F is for Footbinding.

At last night's bookclub I got to meet these so-called Bookworms Gone Wild and gone wild they had. We gathered to discuss Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. I think overall there was one message that we all agreed upon and it was that we're all glad that we didn't live in nineteenth century China (for one or more reasons). Most of our reasons surrounded on the practice of foot-binding. Personally, I almost fainted when I read the chapter of the main character's foot binding. It got us talking about what foot binding actually looks like, its origin, and when it was started. Below is my brief attempt at research of this ancient (or not so) practice.

In its most extreme form, footbinding was the act of wrapping a three- to five-year old girl's feet with binding so as to bend the toes under, break the bones and force the back of the foot together. Its purpose was to produce a tiny foot, the "golden lotus", which was three inches long and thought to be both lovely and alluring.

From what I've found, the historical origins of footbinding are unknown, although references suggest that small feet for women were preferred as early as the Han dynasty; which began in 206 B.C. The first documented reference to the actual binding of a foot is from the court of the Southern Tang dynasty in Nanjing, which celebrates the fame of its dancing girls renowned for their tiny feet and beautiful bow shoes. The practice apparently became the standard for feminine beauty in the imperial court, spreading downward socially and geographically as the lower classes strove to imitate the style of the elite.

More disturbing images of footbinding can be found here, here, here, and here.