From an early age, Chinese girls knew exactly what would provide them with a comfortable life and a brilliant marriage. “Lotus legs” - this is the pass to happy life for every girl. That is why, from an early age, parents bandaged their daughters’ feet in a special way, ensuring that the foot was as small as possible. The British photographer managed to capture women who experienced all the delights of this ancient Chinese tradition.
British photographer Joe Farrell is one of the very few who managed to capture in a photo what the “lotus foot” of Chinese women looks like. The tradition of foot binding was practiced in China from the 10th to the beginning of the 20th century. As a rule, little Chinese girls began to bandage their feet in a special way from the age of 4-5. After soaking in warm herbal infusion and animal blood, the toes were pressed to the sole and tied tightly with cotton bandages.
It was believed that it would be better if it was not the parents who bandaged the feet, since they might, out of pity, not tighten the bandages with the necessary force.
By the age of 10, their “lotus foot” had formed, after which they were taught the correct “adult” gait. Another three years, and they became girls of marriageable age.
The Chinese woman's foot size was an important condition upon marriage. The bride with a large, unmutilated leg was subjected to humiliation and ridicule. They immediately fell into the register of commoners who must work in the fields and therefore cannot afford to bandage their feet.
When choosing a bride, the groom's parents were primarily interested in the size of the girl's feet, and only then how she looked.
It was the “lotus leg” that was considered the main advantage of the bride. And while the feet were being bound, mothers consoled their daughters by talking about the dazzling prospects of marriage, which directly depended on the beauty of the foot.
Since the 1600s, there have been repeated attempts to ban this tradition, but it lasted until the beginning of the 20th century. Here's what Chinese men said about the owners of “lotus legs”:
“A tiny foot indicates a woman’s integrity...”
“Women who have not undergone the rite of foot-binding look like men, since the tiny foot is a sign of distinction...”
“The tiny foot is soft, and touching it is extremely exciting...”
“A graceful gait gives the observer a mixed feeling of suffering and pity...”
“When going to bed, those with natural legs feel awkward and heavy, and their tiny feet softly penetrate under the covers...”
“A woman with large feet does not care about charm, but those with tiny feet often wash them and use perfume to charm everyone around them...”
“When walking, a naturally shaped leg looks much less aesthetically pleasing...”
“Everyone welcomes the tiny size of the foot, it is considered precious...”
“Men craved her so much that those with tiny legs enjoyed a harmonious marriage...”
“Tiny legs make it possible to fully experience the variety of pleasures and love sensations...”
Photographer Joe Farrell set out to find women with lotus feet in China. In a remote village in Shandong province, he managed to find an old woman, Zhang Yun Ying, whose feet had been bandaged since childhood. And she turned out to be not the only one - two more of her friends lived in the village, possessing
Also living in the village were two more of her friends who had undergone such procedures as children, but they refused to be photographed.
Yesterday I asked Google why Japanese women have crooked legs. It's really interesting. You're watching a movie: there are beautiful beauties, and everyone, even the main character, has wheels on their legs. In response, Google gave me this...poor Japanese. Hug and cry...I share with you
Their legs are terribly crooked, and everyone wears huge heels. Not in stiletto heels, but in massive heels. Sometimes I can barely move my legs. It’s a pity to look at them bow-legged and limping like that =) And their shoes are a separate issue. I'm talking about the fact that the maximum you can find there are shoes of size 39 or something.
The Japanese have a “Kawaii” gait, I think, due to widespread flat feet and weakness of the ankle ligament. Those. they are not being foolish, but really clumsy. Massive heels and other straps are an attempt to hide massive wide feet with a high instep and massive ankles.
Frills and other things on clothes are not only due to the desire to add volume to some places, but also due to the reluctance to wear tight clothes. Oddly enough, they are embarrassed about it. How embarrassed they are to bare their foreheads. Foreheads are usually low and chests are narrow, in contrast to the width of the shoulders.
It is considered a beautiful gait and good manners to keep your toes pointed inward; it is absolutely acceptable to shuffle your soles when walking.
And although Western experts nonverbal communication, they claim that this is a sign of self-doubt; in Japan this rule does not work.
Walking with the toes in and slightly waddling is considered very kawaii (cute), while walking with the toes forward or to the sides is considered rough and masculine. Even confident Japanese men walk with their toes inward.
You can practice
A large head is considered a sign of beauty and kawaii in Japan. The Japanese make a lot of efforts to visual increase and so a rather big head.
Voluminous knitted hats with large pompoms are extremely popular in Japan and are worn until the summer, even in warm weather.
AND big head, and clubfoot - resemble children. And the kids are 100% kawaii!
The Japanese themselves say that their clubfoot and bow-leggedness are genetically related to wearing a kimono, since it is a very narrow garment, and it is comfortable to walk in it only in a special way, putting your socks inward and turning your legs out.
Both men and women usually wear voluminous hairstyles, which is easily achieved since Japanese hair is naturally thick.
Also popular among men are those who are painfully thin and pale, with a thoughtful, sad face. Although other Japanese, who are naturally thin, sometimes make it their goal in life to gain weight, which is not easy to do given their thin bones.
The Japanese never fight, although everyone is required to practice martial arts for at least 10 years, according to the school curriculum. They get drunk and sleep quietly on the sidewalk.))
The Japanese can easily be at work until eleven, and until the morning, and on weekends. A friend of mine, even a Russian, once worked until 6 in the morning, then his boss told him to go home for a shower and be back at work by nine. It's even tougher with the Japanese.
Saturday, May 21, 2016 15:10 + to quote book
The custom of binding the feet of Chinese girls, similar to the methods of the Comprachicos, seems to many to be like this: a child’s foot is bandaged and it simply does not grow, remaining the same size and the same shape. This is not so - there were special methods and the foot was deformed in special specific ways.
The ideal beauty in old China had to have legs like lotuses, a mincing gait and a swaying figure like a willow tree.
In old China, girls began to have their feet bandaged from the age of 4-5 (infants could not yet endure the torment of tight bandages that crippled their feet). As a result of this torment, around the age of 10, girls developed an approximately 10-centimeter “lotus leg.” After this, they began to learn the correct “adult” gait. And after another 2-3 years they were already ready-made girls of marriageable age.
The size of the “lotus foot” has become an important condition for marriages. Brides with large feet were subjected to ridicule and humiliation, as they looked like common women who worked in the fields and could not afford the luxury of foot binding.
They were fashionable in different areas of China different shapes"lotus feet" In some places narrower legs were preferred, while in others shorter and petite ones were preferred. The shape, materials, as well as ornamental themes and styles of the “lotus slippers” were different.
As an intimate but exposed part of a woman's outfit, these shoes were a measure of the status, wealth and personal taste of their owners. Today, the custom of foot binding seems like a wild relic of the past and a way of discriminating against women. But in fact, most women in old China were proud of their “lotus feet.”
The origins of Chinese “foot binding”, as well as traditions Chinese culture in general, go back to hoary antiquity, from the 10th century.
The institution of "foot binding" was regarded as necessary and beautiful and was practiced for ten centuries. True, rare attempts to “free” the foot were still made, but those who opposed the ritual were “black sheep.” “Footbinding” has become part of general psychology and popular culture.
When preparing the marriage, the groom's parents first asked about the bride's feet, and only then about her face. The foot was considered her main human quality. During the bandaging process, mothers consoled their daughters by depicting for them the dazzling prospects of a marriage that depended on the beauty of the bandaged leg.
Later, one essayist, apparently a great connoisseur of this custom, described 58 varieties of legs of the “lotus woman,” rating each on a 9-point scale. Eg:
Types: lotus petal, new moon, slender arch, bamboo shoot, Chinese chestnut.
Special characteristics: plumpness, softness, grace.
Classifications:
Divine (A-1): in highest degree plump, soft and graceful.
Marvelous (A-2): weak and refined...
Incorrect: monkey-like large heel, allowing for climbing.
Although foot binding was dangerous - incorrect application or change in pressure of the bandages had a lot of unpleasant consequences, none of the girls could survive the accusations of a “big-legged demon” and the shame of remaining unmarried.
Even the owner of the “Golden Lotus” (A-1) could not rest on her laurels: she had to constantly and scrupulously follow the etiquette that imposed whole line taboos and restrictions:
1) do not walk with your fingertips raised;
2) do not walk with at least temporarily weakened heels;
3) do not move your skirt while sitting;
4) do not move your legs while resting.
The same essayist concludes his treatise with the most reasonable (naturally, for men) advice; “don’t take off your bandages to look at a woman’s naked legs, be satisfied appearance. Your aesthetic sense will be offended if you break this rule."
Although it is difficult for Europeans to imagine, the “lotus leg” was not only the pride of women, but also the object of the highest aesthetic and sexual desires of Chinese men. It is known that even a fleeting sight of a “lotus leg” could cause a strong attack of sexual arousal in Chinese men. “Undressing” such a leg was the height of the sexual fantasies of ancient Chinese men. Judging by the literary canons, the ideal “lotus legs” were certainly small, thin, pointed, curved, soft, symmetrical and... fragrant.
Chinese women paid a very high price for beauty and sex appeal. The owners of perfect legs were doomed to a lifetime of physical suffering and inconvenience. The miniature size of the foot was achieved due to its severe mutilation. Some fashionistas who wanted to reduce the size of their legs as much as possible went so far as to break bones in their efforts. As a result, they lost the ability to walk normally and stand normally.
This Chinese woman is 86 years old today. Her legs are crippled by caring parents who want their daughter to have a successful marriage. Although Chinese women have not bound their feet for almost a hundred years (binding was officially banned in 1912), it turned out that the traditions in China are as strong as anywhere else.
The emergence of a unique custom of bandaging female legs belong to the Chinese Middle Ages, although exact time its origin is unknown.
According to legend, one court lady, by the name of Yu, was famous for her great grace and was an excellent dancer. One day she made herself shoes in the shape of golden lotus flowers, only a couple of inches in size. To fit into these shoes, Yu wrapped her feet with pieces of silk fabric and danced. Her small steps and swaying became legendary and marked the beginning of a centuries-old tradition.
The vitality of this strange and specific custom is explained by the special stability of Chinese civilization, which has maintained its foundations over the last thousand years.
It is estimated that in the millennium since the custom began, about a billion Chinese women have undergone footbinding. In general, this terrible process looked like this. The girl's feet were bandaged with strips of cloth until four small toes were pressed close to the sole of the foot. The legs were then wrapped with strips of fabric horizontally to arch the foot like a bow.
Over time, the foot no longer grew in length, but instead protruded upward and took on the appearance of a triangle. It did not provide strong support and forced women to sway, like a lyrically sung willow tree. Sometimes walking was so difficult that the owners of miniature legs could only move with the help of strangers.
The Russian doctor V.V. Korsakov made the following impression about this custom: “The ideal of a Chinese woman is to have such small legs that she is not able to stand firmly on her feet and fall when the wind blows. It is unpleasant and annoying to see these Chinese women, even simple ones, who hardly move from house to house, spreading their legs wide apart and balancing with their hands. The shoes on the feet are always colored and often made of red material. Chinese women always bandage their feet and put a stocking on the bandaged leg. In terms of size, the feet of Chinese women remain as if they were the age of a girl up to 6-8 years old, with only one big toe being developed; however, the entire metatarsal part and the foot are extremely compressed, and the lifeless outlines of the toes are visible on the foot as depressed, completely flat, as if white plates.”
Custom prescribed that the female figure should “shine with the harmony of straight lines,” and for this purpose, a girl already at the age of 10-14 years old had her chest tightened with a canvas bandage, a special bodice or a special vest. The development of the mammary glands was suspended, the mobility of the chest and the supply of oxygen to the body were sharply limited. Usually this had a detrimental effect on the woman’s health, but she looked “elegant.” Thin waist and small legs were considered a sign of a girl’s grace and this ensured her the attention of suitors.
The woman actually had to go to outside fingers bent under the foot. The heel and inner arch of the foot resembled the sole and heel of a high-heeled shoe.
Petrified calluses formed; nails grew into the skin; the foot was bleeding and bleeding pus; blood circulation practically stopped. Such a woman limped when walking, leaned on a stick or moved with the help of servants. To avoid falling, she had to walk in small steps. In fact, every step was a fall, from which the woman kept herself from falling only by hastily taking the next step. The walk required enormous effort.
Although Chinese women have not bound their feet for almost a hundred years (binding was officially banned in 1912), the age-old stereotypes associated with this custom have proven to be extremely tenacious.
Today, real “lotus slippers” are no longer shoes, but a valuable collector’s item. A well-known enthusiast in Taiwan, doctor Guo Chih-sheng, over 35 years, collected more than 1,200 pairs of shoes and 3,000 accessories for the feet, legs and other areas of bandaged female legs worthy of decoration.
Sometimes the wives and daughters of wealthy Chinese had their legs so deformed that they could hardly walk on their own. They said about such women and people: “They are like reeds that sway in the wind.” Women with such legs were carried on carts, carried in palanquins, or strong maids carried them on their shoulders, like small children. If they tried to move on their own, they were supported on both sides.
In 1934, an elderly Chinese woman recalled her childhood experiences:
“I was born into a conservative family in Ping Xi and had to deal with the pain of foot-binding at the age of seven. I was an active and cheerful child then, I loved to jump, but after that everything disappeared. The older sister endured this entire process from the age of 6 to 8 (which means it took two years for her foot size to become less than 8 cm). It was the first moon month my seventh year of life, when my ears were pierced and gold earrings were put in.
I was told that a girl has to suffer twice: when her ears are pierced and the second time when her feet are “binded.” The latter began on the second lunar month; the mother consulted reference books about the most suitable day. I ran away and hid in a neighbors house, but my mother found me, scolded me and dragged me home. She slammed the bedroom door behind us, boiled water and took bandages, shoes, a knife and thread and needle from the drawer. I begged to put it off for at least a day, but my mother said bluntly: “Today is an auspicious day. If you bandage today, it won’t hurt you, but if you bandage tomorrow, it will hurt terribly.” She washed my feet and applied alum and then trimmed my nails. Then she bent her fingers and tied them with a cloth three meters long and five centimeters wide - first her right leg, then her left. After it was over, she ordered me to walk, but when I tried to do so, the pain seemed unbearable.
That night my mother forbade me to take off my shoes. It seemed to me that my legs were on fire, and naturally I could not sleep. I cried, and my mother began to beat me. In the following days I tried to hide, but they forced me to walk again.
For resisting, my mother beat me on my arms and legs. Beatings and curses followed the secret removal of the bandages. After three or four days the feet were washed and alum was added. After a few months, all my fingers except my big one were curled up, and when I ate meat or fish, my feet swelled and festered. My mother scolded me for placing emphasis on my heel when walking, claiming that my leg would never acquire a beautiful shape. She never allowed me to change the bandages or wipe off the blood and pus, believing that when all the meat disappeared from my foot, it would become graceful. If I removed the wound by mistake, the blood would flow in a stream. My big toes, once strong, flexible and plump, were now wrapped in small pieces of material and stretched to give them the shape of a new moon.
Every two weeks I changed my shoes, and the new pair had to be 3-4 millimeters smaller than the previous one. The boots were stubborn and it took a lot of effort to get into them.
When I wanted to sit quietly by the stove, my mother made me walk. After changing more than 10 pairs of shoes, my foot shrunk to 10 cm. I had been wearing the bandages for a month when the same ritual was performed with my younger sister - when no one was around, we could cry together. In the summer, my feet smelled terrible because of blood and pus, in the winter they were frozen due to insufficient blood circulation, and when I sat near the stove, they hurt from warm air. The four toes on each foot were curled up like dead caterpillars; it is unlikely that any stranger could imagine that they belonged to a person. It took me two years to reach eight centimeter feet. Toenails have grown into the skin. The strongly bent sole was impossible to scratch. If she was sick, it was difficult to reach the right place at least just to pet him. My legs became weak, my feet became crooked, ugly and smelled - how I envied girls who had naturally shaped legs.”
At festivals where the owners of tiny legs demonstrated their virtues, concubines were selected for the emperor's harem. Women sat in rows on benches with their legs extended, while judges and spectators walked along the aisles and commented on the size, shape and decoration of feet and shoes; no one, however, had the right to touch the “exhibits.” Women looked forward to these holidays, since on these days they were allowed to leave the house.
Sexual aesthetics (literally “the art of love”) in China was extremely complex and directly related to the tradition of “foot binding.”
The sexuality of the "bandaged foot" was based on its concealment from view and on the mystery surrounding its development and care. When the bandages were removed, the feet were washed in the boudoir in the strictest secrecy. The frequency of ablutions ranged from 1 per week to 1 per year. After this, alum and perfumes with various aromas were used, calluses and nails were treated. The process of ablution helped restore blood circulation. Figuratively speaking, the mummy was unwrapped, magic was cast on it, and it was wrapped again, adding even more preservatives. The rest of the body was never washed at the same time as the feet for fear of turning into a pig in the next life. Well-bred women were supposed to die of shame if men saw the process of washing their feet. This is understandable: the stinking, decaying flesh of the foot would be an unpleasant discovery for a man who suddenly appeared and would offend his aesthetic sense.
Bandaged feet were the most important thing - personality or talents didn't matter. The woman with the big feet was left without a husband, so we all went through this torture.” Zhao Jiying’s mother died when she was a little girl, so she bandaged her feet herself: “It was terrible, I can tell for three days and three nights how I suffered. The bones were broken, the flesh around them was rotting. But even then I put a brick on top - to ensure that the feet would be small. I haven’t gone for a year...” Her daughter also has bandaged feet.
To at least roughly feel what it is:
Instructions:
1. Take a piece of cloth about three meters long and five centimeters wide.
2. Take a pair of children's shoes.
3. Curl your toes, except your big toe, inside your foot. Wrap the material around your toes first and then your heel. Bring your heel and toes as close to each other as possible. Wrap the remaining material tightly around your foot.
4. Put your feet in baby shoes,
5. Try going for a walk.
6. Imagine that you are five years old...
7. ...And that you will have to walk this way all your life...
Tell me, why do women today voluntarily mutilate their legs?!!
The custom of binding the feet of Chinese girls, similar to the methods of the Comprachicos, seems to many to be like this: a child’s foot is bandaged and it simply does not grow, remaining the same size and the same shape. This is not so - there were special methods and the foot was deformed in special, specific ways.
The ideal beauty in old China had to have legs like lotuses, a mincing gait and a figure swaying like a willow tree.
In old China, girls began to have their feet bandaged from the age of 4-5 (infants could not yet endure the torment of tight bandages that crippled their feet). As a result of this torment, around the age of 10, girls developed an approximately 10-centimeter “lotus leg”. After this, they began to learn the correct “adult” gait. And after another 2-3 years they were already ready-made girls of marriageable age.
The size of the “lotus foot” has become an important condition for marriages. Brides with large feet were subjected to ridicule and humiliation, as they looked like common women who worked in the fields and could not afford the luxury of foot binding.
Different shapes of "lotus feet" were fashionable in different areas of China. In some places narrower legs were preferred, while in others shorter and petite ones were preferred. The shape, materials, as well as ornamental themes and styles of the “lotus slippers” were different.
As an intimate but exposed part of a woman's outfit, these shoes were a measure of the status, wealth and personal taste of their owners. Today, the custom of foot binding seems like a wild relic of the past and a way of discriminating against women. But in fact, most women in old China were proud of their "lotus feet."
Although foot binding was dangerous - incorrect application or change in pressure of the bandages had a lot of unpleasant consequences, none of the girls could survive the accusations of a “big-legged demon” and the shame of remaining unmarried.
Although it is difficult for Europeans to imagine, the “lotus leg” was not only the pride of women, but also the object of the highest aesthetic and sexual desires of Chinese men. It is known that even a fleeting sight of a “lotus leg” could cause a strong attack of sexual arousal in Chinese men. “Undressing” such a leg was the height of the sexual fantasies of ancient Chinese men. Judging by the literary canons, the ideal “lotus legs” were certainly small, thin, pointed, curved, soft, symmetrical and... fragrant.
Chinese women paid a very high price for beauty and sex appeal. The owners of perfect legs were doomed to a lifetime of physical suffering and inconvenience. The miniature size of the foot was achieved due to its severe mutilation. Some fashionistas who wanted to reduce the size of their legs as much as possible went so far as to break bones in their efforts. As a result, they lost the ability to walk normally and stand normally.
This Chinese woman is 86 years old today. Her legs are crippled by caring parents who want their daughter to have a successful marriage. Although Chinese women have not bound their feet for almost a hundred years (binding was officially banned in 1912), it turned out that the traditions in China are as strong as anywhere else.
According to journalists who spoke with women, most of them were still proud of their bandaged feet.
“When a resident of the Celestial Empire takes a tiny woman’s leg in his hands, he experiences feelings similar to those that a European’s elastic girl’s breasts evoke. All the Chinese whom I interviewed about this answered almost word for word: “Oh, little ones.” legs! You fail to understand how exquisite it is, how sweet, how captivating!" ~ Sterling Seagrave, Song Dynasty.
History knows many examples of offerings to the altar of beauty - from the cold-blooded application of arsenic- or lead-based blush, to unimaginably sadistic piercings and even greater extremes in the field of body modification. One of the wildest is the thousand-year-old custom of breaking and bandaging the feet of Chinese women so that they fit into graceful shoes in the shape of lilies or lotuses.
CULTURAL AND SEXUAL IMPACT
For about a thousand years in China, mutilated, but miniature feet were considered the height of eroticism, and the “lotus gait” - girls were forced to move in small “cute” steps and were still very unstable - not only excited men, but also made the sexual anatomy “more voluptuous and sensual" in their minds. During the Qing Dynasty, a "love manual" was in use, detailing 48 in various ways caress the lotus feet.
However, even in bed, being otherwise completely naked, the women (one would like to add - unfortunate ones) did not take off their linen bandages and wore special slippers that hid their deformed limbs. Attractiveness was offset by what was hidden from prying eyes. Famous Quote Feng Xuan says: "If you take off your shoes and linen, the aesthetics will be destroyed forever."
The influence of Chinese women's foot-binding extended well beyond the bedroom - although the practice was undoubtedly a tool of male dominance, helping to ensure the wife's chastity. Ladies of the upper classes, whose legs were literally tied, could not freely participate in the life of society - for example, go for a regular walk. They constantly needed physical support and could not move independently over significant distances, which kept them dependent on their family and on the will of the people around them.
Culture and tradition are the basis of the Chinese worldview, so women themselves strove for lotus feet, believing that it promoted health and fertility, despite the crushing and long-term pain that they had to endure for this. In essence, a biological disadvantage turned into a social advantage, increasing the chances of a successful marriage. A girl, albeit one of the upper class, with legs normal size could only count on marriage with a representative of a less prestigious class, and a lady of a lower social status She risked being sold into service altogether.
"Thousands of buckets of tears await the one who binds her feet." ~Old saying
Girls from two to five years old who were “lucky” faced an incredibly painful process of achieving the ideal of the “golden lotus woman.” The feet of future beauties were immersed in a warm softening mixture of herbal decoctions with animal blood and massaged for some time. Next, the toes were forcefully tucked in and the foot was tightly bandaged, enclosing it in a cotton bandage.
Initially painful, the procedure continued even worse: the bones holding the arch of the foot were broken and the legs continued to be compressed with bandages, ensuring that the toes fit tightly to the sole, and the base thumb touched the heel. The ends of the bandages were sewn tightly together.
Then the poor little legs were regularly swaddled, washed and kneaded, again and again splitting the bones that had grown together, compressing them more and more tightly. After the bandage, the girl had to immediately get up and walk so that the deformity would worsen. No anesthesia was used.
All this was done by professional “binders” or older family members; mothers were not trusted with this responsible task - they were afraid that pity would prevent them from breaking their daughter’s fingers properly. The stricter the better to achieve the goal: the leg size is approximately 7.5 cm. The procedures took about two years, but the legs remained bound for life.
Complications often occurred - from swelling and pus-filled ulcers on early stage, to paralysis and serious infections such as gangrene. For prevention and treatment, sufferers dipped the stumps in various liquids, ranging from eau de toilette to urine. A return to normal life was impossible - if the legs remained unbandaged for a long time, the pain became as severe as at the initial stage.
A harbinger of a practice that seems nightmarish in the eyes of modern man was the temporary tight bandaging of dancers' legs; today ballerinas wear pointe shoes for this purpose. Around 970 AD, Tang Dynasty Emperor Li You's consort performed the "golden lotus" dance on a pedestal, gracefully wrapping her feet in silk. The ruler and courtiers were so fascinated by the beauty of the performance that imitation of the designer’s find became good form.
From here the fashion spread among the upper classes and eventually reached all levels of society. During the Song Dynasty (960 - 1276), women's position declined - they had fewer rights in the context of marriage and family. They were no longer given an education, as before, deprived of property rights and began to be treated as a talking piece of furniture. Mangled legs only strengthened its status as a method of command and control.
Despite its widespread use, there has never been a clear idea of what a lotus leg should look like. For example, peasants and other lower classes tended to tie the legs of older girls and not so much - they should not have lost their mobility, because there was plenty of work in the fields. For women in high society, more extreme techniques were used. Thus, foot deformities, unsteadiness, pain and suffering became the norm for Chinese women for a millennium.
In 1911, the Chinese government finally outlawed lotus feet. The pressure came not only from feminists, but also from all educated people concerned about how external world perceives China. Even after this, enlightened people had to work hard to devalue the centuries-old opinion about the lotus leg as a beautiful symbol of sublime eroticism. Limbs continued to be mutilated secretly.