A photographer by the name of Jo Farrell will be publishing a book in Hong Kong some of the last women who had followed the practices of foot binding in China. Farrell was able to meet about 50 women and one by the name of Su Xi Rong had been renowned for her beautiful small feet. Foot binding was a tradition that empowered women and showed their ability to tolerate pain and be a good wife who will not complain. What was very interesting was that about 40 percent of the women were not forced to bind their feet as a young girl, instead they wanted to. They felt outcasted if not and most knew how to do it themselves since it was so common to see. Foot binding happened over a period of the bones in the toes breaking beneath the weight causing the arch to lift high and the heel will then touch the metatarsals. It wasn't until 1949, Communist power would scorn the foot binding method leading some of the women feeling ashamed. Now some of the women agree that if they could go back in time, they would not bind their feet since there isn't much worth to it anymore. The book will tell the remarkable stories these women had and their courage to share them. It will be interesting to learn about the last few who had practiced this method and their experiences doing so.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-31964279
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