JULY 2014
15
Women were forced to do hard physical labor in 1949 when the Communists came to power. Women with bound fee found the work excruciating and hardly fulfilled their daily quotas. Today, women no longer practice foot binding.
Like the woman pictured above, the process would begin at around 7 or 8 years of age. It was important for it to start then because the bones were still fairly soft and pliable. Feet were first softened in hot water, and then, several hours later, dead skin was scrubbed off. The actual bandaging came next, and cotton bandages about 2 inches wide and 10 feet long were soaked in hot water so they would shrink when they dried. The girl's toes would be folded under her foot and then bound by her mother or by an experienced woman in the village. The girl would then be forced to walk around until she was used to the new positioning. This process would be repeated every other day until the foot was a "perfect" 3-inch crescent shape.
Farrell photographed this women above as a testament to those who had been victims of the ancient practice. Her name is Zhang Yun Ying and, as she strides, she balances on her heels. Though she's now a grandmother, the process of her childhood continues to affect the way she walks, the way she holds herself, and, ultimately, the way she feels about her beauty.
As Farrell commented:
These incredible women [have] lived through famine, the cultural revolution (where people were penalized for the four olds: old habits, manners, customs, and culture), and family deconstruction/migration of the twentieth century."
It is interesting to learn about the different standards of beauty in different cultures across the globe. But why must women, in particular, suffer through such practices to meet the standards and expectations of a patriarchal society?
The Last Women Foot Binders