For centuries, humans have been practicing body modification for the sake of beauty. Two common forms of body modifications are corset wearing and foot binding. The corset was an important part of the female wardrobe for several centuries in the Western culture. It helped to sculpt the body, allowing for an outward intimate visualization of the female physique. Middle-class women depended heavily on the use of the corset to aide with keeping the mind and body tamed. Foot binding, was equally important to women of China for centuries. Tiny feet were once seen as a sign of female beauty by the men in China. A woman needed to bind feet so that she was able to find a good husband. Parents were obligated to make sure the process of foot binding …show more content…
During the late eighteenth century, Leigh Summers explains, “The corset was a visible outer garment of beauty and ornamentation, and its display was part of social etiquette.” (63) Obligated to appeal to society, women were devoted to corset wearing which was incorporated it into their daily life. Corset wearing started during childhood, as Leah Summers wrote in Bound to Please: A history of the Victorian Corset, “By the 1860s and 1870s, and increasing number of British and American mothers resorted to a ‘corporation’ of juvenile stays.”(64) It was the mother’s obligation to make certain that her daughter appealed to the satisfaction of the mind and the world around her. The tradition of foot binding was a symbol of beauty in the Chinese culture. Small feet, was seen as a necessity so that a woman could maintain a decent status within the Chinese culture, John King Fairbank wrote in foot binding, “ Small feet became a prestige item to such an extent that a girl without them could not achieve a good marriage arrangement and was subjected to the disrespect and taunts of the community.” (364) Because of the cultural demands of having bound feet, mothers were obliged to start the process during …show more content…
“The design and manufacture of corsetry was entirely the province of men.” (Summers 9) During this era women were seen as the weaker sex, which included their minds and body. Resorting to the use of corsets as a body enhancement, women believed that it does not matter how their bodies appeared under the corset, the importance was within the outer appearance of the body. The effect of this appearance, possibly allowed women to feel somewhat equal to men. Likewise, feet were bound with the hopes of finding a husband. As explained by Wang Ping the author of Aching for Beauty, “Women would do anything to have a perfectly bound pair of feet in order to prepare themselves for the marriage market, which in a patriarchal society provides their livelihood, identity, and social status.”(53) Preparation started during childhood, which continued throughout the Chinese woman life. Women constantly bound their feet with the hopes of having the smallest feet. An excerpt from When I was a girl in China, stories collected by Joseph Rupp, Li Xiu-ying tells her story explaining the importance of having small feet, “If I have a daughter with tiny feet like mine, and you have a daughter with big feet like yours, then your daughter is not as good as mine… One’s status in society depended upon the size of your feet. The smaller, the better.”(“Vintage Fashion Guild”) Having small feet was a challenge that was