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CAPELLAN, FRANCES LEANA L.BS Architecture

ANTHRO 10 THV1

I arrived late in class, probably missing the first five minutes of the film showing. I settled myself on the last

row, within a comfortable hearing distance from the television set, but occasionally tilting my head so as to geta better view (a tall classmate was sitting in front of me). When the old- lady-with-the-lotus-feet spoke in

Chinese, I frowned in dismay. I am inflicted by myopia and I cannot see the subtitle from where I seat. Indeed, a

picture is worth a thousand words and the eye is the window of the soul--- I can effortlessly see immenseamount of sadness over that old ladys eyes as she speaks on the moving picture.

Standardiz ing BeautyA Reaction Paper on National Geographics Documentary about the Chinese Foot-binding Culture

"A beautiful face may wrinkle and a slender body may become fat and snazzy,whereas a pair of lotus feet keep their charm as long as the woman lives"

-old Chinese saying-

To be beautiful is to have the approval of the societys definition of beauty. TheEncyclopediaof Race and Ethnic Studies defines beauty as a historically specific evaluation of physicalattractiveness that expresses prevailing racialized social hierarchies. () Women were either

categorically beautiful only to the extent that they shared the features of the dominant racial or

ethnic group, or were considered beautiful in particularly eroticized 1 and exoticized2 terms. Since it

is the society that defines what is beautiful for a particular time, this implies that in most cases, a

societys culturally dominant group set the standard against which others were judged. This is

exactly the case behind the culture of foot binding in China. From its seemingly vague origins, an

entire culture based on what was set by their patriarchal society, was woven.

The form of the normal feet as contrasted against that of the lotus feet.

Lotus Foot was a name given to the bound feet of the Chinese women that was once

considered highly erotic. I literally cringe over the thought that these women underwent excruciating

pain just for the sake of being called beautiful. The origin of this practice was unclear but it was

generally accepted that it started during the 11

th

century. One story tells of an Empress with a footdeformity that the court attempted to follow. In another, the story was connected to the reign of the

Sung Dynasty where the court dancers, who moved so delicately upon the petals of lotuses had such

tiny, dainty feet that resembled a golden lotus. This dainty feet became a highly eroticized symbol

of femininity and grace. The binding of feet was considered the Eastern equivalent of European

corsetry, an extreme form of body modification considered to be highly erotic. [2]

Curiosity led me to search for more myths governing the lotus. The lotus flower, according to

The New Encyclopedia Britannica, is sacred to the people of Egpyt, India and China. () Inaddition to [its] artistic uses, () [the flower] has symbolized fertility and related ideas, including

1Eroticized to make erotic;Erotic of or concerning sexual love or desire, tending to arouse sexual desire, dominated by

sexual love or desire. 2Exoticized to make something seem to be exotic;Exotic intriguingly unusual or different, excitingly strange.

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birth, purity, sexuality, [and] rebirth of the dead. [3] The lotus is also a metaphor for the feet of the

gods, saints and other exalted spiritual beings. [4]

For the young females of ancient China, having their feet bounded in tight cloth was never

their choice. It was their parents who inflicted this culture believing that having their daughters feet

bound would increase their chance of marrying someone with standingin their society. All the painsand sufferings that a woman undergoes to achieve the golden lotus feet3 were consideredinsignificant in the quest for tiny feet.

Standards of beauty have most often been used to rank women. A woman is valued for herbeauty while a man is valued for his accomplishments. The practice of binding the feet in China wasnot only specifically done for a woman to be labelled beautiful. It was rather a direct translation of

how the culture dictates and defines where exactly a woman should be in the society. A woman with

lotus feet is literally boundfor her movement is restricted.

A society is defined by its culture. This culture, as discussed in class, is shared, learned,

adaptive, integrated and changing. A textbook in Anthropology written by William Haviland

discussed culture as consists of the abstract values, beliefs and perceptions of the world that liebehind peoples behaviour. This culture is shared by members of a society. Haviland predicted that

when acted upon, [a culture] () produce[s] behaviour that is intelligible to other members of ()

[a] society. [5] Thus during that particular time, when the lotus feet tradition was universally

accepted in China, binding the feet of ones daughter was logical.

Body enhancement by surgery and liposuction.

A societys definition of beauty is, most of the time, surprising. Humans strive for perfection

and we undergo extremities to attain it. In our modern world, traditions of how to enhance our looks

have evolved. The literal going under the knife of people is proof that the culture of the lotus feet is

still very much present. Cultures vary and continually change but the body will remain the topmost

site of humans interests. Beauty is standardized as the society defines what should be considered

beautiful. While we cannot defy these culture altogether, we must remain critical. I, for one,

wouldnt want to have that old Chinese ladys sad eyes.

Sources / References[1] Cashmore, Ellis. Beauty. Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic Studies. Routledge, London (2004)

[2] Krauss, Desiree. Lotus Foot. Online Posting. Morbid Outlook. 30 August 2008.

[3] Lotus. Vol.7 Micropedia Ready Reference. The New Encyclopedia Britannica,15th Ed . Encyclopedia

Britannica, Inc. Chicago (2002)

[4] Fishman, Laurel. The Sublime Essence of the Lotus Feet. The Official Steve Vai Website. Inside Real

Illusions: Reflections. 29 August 2008.

[5] Haviland, William. Culture. Anthropology, 10th Ed. Wodsworth, Thomson Learning Inc. USA (2003)

3 The ideal length of the perfect foot, called a golden lotus, was three inches long. The three-inch perfection was a rare

occurrence but it was something to strive for nonetheless.