TheByte

DaSilva

it was a tradition for 汉族 (Han culture - one of the 56 cultures in China) girls centuries back ago.
People believed that girls with large feet are unattractive and cannot find a husband.
Therefore, they tie their feet with ribbons starting around 4 to 5 years old....












"Long time ago, in China,
small feet/bond feet means you're wealthy and can married to a wealthy husband/good husband
not every Chinese woman back then have feet bond..
only the "rich" ladies can have their feet bond..
maybe that old woman was once a wealthy lady...
but thank goodness nobody follow that trandition anymore..
If anyone of you watch Chinese drama (TVB for example),
and the drama is about back in the Dynasty days,
you can tell all the chinese emperior's wifes wear small shoes.. "







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Personally, I have no words
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Harry Plopper

This weird custom reminds me of another one: the neck stretching on women of Kayan / Padaung tribe (Thailand / Myanmar border).



From Wikipedia:

Women of the tribe wear ornaments known as neck rings, brass coils that are placed around the neck. These coils are first applied to young girls when they are around five years old.[1] Each coil is replaced with longer coils as the weight of the brass pushes the collar bone down and compresses the rib cage. Contrary to popular belief, the neck is not actually lengthened; the illusion of a stretched neck is created by the deformation of the clavicle.[citation needed] Many ideas regarding why the coils are worn have been suggested, often formed by visiting anthropologists, who have hypothesized that the rings protected women from becoming slaves by making them less attractive to other tribes. Contrastingly it has been theorised that the coils originate from the desire to look more attractive by exaggerating sexual dimorphism, as women have more slender necks than men. It has also been suggested that the coils give the women resemblance to a dragon, an important figure in Kayan folklore[2]. The coils might be meant to protect from tiger bites, perhaps literally, but probably symbolically. Kayan women, when asked, acknowledge these ideas, but often say that their purpose for wearing the rings is cultural identity (one associated with beauty). The rings, once on, are seldom removed, as the coiling and uncoiling is a somewhat lengthy procedure. They are usually only removed to be replaced by a new or longer set of coils. The women do not suffocate if the rings are removed, though the muscles covered by them are weakened. Many women have removed the rings for medical examinations. Most women prefer to wear the rings once their necks are elongated, as their necks and collar bones are often bruised and discolored from being hidden behind brass for so long. Additionally, the collar feels like an integral part of the body after ten or more years of continuous wear.
The government of Burma began discouraging this tradition as it struggled to appear more modern to the developed world. Consequently, many women began breaking the tradition. However, in Thailand the practice has gained popularity in recent years because it draws tourists who bring business to the tribe. The Kayan village of Nai Soi receives an average of 1,200 tourists annually, and collects an entry fee of 250B per person. As of January 2008 the UNHCR has recommended a tourism boycott of Kayan villages in Thailand.

The Diva

OUCH!!!

the foot binding is a terrible thing! So glad it's gone

The neck rings looks painful too!

Those red shoes you are showing are ballerina pointe shoes with heals.

Check out the real ones.. it takes years of training to use them.

Yes, you feel as if you are about to fly, No, they do not deform your feet

shonguiz

Some traditions are "strange".

Gullwing

Ya but now people stop binding feet and stretching necks.
Now we just insert plastic bags into certain areas

DaSilva

True.. Great comment..!

Va Va Voom

Yeahh its hardly beauty is it Lol But on the other hand that is awful

The Artist

so they did that to get men..
well take it from me..i wouldnt even touch a woman with feet like that
so mission failed

Gullwing

You know you want to suck her toes

The Diva

Guys this is a form of mutilation, women did not chose to get their feet bound.

The process would start at the tender age of 5. The parent or an elder would chose what girl should go to the foot binder. The process would take several years.

It was meant to trigger the "lotus gait" a type of very short step walk similar to the one produced by pointe shoes.

These women were wealthy, and did not need to walk. The husbands would have servants to tend to their every need.


The deformed foot was considered an erotic object and feet would stay permanently bound except for well, I leave the rest to your imagination.