Foot binding was a popular tradition in China that lasted for more than 1000 years. It used to be first spread among the upper class, but soon reached the rest of the nation. Young girls would have their toes bent down really tight and then have their feet squeezed into tiny shoes. After a while the bone structure would break. The reason for doing so was because small feet were seen as beautiful. Women with small feet were supposed to have better chances to get a good marriage.
But why were the so-called lotus feet considered beautiful by men? Youthfulness, childlike features and virginity have determined and defined the female beauty ideal in China since year one. Small feet were said to emphasize exactly these attributes. In addition, due to the female ideal image changing, submissiveness became a much appreciated female trait in early medieval China. If a young girl underwent the gruesome custom of foot binding, she afterwards was barely able to provide for herself or handle her everyday life without help. This is why particularly wealthy families could afford this procedure, which led to the general perception of lotus feet being a symbol of wealth.
In the early 20th century, however, the tradition of “lotus feet” was banned even though many women still carried it out in secret. They’ve always been proud of their feet while most of us would be shocked by the torture and the idea of mutilating oneself for the sake of beauty. Nowadays, there are only a few women with lotus feet left since the tradition has almost died out.
Image: © Woller
