The truth about Chinese woman's leg tight heels

Five-inch lotus heel shank is an extremely painful practice that haunts millions of Chinese women for centuries.

The beautiful lotus lotus heel is created by breaking the toes into the soles of the feet and tying it with a cloth that was once considered a must for women to have a better marriage and life , according to CNN. . "According to the traditional conception, persistence exists to please men. Small feet are said to be more attractive," said Laurel Bossen, co-author of the book "Bound feet, Young hands" .

But Bossen's research points to a serious misconception. Legless girls do not enjoy the leisurely life but serve an important economic purpose, especially in rural areas, where many 7-year-old girls have to weave cloths, spinning cars and do manual work Other pins.

The leg-binding process can exist for a long time due to obvious economic reasons . This is a way to ensure young women sit still and take care of the production of boring, peaceful goods like textiles, fabrics, carpets, shoes and fishing nets, the main source of income for many families. family.

Picture 1 of The truth about Chinese woman's leg tight heels
Lotus heeled feet of a Chinese woman behind the shoes.(Photo: Imaginechina).

Practice leggings only tomorrow when fabrics are mass-produced and imported from abroad to replace handicrafts.'You need to contact your hands. The women bundled their legs and made many valuable crafts at home. The image they portrayed as a model that brings pleasure is just a way of distorting history , 'Bossen said.

Bossen, emeritus professor of anthropology at McGill University in Montreal, and his colleague Hill Gates at Central Michigan University, interviewed nearly 1,800 elderly women in some rural areas of China, the last generation of legs. together, to determine when and when this customary cause begins to disappear.

They found that the longest legroom in areas where home textiles were still economically valuable and began to decline when cheaper fabric produced at the factory became available in those areas.

Young women who start learning to weave only weave cloth from the age of 6 - 7 years old, at the same age they have their legs tied."My mother bundled my legs when I was about 10 years old. At the age of 10, I started weaving. Every time my mother wrapped her legs, I was in such pain," said a woman born in 1933 to the research team.

Legs originate from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and spread across all walks from urban to rural. In the 19th century, this practice was very popular in China, then declined at the beginning of the 20th century, thanks in part to the campaigns of missionaries and reforms.

Bossen said her research provides a lesson for modern struggles against habits that harm other women like clitoris (FOM).