Foot Binding

Again, I am back on the subject of women and the place women hold in society. I am not deliberately looking to discuss the roles of women and men in every blog, so then I wonder, is this the author's doing? Is Strayer making a point to be obvious about the gender discrepancy in today's society and where the problem is rooted from? Of course I am going to talk about foot binding and what it meant to be a woman in this time period. What it means now and are women still acting in this same mind frame of trying to be more appealing?

I wouldn't say that I like my feet, I will say that I thought at most times that for feet mine are cute, they are small and not to wide or narrow and when my toes are freshly manicured, they are cute. I do understand the idea of little or dainty being feminine, so I understand that small feet would be considered desireable. I suppose? I mean really, when you think of desirable women in today's soceity, I am not sure many are concerned of a woman's feet. Most desireable women most likely dont have man hands or feet. However, I can't understand why mutating someone's body would ever be considered beautiful.

Many cultures do things to women and men that effect body image. Outside of American enhancements, let's discuss other cultures. Such as the elongated neck, where women from a young age stretch their necks with rings to become more feminine. Another image is the gigantic holes that are deliberately put in the ears. I also once remember learning something about young men being tattooed (not with a typical tattoo gun) as a sign of manhood. Most of these rituals are most likely painful and done to children. As was foot binding. I can't even imagine putting a 4-9 year old child through the torture of repeated mutilation. That alone bothers me deeply.

With the pain aside, what's more is the fact that these girls and mothers of these girls believed it to be a sign of status and hoped that these girls would be more suitable candidates for marriage. Today, those that are crippled or missing limbs are the ones that stand out in a crowd. No one wants to be crippled, yet, during this era these women in China were being crippled. It may have been a sign of status to not work a field, but to not be able to walk doesn't seem to be much of an incetive to want this status. I was shocked to learn that the last lotus producer was closed in 1999, what? This was encouraged till the 1990s! Incredible!

It is deeply concerning that young girls volunteered to have this done and even binded there own feet to fit in. Which makes me think of all the things women today do. I know women who have had breast enhancements and botox. I know women who willingly got enhanced and it sounded as they were on their death bed for a week. Women and men get nose jobs, face lifts, liposuction, injections, the list goes on and on. And for what? All to be more attractive, to have better self esteem and to fit in. What a delusion that any of these problems can be solved by suffering for enhancements. A false sense of enhancements, since what may be viewed as beautiful to one may be disgusting to another.