chinese foot binding
As I read the newspaper story, my eyes widen with every word, "According to the National Institute of Mental Health there are over 5 million people in the United States suffering with eating disorders. 1% of all North American teenagers have eating disorders. 10% of these teenagers will die. People struggling with anorexia are among those whose health are at great risk..."( www.planet-therapy.com) And then I see a picture of a young girl, nothing but bones and skin, looking wasted away. I ask myself, "What won't people do for 'beauty'?" They say, "True beauty comes from within." However true this statement may be, in almost every society throughout history, women have been required to undergo major and often painful physical alterations in the name of beauty and social status. Perhaps one of the most agonizing beatifications in all of history is the Chinese tradition of foot binding. Foot binding is an ancient tradition that involves the reshaping of the woman's feet to achieve a smaller foot. Accompanied by unimaginable pain and crippling limitations, Chinese foot binding is a testament to how far humans will go to be beautiful. As with most other beautification processes, such as ear piercing or tattooing,
They would start binding her feet between the age of six and eight. She then took my right foot in her hands and repeatedly massaged it in the direction of the plantar. One end was placed on the inside of the arch, and from there it was carried over the small toes so as to force the toes in and towards the sole. Faulty blood circulation caused my feet to become insensible in winter. Daughters had to learn that they carried the reputations of both their natal family and the family into which they married in the bind of their feet. There was a ribbon affixed to the mouth of the shoe and fastened on the heel. It reminded them of a feminine goddess since it was so soft and light unlike a natural foot which was man-like and heavy. This particular case study drastically shows how far a society can go in not only telling women how to be beautiful but forcing the issue as well.
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