Introduction:
Body modification techniques such as foot binding have their origins in China's ancient history and culture when women used them to try to conform to a traditional conception of beauty. According to popular belief, it started in China in the latter years of the Tang Dynasty, which ruled from 618 to 907 until it was outlawed in 1911 during Sun Yat Sen's Revolution. According to experts, up to four billion Chinese women are thought to have had their feet tied between the tenth and twentieth centuries.
What Is Foot Binding?
The Chinese practice of "foot binding" involved breaking and firmly binding young girls' feet to modify their form and size. Lotus shoes were developed for feet that had been transformed by footbinding, which were referred to as lotus feet. Footbinding is done in childhood when the foot is still cartilaginous and flexible. The resulting deformity, a cavus foot, was debilitating and dysfunctional.
What Is the Process Involved in Foot Binding?
It usually began around four or nine, before the foot's arch could grow. Winter was the typical time for binding to begin because there was a greater chance of numb feet and less intense discomfort.
To soften the foot and facilitate the binding, each foot would first be submerged in a warm solution of herbs and blood from livestock. Since the toes were intended to be forced firmly into the foot sole, their nails were trimmed as short as possible to avoid ingrowth and resulting infections. The combination of blood and herb mixtures was used to wet cotton bandages. The toes of each foot were twisted under, crushed down into the sole, and compressed until they cracked to diminish the size of the feet.
The foot was then pulled straight down with the leg, the foot arch was fractured by force, and the broken toes were pressed firmly onto the sole. The bandages were wrapped in a figure-eight pattern again and again. The ends of the binding fabric were then sewed to ensure the girl could not undo it, and the binding was pushed so firmly that the girl could not wiggle her toes.
The girl would frequently have her fractured feet unfastened since they needed so much care and attention. Every time the feet were freed from their bindings, they were cleaned, their toes examined for injuries, and their nails clipped. Additionally, the feet were dipped in a mixture that made any necrotic tissue peel off. The girl's feet were rebounded, and her shattered toes were tucked back beneath promptly after the procedure. The ties tightened even more every time the girl's feet were retracted. This process of unbinding and rebinding was carried out as frequently as possible, using new bindings.
As a girl grew older, she was supposed to do these actions independently. A tiny pair of folded feet would be the result after two years. For an additional ten years, foot binding would ensure the toes did not revert to their original position. Through this drastic bodily modification process, a young girl will suffer from severe discomfort for a minimum of twelve years.
Tight foot binding could result in skin slough, gangrene, putrescence, and circulatory impairment. The first year of foot binding was excruciatingly painful; the foot may become insensitive and less uncomfortable.
What Are a Few of the Health Issues Associated With Foot Binding?
The most frequent issue with feet that were tied was infection. Even with meticulous care and routine trimming, toenails frequently grow inward, developing infections and damaging toes. Any toe injuries were uncertain to heal; instead, they would likely deteriorate over time resulting in infected toes and decaying flesh since the binding was so tight that it virtually completely shut off circulation to the toes. The majority of the women undergoing therapy were disabled and were unable to go outside anymore.
Tied feet would significantly impair a woman's gait, balance, and posture. Because the woman had trouble balancing and walking correctly, foot binding caused the lumbar vertebrae to curve forward. Bound feet caused the weight to be distributed across the lower body, applying pressure to the pelvis and resulting in pelvic pain. Because Chinese females began doing so relatively young, their hunched posture and balance issues hindered developmental processes and stunted their bone development.
Due to their inability to balance safely on their feet and their decreased ability to get up from a seated posture, elderly women were more susceptible to breaking their hips as well as other bones when falling. The paralysis and muscular atrophy that resulted from foot binding were possible additional problems.
How Did the Practice of Foot Binding End?
Although foot binding has been accepted for over a millennium throughout China, traditions like this one that involve cruel and painful practices have been banished eventually. In China, opposition to foot-binding customs first surfaced during the Manchu era.
The anti-foot-binding societies used three distinct approaches to spread their message. First, they organized a contemporary effort to inform the Chinese populace about how other nations did not follow the foot-binding customs, subjecting China to mockery and causing them to lose their honor globally.
Second, this educational effort enumerated and clarified the benefits of having natural feet, which included the ability for women to travel, work, and eliminate all the discomfort and health hazards related to foot binding, to mention a few.
The drawbacks of foot binding were then discussed, including how it harmed women and the Chinese community at large. Finally, these institutions gave rise to other associations that supported natural feet. Members of these communities would not allow their girls to bind their feet and would only encourage their sons to marry women with unbound feet.
Foot binding was ultimately abolished in 1911 during Sun Yat Sen's revolution, ending a practice that had persisted for more than a millennium. The strategies mentioned earlier successfully ignited the revolution that catalyzed this event.
Conclusion:
After foot binding was made illegal in 1912, attitudes shifted, although some continued to bind their feet covertly, primarily in impoverished areas. Foot binding was fully outlawed with the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and modern women no longer bound their feet.
