1. In your opinion, what makes a person ‘beautiful’??

2. Beauty Customs in Song China

3. In Song China, around the age of three or four. . .
A young girl’s feet were tightly bound
The toes were forced under the foot, and secured by a length of cloth tied tightly around the foot and ankle

4. This eventually broke the arch and curled the toes under the foot.

5. The desirable length of a female foot was 3 inches.

6. A women’s beauty was not judged by her face but the size of her feet
A women’s beauty was not judged by her face but the size of her feet! Women were considered beautiful if their lotus feet were small and delicate.

7. Over time, the heel of a woman’s foot became mis-shapen and enlarged to support her weight.

8. Women with bound feet were basically crippled for life.

9. With her feet unbound, it was virtually impossible for a girl to walk.

10. Usually, only wealthy women had bound feet.
The fact that they could not do much walking showed that they had servants who did most of the household work, thus reflecting the status and wealth of the household.

12. A collection of shoes and slippers for lotus feet.

13. Note that the feet of the mother are smaller than those of her 5 year old son.

14. Ouch!

16. Even though it is now outlawed, there are a few women alive today with bound feet but they are quite elderly.

18. Modern day X Rays of Bound Feet

19. What practices in modern day society might parallel foot binding?
Yikes!
Implants, Botox, Plastic Surgery, ‘Bagel Head’… just to name a few