|
Foot-binding
By Alfie Mella
The ancient Chinese had a strange
custom known as foot-binding. This practice, which persisted
from the tenth to the twentieth century, caused severe lifelong
disability for millions of elderly women. According to a study
conducted by the University of California at San Francisco in
the United States, a large percentage of cases of osteoporosis
in China—a disorder in which the structural integrity of
the bone is impaired—can be blamed to the prevalence and
consequences of foot-binding. Of the randomly selected sample
of 193 women, aged 70 to 80, in Beijing, fifty-three had bound-feet
deformities.
|
You can plan ahead and schedule
a foot massage at a local spa
where you will be pampered by someone for about 30 minutes. The
person giving the massage should be someone who has been trained
to give foot massages. Unfortunately, as soon as they are done,
you must put on your shoes and go home. Or, you can take the
initiative and the time to give yourself a massage in the
comfort of your own home.
Begin by setting the mood. Put
your favorite music on the CD
player, light a few candles, and pour yourself a beverage. Find
a comfortable chair or relaxing position. Start by soaking your
feet in warm water for about 10 minutes in the bathtub or in
a
large dishpan. Add your favorite bubble bath or oil to the
water-it will not only help your feet, but the aroma is soothing.
Now, dry your feet completely and apply your favorite body lotion,
foot cream or oil to your hands.
You can begin your massage anywhere
on your feet, keeping in
mind that you want to cover the entire foot from the tip of your
toes to your ankle. Stroke back and forth, adding more cream,
if necessary, to your hands to ensure that they slide easily
over the skin. |
|
Historians trace the practice of
foot-binding back to Sung Dynasty (960-976 BC). They claim that
it started as an imitation of an imperial concubine who was required
to dance with her feet bound. Observing that the sight appealed
to the Emperor and wanting to earn his favor by offering their
daughters as concubines, many parents began binding their daughters’
feet. By the twelfth century, the practice was widespread and
harsher—girls’ feet were being bound so tightly and
early in life.
In further retrospection, historians
say that the reason foot-binding persisted was that it provided
the affluent males a way of preventing their wives or concubines
from leaving the house, for females with bound feet found the
simple act of walking an extremely painful feat.
Customarily, parents began binding
the feet of their daughters at the age of three. All toes except
the hallux (the first innermost digit of each foot) were broken;
the feet were then bound tightly with cloth strips to keep them
from growing largerthan ten centimeters. This caused the soles
of the feet to bend in extreme concavity. The girls were then
made to wear a special kind of footwear called lotus shoes, which
were made of leather or, sometimes, steel and which prevented
further growth of the foot bones.
The terminal portion of the leg
of most vertebrates, the foot is used primarily for locomotion.
In humans, its significance surfaces during the toddler years,
when a child starts to learn how to walk. So, it is really regrettable
that a body-deforming custom such as foot-binding continued for
centuries. Fortunately, the cruel practice ceased in 1911, when
the new Chinese republic finally banned it. /
(C)2004 eLf ideas |
|
|
|
The Author  |
|
|
|
aLfie “eLf” vera mella
was born in 1971 in Metro Manila, Philippines. He was a very
inquisitive child who had shown fondness for reading and writing
at an early age. He graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Nursing, but the literatus in him never left his heart.
A true artist, elf was the vocalist of a New Wave band, named
Half Life Half Death, which served as the musical vehicle for
his poetry. Before he left his beloved country in 2003, he was
working as an editor of and writer for scholastic books and magazines.
eLf is currently living in British Columbia, Canada, serving
as a caregiver for his maternal grandfather. He may have left
a
well-loved work but for a noble reason, and he never ceased from
doing what he loves most since childhood—writing. Virtually
always home, he usually spends his solitary nights reading, researching,
and writing about various subjects of his interest—chiefly,
Culture, History, Literature, Mythology, Music, and Science—with
New Wave music always lingering in the background like a gentle
breeze on a quiet sea. A writer at heart, eLf started inditing
his thoughts around the age of six; and he intends to continue
documenting his feelings and ideas until his twilight./eLf
Source: http://www.isnare.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE PUBLISHED DECEMBER 08 2008 |
|
-
 Beauty Secrets of the World |
Page after page of beauty
recipes and tips submitted by readers from around the world.
Browse them all, add your own. Go
there now
|
|
|
-
-
- Shop For Your
Supplies Here
Since 1987 Mountain
Rose Herbs has become the Leading Organic Supplier in not only
the finest organic botanical products, but the freshest as well.
From their bulk organic herbs and spices, to their essential
oils and herbal teas, the quality and integrity of what they
offer is unparalleled. In fact, we firmly believe nobody can
deliver a better product.
|
|
|
|
|
|
