Chinese foot binding was an old practice starting in the 13th century, in which the feet of young female children were being quite securely bound in order to stop the feet from developing. The foot binding did begin in the higher social groups and then it spread to countryside areas in which nearly half of the female children ended up being suffering from it. As the child grew, the foot stayed smaller sized. Foot binding was a brutal and distressing practice. The feet had been wrapped in a gauze and placed in decorative shoes known as lotus shoes. The procedure is no longer performed because it was eventually outlawed, however there are many very aged Chinese woman in some rural regions that are still living with bound feet.
The intention of the Chinese foot binding would be to maintain the foot of the girl small because a smaller foot was basically considered much more sensual and appealing, therefore was a indicator of elegance and a symbol of status. The matrimony potential for females with smaller sized feet were better and the family could possibly demand a larger dowry for their female children. The most attractive girls has a foot that's under three inches (ten centimeters), known as the “golden lotus.” A four inch foot (thirteen cm) was called the “silver lotus.” Bigger than the 4 inches was basically thought to be less attractive and was named the “iron lotus”.
Once a female had been through the process of the Chinese foot binding, there was not a lot that might be carried out for the pain sensation and impairment except to maintain the feet bound. There wasn't any therapy out there or provided to fix the deformity. Those with bound feet had ongoing pain as well as constrained mobility. Chinese foot binding can often be seen by feminists as an oppressive approach towards women who are victims of a make dominated tradition. Additionally it is widely seen as a form of physical violence against females. Bound feet rendered females dependent upon their families, specially the men, because they started to be generally limited to their dwellings.