Why did ancient women bind their feet?

Foot-binding is foot-binding, which is undoubtedly a bad habit during the autocratic monarchy. There are different opinions about its origin. Some people think that it started in Shang Zhouwang. When a fox named da ji fascinated him with his little feet, women all over the world began to learn foot binding. Some people think it started in the Spring and Autumn Period, while others say it started in the Sui and Tang Dynasties or the Five Dynasties.

However, the most credible one originated in the Northern Song Dynasty and then rose in the Southern Song Dynasty. Su Shi, a great writer, also wrote a poem "Bodhisattva Man? Ode to the Foot sneaked through the palace like a stable, setting a double trap. "It's hard to say subtle, but you must look at it from the palm of your hand." Why did ancient women bind their feet? This article will talk about the causes of foot binding and look at the ancient female roles.

(A), men are superior to women, the sorrow of that era.

It flourished in the Southern Song Dynasty and reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, women's feet were always laughed at for being too big. Until the Qing dynasty, this bad habit continued. When a girl was a child, she was forced to wrap her feet with cloth to deform them and then stop growing.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen's determination to overthrow feudal autocracy was firm because he saw his sister wrapped in little feet when he was a child. In fact, many rural women in their eighties came from that revolutionary era, and many of them were wrapped in little feet.

1. Women are weak and beautiful.

"The first step is to stand on tiptoe, and the tortoise shell shines on my head. If the waist is flowing, you will smell the bright moon. The delicate and meticulous steps are unparalleled in the world. " In most ancient literary works, female images are mostly fragile and full of hatred.

Besides peacocks flying southeast, there are Bai Juyi's Pipa Trip and Liu Yong's prostitute image.

Only when women are small and exquisite and have small families can men inspire their sense of superiority, and on this basis, generation will show her desire to protect women. In the eyes of men at that time, women were not treated as adults at all. They regard it as their own accessories, or toys, or tools.

So, I don't care what women think. If "three obedience and four virtues" is to suppress women in spirit, then foot binding is to suppress women in practical action. Because ancient men were afraid of women's independence and the rise of women. Therefore, we try our best to make them depend on men for survival.

So, why treat women in such a cruel way as foot binding?

2. Conquering desire and "abnormal" aesthetics

"One bend of nephrite is small in Ling Bo, and two petals of red lotus fall lightly". There were many poems in ancient times, all praising women's foot binding. Under the influence of male chauvinism, men naturally think that women should be like this. This is the real beauty. It is often mentioned that little feet can cover three points of ugliness. Even if women have average qualifications, they can get extra points as long as their feet are small.

In fact, it is because of the morbid psychology of many sour literati. They often linger in vocal music venues and regard women as their playthings. There was a scholar named Fang Xuan in Qing Dynasty. He even wrote a book about foot binding. He often touches women's feet when he gets together with friends. He believes that "soft without bones, the closer you get, the more you resist touching."

"Ant frequency, red skirt corner." I've never seen tassels before, but I crisscross them and smell them as soon as I fly. At that time, people were so crazy that they liked to smell the wine under women's shoes while drinking and having fun. This is actually a kind of "foot fetish".

Even Su Dongpo is so "it's hard to say exquisite, but you must look at it from the palm of your hand". This morbid aesthetic thought began to spread in the Song Dynasty. Therefore, under the propaganda of literati, ordinary people also regard little feet as the first aesthetic significance.

Ancient women were taught that they lived for men, so pleasing men was their main job. Because everyone likes women with small feet, the elders in the family are afraid that their daughters will not marry or be gossiped when they grow up, so they can only forcibly wrap their children's feet when they are young.

Idioms can explain that in ancient times, people's views on women were not only the appearance of faces, but also the size of feet. Therefore, women's foot binding is first to satisfy men's special hobbies.

(2) Overwhelming women with Confucianism.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, only women in vocal music fields usually bound their feet. But in the Southern Song Dynasty, this trend first spread to the imperial court.

After all, Confucius once said, "Only women are hard to raise, those who are near are inferior, and those who are far away complain". The women and villains here refer to the women and servants around the "master" Therefore, in order not to make it difficult for women to support themselves, the "masters" in the Southern Song Dynasty came up with the idea of letting them bind their feet.

1. Strengthen the rule and curb the development of women.

Those high-ranking princes and princes are not only afraid of outsiders seizing power, but also afraid of the influence of people around them. Therefore, most of the princesses and concubines in the Southern Song Dynasty were bound feet. "Jian Yan four years" is a blessing to Emperor Ji, which is doubtful enough. "After Jian Nan crossed, a northern woman claimed to be Princess Fu Rong, but she was suspected because her feet were too big.

It can be seen that foot binding has long been a common phenomenon in the Southern Song Dynasty. Since "women are difficult to raise", then simply keep suppressing them. Let these people know that they are born inferior to men to prevent them from having wild dreams. Since then, this trend has gradually spread to the bureaucratic aristocracy.

Everyone regards the foot-binding of women at home as their boasting capital. Women in brothels bind their feet for "work needs", while women in nobles in palaces bind their feet purely to satisfy men's desire for control. This is a way to suppress women's thoughts, and it is also a manifestation of morbid desire to conquer.

2. Deepen the thought of three obedience and four virtues

Although Sima Guang smashed a pot when he was a child and wrote "Zi Tong Zhi Jian", his thoughts were really pedantic. He once said, "Fu Tian also; Wife and land also. Fu riye; Wife and moon also. Fuyang also; The wife is also yin. Holy reverence. Humble and humble. " In its view, women are subordinate to men. They live for men.

Even if your man dies, you should be chaste, otherwise it is against social morality. Since men like women with small feet, they should do so.

Later, Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism came out, which has many differences with Confucianism. This kind of thought is mainly tailored to maintain the patriarchal society and the imperial rule.

It has always advocated that "starvation is minimal and disgrace is great", and women must abide by women's morality. What is female virtue? Taking husband as the key link is the greatest female virtue. Over time, women themselves have become accustomed to foot binding. They also laugh at women who don't have foot binding. Even the little feet have become a way to keep up with the joneses.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, regular foot-drying meetings were held, and those with small feet won. Such foot-binding has become a social trend. Men are proud to marry women with small feet, but ashamed to marry women with big feet. If you don't bind your feet, you won't get any respect even if you marry your husband's family.

(3) Imprisoning women and depriving them of the right to pursue freedom.

"I am afraid that she will walk out of the house lightly and be bound by countless entanglements." Ancient men were very grumpy when they treated women at home. They are also afraid of women running away from home, so they have nowhere to go as long as they are wrapped in their feet. You have to stick to two steps, so how far can you go? You have to swallow it at home.

Qi Mei is an idiom to describe that husband and wife live in harmony, but it means that the wife is kneeling with a box and food on her eyebrows for her husband to eat. This shows how disrespectful ancient women are, and women are used to living under the humiliation of their husbands.

1. Without economic independence, how can we achieve personality independence?

Foot binding is to prevent women from going out and participating in social activities. In this way, no matter what the men at home say to them, they will believe it. Just like a country with a closed culture and no freedom of speech, people will naturally believe what the court preaches. In this way, people will follow the propaganda content to think about the problem.

Men will euphemistically say that it is the protection of women, but in fact it is the imprisonment of their hearts. Moreover, in ancient times, it was always advertised that men plowed and women wove such a beautiful husband and wife life. This is actually a way to restrict women from going out. The same is true for bag feet. Women can't even walk, let alone go out to work or work in the fields.

Their textiles are also sold by men. Therefore, women have no financial resources at all. Without economic freedom, how to realize personality freedom? Foot binding means putting an end to all possibilities of women's economic freedom. Let them live in the shadow of mankind forever.

2. Let men be superior to women become natural.

Men value strength, while women value weakness. As long as you wrap your feet, you can walk like the wind blows the willows, which is beautiful. This is a sign of male control. If they are restricted from walking, they can be prevented from going out and getting economic resources. You can also make them completely subordinate to men.

When I was in the boudoir, I was completely obedient to my father; Being a woman becomes a vassal of her husband; If a husband dies young, he must obey his son and then remain chaste for him. This is the biggest unfairness to women, and it also reflects the ugliness of ancient men to the fullest.

They don't treat women as adults at all. They regard them as tools for washing pots and dishes for themselves, and they also beautify them as "the woman is in charge and the man is outside". It is worth mentioning that women will walk with high heels after wrapping their feet, which will make the pelvis bigger and promote fertility. Men regard them as toys to vent their desires, and they can come or go.

Conclusion:

Foot binding is very anti-human. I have never considered women's feelings. In this cruel way, make them completely obey men. At the same time, it can restrict their personal freedom, keep them out of contact with the outside world, and make women feel inferior to men from the day they are born.