Bound foot shoes

Silky Shiny 
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To wear these tiny shoes, a woman changed the shape of her feet by the process of foot binding, a centuries-old practice among women in China. The desired result of foot binding was “delicate” feet, which connoted beauty, modesty and status, and were referred to as “golden lotus” feet, or jin lian.

Collection Connections 

  • Bound Foot Shoe

    Bound Foot Shoe

    Asia: East Asia, China

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  • Bound Foot Shoe

    Bound Foot Shoe

    Asia: East Asia, China

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  • Bound Foot Shoe

    Bound Foot Shoe

    Asia: East Asia, China, Northeast China, Shandong, Wangxian

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Why do the soles of these shoes look clean and unworn?

responded: Apr 11, 2012

Posted by Alex L

47
Recommend this Response
I think these shoes look unworn and clean is because most women back then that were able to get their feet bound, were most likely wealthy. When I had asked my mother, why my great grandma's feet weren't bound because it was most likely popular back then, she told me only wealthier people were able to bound their feet, unlike my great grandmother who was raised on the farmlands. Because they were wealthy, they probably did not have to work on farm land
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