Why foot binding?
There are many theories regarding the purpose of foot binding. One theory is that women who had their feet bound were less independent and more able to be controlled. In Chinese society it is said that women are ruled by their fathers, then their husbands and finally, by their sons. This was a way to ensure that women did not travel away from that control because literally the pain was too great and debilitating to allow them the freedom to be free. Another theory is that the smaller the woman’s feet the more desirable she would be in marriage. One story tells of a mother who tells her daughter that the size of the foot is more important then the attractiveness of the daughter’s face in the eyes of a possible husband. Families needed the security of a daughter marrying “well” to ensure the families place in society. Foot binding was a way to gain this security. A third theory is that foot binding was a way to show status. If a family had a daughter whose foot was bound then they were p
