Fashionable Feet Left Permanent Damage
Binding started in early childhood, usually somewhere between ages two up to seven. The child’s feet were washed, and the nails clipped. Once clean, their toes, except the big toe, were broken, bent back, and tied with silk bindings. Bindings were redone every few years. The unbound feet, covered with sores and pus and smelling foul, were cleaned again and quickly re-bound. The foot bent around itself, the bone growing in an unnatural form. Women could barely walk on their permanently and deliberately deformed feet. Foot binding restricted blood circulation to the foot, sometimes sparking gangrene. Gangrene was sometimes welcome, though, since it made toes disappear. As the child grew, the shape became permanent. In 1912 the practice was outlawed, but some communities covertly continued the practice. Some women in their 80s, 90s, and 100s still hobble on their tiny, broken feet.