tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post1937403933730134135..comments2024-02-28T04:16:37.844-05:00Comments on History Undressed: The Ancient Ritual of FootbindingEliza Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-16764764174268114942011-02-09T12:06:34.189-05:002011-02-09T12:06:34.189-05:00a few women have commented that modern north ameri...a few women have commented that modern north american beauty practices are not as "extreme" as foot binding. I disagree. considering the dangers of surgery, complications that can arise,the danger of anesthesia, how can you say that foot binding was more extreme? breaking the bones in your feet is more extreme than vacuuming the fat out of your body with a sharp tube? or slicing open your breasts to insert implants which can get seriously infected and cause huge scars? I think any beauty ritual that causes permanent effects/damage to the body is extreme, and plastic surgery isn't any less "extreme" or more civilized than foot binding.Amaliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02491079099192094388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-24629080698780933462008-07-04T14:49:00.000-04:002008-07-04T14:49:00.000-04:00Thank you for your comment Briana! I agree with y...Thank you for your comment Briana! I agree with you whole-heartedly!<BR/><BR/>Funny story...I rarely wear makeup or dress in much other than jeans, t-shirt and flip-flops, hair in a pony-tail. One day, my husband came home and was totally floored! He told me I was all dolled up... Yeah, still wearing jeans and flip-flops, but a nicer short sleeve shirt, and hair down... I don't even need all the pomp etc... I try to teach my girls the same thing, because beauty shines from within. <BR/><BR/>That being said, I do still like to get all dressed up and makeuped up sometimes :)<BR/><BR/>Cheers!Eliza Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-808548611682796462008-07-04T11:56:00.000-04:002008-07-04T11:56:00.000-04:00I recently read a book, can't for the life of me r...I recently read a book, can't for the life of me remember what it's called, but it had the story of footbinding woven through it. It detailed the story of a little girl getting her feet bound by her grandmother, because she wanted her granddaughter to make an advantageous marriage. It followed her as she grew up, got that "good" marriage and how it in effect ruined her life. The practice was extremely painful, but we do similar things for beauty. Maybe not as extreme, but can any woman, honestly say that high heels are comfortable, that tummy tucks and boob jobs are pleasant. We used to strap our daughters into corsets, deforming their ribcages and causing them to faint due to lack of oxygen. Oh the things we do for beauty. I will happily say that I have big feet, small boobs, a big waist, I never wear heels and I rarely wear makeup. My husband and I have been married for 7 years and he likes me just the way I am. I plan to pass this on to my daughter, because beauty should not be pain.Brianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17217998738534661391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-3748801849915742382008-07-02T23:05:00.000-04:002008-07-02T23:05:00.000-04:00Thanks for the info Molly! I have to say I'm reli...Thanks for the info Molly! I have to say I'm relieved that you don't think its still going on, especially for you having known many people and been involved in the community. <BR/><BR/>It was definitely a crippling practice for not only women's bodies but their minds too.Eliza Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-33409092431102154392008-07-02T18:51:00.000-04:002008-07-02T18:51:00.000-04:00I don't think so. New York has a very large popul...I don't think so. New York has a very large population of Chinese Americans and I worked in lower Manhattan at the time so I was always near Chinatown. I also spent a lot of time in the shops and restaurants and we had a branch office in Chinatown so I was in that area a lot. One of the older gentlemen I worked with had a brother who fought with Sun Yat Sen and I met a lot of older people, many of whom would have grown up in China prior to 1949. I have never seen anything to suggest the practice continues or that anyone would want it to. The same is true here in Seattle. There's a large Chinese community which includes people who would have grown up in China but I see nothing to suggest anyone would think of continuing this practice. I don't think it would be possible in Communist China. But, you never know...Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09452517544328588301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-46087153851121018892008-07-01T13:12:00.000-04:002008-07-01T13:12:00.000-04:00Molly,That is what I thought, but I'd be curious t...Molly,<BR/><BR/>That is what I thought, but I'd be curious to know if people are still doing it secretly. Something that is that ingrained into their culture and history is bound to still be happening in some parts... What do you think?Eliza Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-85198454794698495322008-07-01T13:11:00.000-04:002008-07-01T13:11:00.000-04:00Thanks for your comments Kasey!That was one of the...Thanks for your comments Kasey!That was one of the stories I had heard as well, however there was documentation previous to that time period that it had been happening. I'm just glad I didn't live during that time period.Eliza Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-52357242695909803552008-07-01T10:50:00.000-04:002008-07-01T10:50:00.000-04:00The lady I saw was much older than me and this wou...The lady I saw was much older than me and this would have been in the mid to late 70's. I assume she would have been a child during the time reign of the last emperor. This is the only time I ever saw someone with bound feet.Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09452517544328588301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-23229819295493505482008-06-30T14:09:00.000-04:002008-06-30T14:09:00.000-04:00Isn't that awful!The story I heard was that a Prin...Isn't that awful!<BR/>The story I heard was that a Princess was born with deformed feet. So all of the other women started binding their own in order to be beautiful like her.JK Northhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109706717350901020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-77061014920435027922008-06-30T12:32:00.000-04:002008-06-30T12:32:00.000-04:00Shannon,I know it's crazy! But some Americans get...Shannon,<BR/><BR/>I know it's crazy! But some Americans get a little crazy too! I remember my neighbor stuck in her house for a couple of weeks I would see her occasionally all bruised, battered looking and bandaged up. Finally I spoke to her when she was out about in her yard. She'd had a boob job and a tummy tuck, and she said it hurt like hell...so we still do some crazy and painful things...albeit the footbinding is WAYAYAYAY more extreme and crippling for life!Eliza Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-75698412191291192372008-06-30T12:30:00.000-04:002008-06-30T12:30:00.000-04:00LOL, Anne isn't it funny how we say these things u...LOL, Anne isn't it funny how we say these things until looking at a picture you realize, um yeah I'm done teasing now :)Eliza Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-69877439338732580462008-06-30T12:29:00.000-04:002008-06-30T12:29:00.000-04:00Molly,I must say I'm surprised, yet gain not, that...Molly,<BR/><BR/>I must say I'm surprised, yet gain not, that you saw someone on the street with bound feet. Was she older, like maybe one of the ones left from the early 1900's, or was she younger? The custom was so ingrained in the culture, I honestly would not be surprised to find out that people are still doing it.<BR/><BR/>I heard about them trying to unbind the feet, it really was a horrible and crippling practice.Eliza Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17209596240914705136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-52536596567278490282008-06-30T12:13:00.000-04:002008-06-30T12:13:00.000-04:00Wow Eliza - I couldn't imagine doing that to my fe...Wow Eliza - I couldn't imagine doing that to my feet. One of the other reasons I'm glad I'm an American. Jeez...strange customs some cultures have. I'm glad those women don't have to suffer that anymore.<BR/>Thanks for sharing!<BR/>ShannonShannon Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10612091878514512925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-51354008984638076092008-06-30T10:47:00.000-04:002008-06-30T10:47:00.000-04:00My tall, thirteen-year-old daughter wears a size 1...My tall, thirteen-year-old daughter wears a size 10 shoe and I'm always teasing her that we'll have to bind her feet to keep them from growing any larger. No more teasing after seeing these pictures!Anne Carrolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17459916746850595922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6861175623849452396.post-53539254560599610292008-06-30T10:33:00.000-04:002008-06-30T10:33:00.000-04:00Like you, I have long been interested in Chinese h...Like you, I have long been interested in Chinese history and, so, was aware of the practice of foot binding. It wasn't 'till I a saw a shoe, as part of a costume exhibit in New York, that the reality of the practice hit home. Then, one day, I was crossing the street in New York and realized the woman next to me had bound feet. I was so shocked by the appearance that I can still see that lady clearly in my memory even though I saw her for no more than a few seconds on the street. I am so glad you included photos and x-rays. I don't think people can understand how crippling this practice was unless they see it. When the Communists came in, they not only banned foot binding but tried to unbind the feet of young women so their feet would grow normally. It didn't work. All they did was cause those poor young women even more pain. Of all the crazy things I've seen people do for the sake of beauty, this is close to the top of my list for totally insane.Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09452517544328588301noreply@blogger.com