ABSTRACT
The origins of Chinese footbinding, as of Chinese thought in general, belong to that amorphous entity called antiquity. The loth century marks the beginning of the physical, intellectual, and spiritual dehumanization of women in China through the institution of footbinding. A curious belief developed among Chinese men that footbinding produced a most useful alteration of the vagina. The smaller the woman’s foot, the more wondrous become the folds of the vagina. Women in other districts can produce these folds artificially, but the only way is by footbinding, which concentrates development in this one place. Medical authorities confirm that physiologically footbinding had no effect whatsoever on the vagina, although it did distort the direction of the pelvis. All repositories of cultural wisdom from King Solomon to King Hefner agree: women should be beautiful. In Western “democracy” notions of beauty are “democratic”: even if a woman is not born beautiful, she can make herself attractive.
