilience and dedication to the practice, which instilled pride in their bound feet.

But this socialization process brought with it the fear of shame and inferiority for those who could not achieve the ideal latticework of a “lotus foot” or endure the pain of the procedure. The women undergoing binding were often rendered helpless, both physically incapable of travelling or even performing the most basic functions of care.

 Others, particularly in poorer tiers, could not afford such extravagant footwear, a mechanism that often left them openly scarred. This prompted the reinforcement of gendered norms that valued women based on their appearance and placed them on a pedestal.

The End of Foot Binding and Its Legacy:

Foot binding was seen as a symbol of Chinese male oppression and Western colonization, and by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, its popularity began to wane amid growing opposition among Chinese reformers and Westerners. The lack of adverse effects of foot binding, both on the health of women and on society as a whole, was increasingly being acknowledged. Foot binding came to be viewed as a symbol of China’s archaic social system, associated with oppression and the stifling of women’s freedom.

By the early 20th century, foot binding had been gradually banned in China. The ruling Qing Dynasty championed this practice until 1911, when China’s final dynasty was overthrown, and the fledgling Republic of China aimed to rid the country of its past; as a result, foot binding was now illegal. The practice lingered, ever so slightly, in rural areas and faded as China approached the modern world.

While it eventually went out of style, foot binding remains a striking symbol of the significant gender inequality that was the norm for nearly all of Chinese history. The practice is a chilling reminder of the extremities that society has employed to impose gender norms and beauty expectations on women, sometimes at the cost of their physical health and mental well-being.

Conclusion:

A poignant memory from the early days of Chinese foot binding illustrates how the pressures of individuals in our society can create a cult that profoundly affects those involved. They were practices that were painfully controversial back then, that left a legacy of searing torment that endures to this day in the tortured minds of those subjected to the experience. Foot binding, the horrific practice of binding the feet of women, has long since ceased to exist in China, as it did as just a part of the culture, but its legacy reminds me of the horrible chapter inflicted on Chinese women and the culture as a whole.

This hopeful little story reminds us that change is possible and that we should always question harmful practices that are codified in tradition. Women’s rights activists continue to fight damaging beauty standards and practices that adversely affect women’s health and well-being today, advocating for a world in which women aren’t subjected to such frightening customs.