High heels, and especially pointed heels, are a part of many women’s daily routine. I too fall victim to the callings of a cute pair of heels, but how far would I really go? Some women love their shoes so much that they get their feet surgically altered to fit into the slimmest shoes and latest trends.
This really makes me wonder how much importance women are being taught to put on such seemingly small ideals. How far has our society taught us to go to fit in? Unfortunately, this trend of altering appearance (even of the feet) to fit in is not even a new trend. The practice of foot binding in China was believed to have been installed before 937 for only the elite and wealthiest of China. This suggested well-born girl's freedom from manual labor and the ability of their husbands to afford wives who did not to work. These women were "elite enough" to exist solely to serve their husband and direct servants while not actually preforming labor themselves. By the 17th century the practice of binding feet became more popular in the middle and lower classes and according to the author of "The Sex Life of the Foot and Shoe", Dorothy Ko, 40-50% of Chinese women had bound feet in the 19th century while close to 100% of upper class practiced it.
Why would women want this for themselves of their daughters? In addition to it being a fashion trend, some speculate that in binding their feet women were trying to duplicate the naturally tiny feet of a favored concubine of a prince. Walking on bound feet required slightly bending the knees and swaying. This walk became known as the Lotus Gait and was considered enticing to men.Girls would start the process of having their feet bound between the ages of three and fourteen; before the
arch was fully developed. The process would usually start in the winter months so that the foot could be numb and therefore it would be less painful for the girl. Her toes would be broken and curled under, then her arches would be forcibly broken, shaped and wrapped into the desired form. They would we massaged and reformed regularly depending on social class.High heels, and especially pointed toe high heels, are a western form of bound feet. Yes, this may sound silly, that ancient Chinese women (really their families) grew up valuing such extremes. But these extremes were instilled through societal norms, and what (men in that) society viewed as beautiful. How often does our own society do this though? How often do little girls get taught to act and look a certain way? The pressure is being put on by society.
Ew. Ew. Ew. Why does society value something so disturbing? This made me wonder what else society values that we should be disgusted by. The things I thought of were things like "popular" music, media, and culture. Things that are portrayed on tv shows but that we should avoid, such as premarital sex, swearing, drinking, and doing drugs, that appear "glamorous", just like small feet seemed glamorous, but are really painful and detrimental to our bodies and spirits.
ReplyDeleteBe careful that you don't just document an interesting social phenomenon. Always try to link things back to our learning outcomes. We are focusing not just on history, but on how knowledge is passed on through various institutions. How about these practices? You've described them, but how were they passed on?
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting, but I didn't understand how this related to folk knowledge. Is the idea of what is beautiful something that is passed down from generation to generation? It seems to always be changing. I think that mothers (as an example) pass on their knowledge of beauty to their daughters. My mum gave me a brief rundown of how to put on makeup. Do other mothers do the same?
ReplyDeleteAlthough our ideas of beauty are always changing, the pressure to be beautiful has existed for a long time. The bound feet information is tied into the the pressures to be a certain way in our times, though that "way" is always changing.
ReplyDeleteThese kinds of expectations are passed down through society. Although not the point of the blog, the specific practice of binding feet was passed down by mothers or professionals, if you were wondering.
I think that certainly the expectation to be beautiful is societal, but what constitutes beauty comes from those closer to us. Parents, siblings, and friends all try to tell us what beauty is.
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