Foot binding was a practice in Ancient China and was popular from the 10th to the 19th century It involved wrapping a young girl’s feet tightly in fabric and binding them together. The practice aimed to produce a dainty “golden lotus” shape, a three-inch foot, and was usually done as a coming-of-age rite between the ages of 6 and 12. Though this practice has been compared to modern-day foot fetishism, with the thought being that it was done for the purpose of aesthetic pleasure, it’s more likely that it was done to make women more desirable to potential husbands. This was a culture in which the husband’s family name and that of his wife’s were kept separate and was seen as a way to “[keep] the women within their husbands’ families and subject to their sons.” Over time, foot binding slowly began to die out, as it was often seen as a hindrance to women’s rights and independence.
The five best examples of essay topics related to foot binding are:
1. The History and Significance of Foot Binding in Ancient China: In this essay, one can explore the cultural and religious background of foot binding, such as when and why it was first practiced and why it was seen as desirable and necessary at the time.
2. The Physical and Psychological Impacts of Foot Binding: This essay could go into the physical repercussions of this practice, such as the pain endured by those with bound feet, as well as the psychological effects, such as the feeling of being trapped and the difficulty of finding a husband if the feet were not bound.
3. The Impact of Foot Binding on Women’s Rights in Ancient China: One could explore the impact this practice had on the power women were seen as capable of having in the traditional family structure and how it limited their ability to move around.
4. The Popularity of Foot Binding in Ancient China: This essay could go into why this practice became popular, such as parental desires to find their daughters a husband or the fact that it became a status symbol.
5. The Decline of Foot Binding: This essay could look at the factors that led to the decline of this practice, such as the emergence of modern medical treatments and changing social attitudes.