[34], If the infection in the feet and toes entered the bones, it could cause them to soften, which could result in toes dropping off; however, this was seen as a benefit because the feet could then be bound even more tightly. Foot-binding reduced these points to only the big toe and heel bone; the arch was shoved up to make the foot shorter, and the other toes were bent under the ball. However, once a foot had been crushed and bound, attempting to reverse the process by unbinding was painful,[70] and the shape could not be reversed without a woman undergoing the same pain all over again. [5] The practice became increasingly common among the gentry families, later spreading to the general population, as commoners and theatre actors alike adopted footbinding. A number of attempts were made throughout history to end the practice. Even after the foot bones had healed, they were prone to re-breaking repeatedly, especially when the girl was in her teenage years and her feet were still soft. [96][97] Anthropologist Fred Blake argued that the practice of footbinding was a form of discipline undertaken by women themselves, and perpetuated by women on their daughters, so as to inform their daughters of their role and position in society, and to support and participate in the neo-Confucian way of being civilized.[94]. [103] Thus, the practice ensured that women were much more reliant on their husbands. [28] However, many women with bound feet were still able to walk and work in the fields, albeit with greater limitations than their non-bound counterparts. Having possibly originated among upper-class court dancers during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in 10th century China, the practice of foot binding gradually became popular among the Chinese elite during the Song dynasty. It started with the wealthy, but quickly spread to lower social classes as well. [28] It is thought that the necessity for women labour in the fields due to a longer crop-growing season in the South and the impracticability of bound feet working in wet rice fields limited the spread of the practice in the countryside of the South. Foot binding – a widespread custom in China that lasted for more than a 1,000 years – involved incredibly tight cloth bindings being applied to the feet of young girls to stifle growth. The practice and application of foot binding varied, with the more severe forms of binding possibly having developed in the 16th century. "Ambivalent Orientalism: Footbinding in Chinese American History, Culture and Literature". Bones in the girls' feet would often be deliberately broken again in order to further change the size or shape of the feet. [28] Coupled with changes in politics and people's consciousness, the practice of foot binding disappeared in China forever after two generations. She believed that women should emancipate themselves from oppression, that girls can ensure their independence through education, and that they should develop new mental and physical qualities fitting for the new era. All rights go to the respectful owners. In the 19th and early 20th century, dancers with bound feet were popular, as were circus performers who stood on prancing or running horses. Feet altered by foot binding were known as lotus feet, and the shoes made for these feet were known as lotus shoes. (歩歩生蓮), a reference to the Buddhist legend of Padmavati, under whose feet lotus springs forth. The feet were also soaked in a concoction that caused any necrotic flesh to fall off. Due to footbinding writers in the girls ' feet would often be deliberately broken in! 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