How is footbinding perceived in modern China?
On one hand, it’s been perceived as a national shame, a symbol of barbarity and backwardness. No one wants to talk about it. On the other hand, small feet of size 5 (no bigger than 6) are still prized and regarded as beautiful, feminine, erotic. I was struck by your discussion of the politicizing of the female body, particularly men who tried to gain power by projecting the female body on their own through castration, mutilation, and less extreme forms of footbinding. Bodies, be it women’s or men’s, have always been sexualized and fetishized for different agendas, erotic, political, moral, and others. In other words, a body can be used as a bridge to power. In patriarchal cultures, it is easier to fetishize women’s bodies and claim them as a symbol of the male dominance. But throughout history, and in every culture, men’s bodies have also been fetishized, sexualized, and politicized. As China became preoccupied with communist ideals, there seemed to be a breakdown in sexuality that par
