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As a Chinese person, I'm bothered by people who imply that this is still practiced. But laedaemon is right; thank god this isn't practiced today.
Let me tell one thing: NOBODY in the entire billion-plus of us over there does this. Not one. My mother never did, nor did my aunt, my cousin, my grandmother or any of my grandmother's sisters. So, I don't want anybody coming here with a "Oh, I heard that Chinese chicks actually..." They DON'T.
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The last of the women that had this done to them are now really old (probably 80s at the youngest)and I saw it in a documentary on the Discovery channel last year. They interviewed some old timers that liked the bound foot look. One of them remarked that he still thought his wife's feet were good looking...
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It's always difficult to suspend limitations of the Western views that cause that custom to be viewed as only the "Patriarchal oppression of women in a vicious Confucian society". The real story is less one-sided than the link suggests. Yes it's been out of vogue for the last century, but to get a real sense of the Han (ethnic majority in China) view about it different sources need to be considered. Suggested reading includes: most works by Dorothy Ko, including last year's Cinderella's Sisters a chapter entitled "On Footbinding and Good Sex" in a Rutledge anthology of feminist essays concerning sex and religion; Wang Ping's Aching for Beauty; Feng Jicai's 3-inch Golden Lotus, Cai Fei Lu (Record of Gathering Radishes); Chin P'ing Mei (Plum in Golden Vase). Overcoming the ethnocentric revulsion reveals the enthusiasm, wonder and reverence that certain Chinese had for Xiao Jiao (small feet). These small, reshaped feet were considered so powerful and sacred that they always remain covered in erotic paintings depicting explicit sex and nudity. Since the Ming dynasty ended in 1644, bound feet have been disfavored by Imperial decree yet remained very mainstream. Read Li Yu on selecting concubines and evaluating feet and you get a sense of how much a sensual delicacy and how ingrained in Chinese aesthetics such feet are. I do performance art and multimedia installations largely inspired by those feet and they are the subject of my dissertation, so please feel free to ask me any questions at all.
Posts: 91 | Registered: May 2004
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posted
I've seen articles, photos and TV shows that deal with foot binding. Aside from my opinion that it's extremely cruel, I personally don't see how it's attractive at all.
I think the natural shape of the female foot is perfect as is and shouldn't be altered.
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