feet, for fear that one would become a pig in the next
life. Well-bred women were supposed to die o f shame
if men observed them washing their feet. T h e foot
consisted, after all, o f smelly, rotted flesh. This was
naturally not pleasing to the intruding male, a violation o f his aesthetic sensibility.
T h e art o f the shoes was basic to the sexual aesthetics o f the bound foot. Untold hours, days, months went into the embroidery o f shoes. T here were shoes
for all occasions, shoes o f different colors, shoes to
hobble in, shoes to go to bed in, shoes for special
occasions like birthdays, marriages, funerals, shoes
which denoted age. Red was the favored color for bed
shoes because it accentuated the whiteness o f the skin
o f the calves and thighs. A marriageable daughter made
about 12 pairs o f shoes as a part o f her dowry. She
presented 2 specially made pairs to her mother-in-law
and father-in-law. When she entered her husband’s
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Woman Haling
home for the first time, her feet were immediately
examined by the whole family, neither praise nor
sarcasm being withheld.
There was also the art of the gait, the art of sitting,
the art of standing, the art of lying down, the art of adjusting the skirt, the art of every movement which involves feet. Beauty was the way feet looked and how
they moved. Certain feet were better than other feet,
more beautiful. Perfect 3-inch form and utter uselessness were the distinguishing marks of the aristocratic foot. These concepts of beauty and status defined
women: as ornaments, as sexual playthings, as sexual
constructs. The perfect construct, even in China, was
naturally the prostitute.
The natural-footed woman generated horror and
repulsion in China. She was anathema, and all the
forces o f insult and contempt were used to obliterate
her. Men said about bound feet and natural feet:
A tiny foot is proof of feminine goodness.. . .
Women who don’t bind their feet, look like men,
for the tiny foot serves to show the differentiation.. . .
The tiny foot is soft and, when rubbed, leads to
great excitement.. . .
The graceful walk gives the beholder mixed feelings o f compassion and pity.. . .
Natural feet are heavy and ponderous as they get
into bed, but tiny feet lightly steal under the coverlets.. . .
The large-footed woman is careless about adornment, but the tiny-footed frequently wash and apply a variety o f perfumed fragrances, enchanting all who
come into their presence.. . .
Gynocide: Chinese Footbinding
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