Misplaced Pages

Lotus shoes (simplified Chinese: 莲履; traditional Chinese: 蓮履; pinyin: liánlǚ) are footwear that were worn by women in China who had bound feet.

Design

The shoes are cone or sheath-shaped, intended to resemble a lotus bud. The size of lotus shoes was between 5.25 and 5.5 inches in length and 1.75-2 inches in width. Until the early 1900s, lotus shoes were primarily made in the home by the women who wore them. They were delicately constructed from cotton or silk, and small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Shoes that did not have wooden, leather, or metal parts could be made entirely in the home. Women used scissors, needle and thread, bamboo embroidery frames, awls, and small irons to make their shoes. Some designs had heels or wedge-shaped soles. Outdoor shoes often had a wooden heel or sole, which were constructed outside of the home by male carpenters. There were regional variations in wooden sole shape. In the south, wooden heels were low and coin-shaped, while soles in the north were arched.

Lotus shoes were made in different styles and colors, and were typically ornately decorated, with embroidered designs of animals or flowers that could continue on the sole of the shoe. In addition, lotus shoes were often decorated with images that symbolize good luck, as well as culturally significant puns. Shoe color choices were dictated by age and occasion. Young women typically wore purple and bright green shoes, while middle-aged women wore blue-grey or blue-green shoes. The color black was associated with bruising and was therefore an unpopular shoe color, except among older women. The color red, a symbol of virtue, was reserved for special occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, and New Year celebrations. Some designs only fit over the tip of the foot, giving the illusion of a small bound foot when worn under a long skirt. The designs and stylistic choices of lotus shoes varied depending on factors such as regional cultures, local traditions, and economic conditions.

The practice of footbinding was the intense swaddling of feet. This painful process forced the four smaller toes under the big toe and encased the foot in a high arch. Lotus shoes could result in permanent damage to tendons and ligaments in the foot. The process of altering one's foot often was urged on young girls and took years to fully finish. The damage to women's feet was irreversible and affected mobility. There was a fair amount of backlash to this tradition by missionaries and Chinese reformists.  However, women continued to wear lotus shoes until around the 1950s. Evidence shows this tradition was prevalent for nearly a thousand years.  

Footbinding had an olfactory and medicinal component; women would dust alum powder, an astringent, between their toes before wrapping their feet in handwoven cloth binders. They would also dust the binding cloth and shoe lining with fragrant powder. Women also used powdered herbal tonics with formulas passed down intergenerationally to soften their bones or speed up the healing process. These medicinal powders were especially common to use for girls commencing the foot binding process.

Prevalence

The practice of footbinding was not unique to elite or urban populations, it was also widespread among rural women. Yet, the experience and practice of footbinding were class and region-specific. The age at which girls began foot binding ranged from five to eight years old. Footbinding impaired mobility, which restricted the capacity to perform physical labor. Families that could afford to lose a daughter's capacity for strenuous physical labor began footbinding at a younger age. This meant that the age at which footbinding commenced was inversely proportional to class, where upper-class girls’ physical labor was more expendable than it was to lower-class families. Yet, the practice of foot binding did not signal an end to a woman's economic productivity. Rather, for women and girls in the relatively poor region of Shanxi province, footbinding served the dual purpose of pushing women into the sedentary work of spinning and weaving, while also showcasing a woman's domestic handiwork, making her a more attractive bride.

Lotus shoes and the practice of footbinding had the connotation of being connected to sexuality. However, this practice was more closely related to values like modesty, virtue, and morality. These shoes were frequently outlets for a woman's identity at the time. Women were often weavers and worked with textiles. They were commended for their productivity, which was shown in practices such as the creation of lotus shoes. In this regard, lotus shoes were a source of pride and value. Evolution would show that the tradition transformed from one that originated with women's old desire of embellishment, and took on a new meaning. Women were able to change the way footbinding was seen and instead connected it to their work and family.

The tradition of footbinding shows the relationship between women and their bodies at this time. Lotus shoes were a way for women to alter their bodies for public perception. This illusion of a smaller foot was wanted by women, and when achieved was celebrated. This tradition shows what women put themselves and their bodies through for their culture.

Though foot binding is no longer practiced, many lotus shoes survive as artifacts in museums or private collections.

See also

• Foot fetishism
• Shoe fetishism
• Ballet boot

References

1. ^ Nicholson 2006, pp. 87–88.
2. ^ Ko, Dorothy (2001). Every step a lotus : shoes for bound feet. Bata Shoe Museum Foundation. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-23283-6. OCLC 46937491.
3. ^ Dauncey, Sarah (2003). "Review of Every Step a Lotus: Shoes for Bound Feet". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. 66 (1): 131–132. doi:10.1017/S0041977X03560062. ISSN 0041-977X. JSTOR 4145732. S2CID 162989309.
4. ^ Jackson, Beverley (1997). Splendid slippers : a thousand years of an erotic tradition. Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press. ISBN 0-89815-957-1. OCLC 37187418.
5. Nicholson 2006, p. 91.
6. ^ Smith, Stephen R. (2002). "Review of EVERY STEP A LOTUS: Shoes for Bound Feet". Material Culture. 34 (2): 57–59. ISSN 0883-3680. JSTOR 29764163.
7. ^ Bossen, Laurel; Wang, Xurui; Brown, Melissa J.; Gates, Hill (2011-04-28). "Feet and Fabrication: Footbinding and Early Twentieth-Century Rural Women's Labor in Shaanxi". Modern China. 37 (4): 347–383. doi:10.1177/0097700411403265. ISSN 0097-7004. JSTOR 23053328. PMID 21966702. S2CID 44529240.

Bibliography

• Ko, Dorothy (2005), Cinderella's Sisters: A Revisionist History of Footbinding, Los Angeles: University of California Press.
• Ko, Dorothy (2001), Every Step a Lotus: Shoes for Bound Feet, Berkeley: University of California Press. Catalogue of a museum exhibit, with extensive comments.
• Nicholson, Geoff (2006), Sex Collectors, New York: Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-0-7432-6587-4.
• Chinese Foot Binding – Lotus Shoes Museum of the City of San Francisco.

Further reading

• Jackson, Beverly (1998), Splendid Slippers: A Thousand Years of an Erotic Tradition, Ten Speed Press, ISBN 978-0-89815-957-8.

v t e Footwear
Abandoned footwear Shoe Shoemaking Shoe size
Dress shoes	Blucher Brogues Brothel creepers Derby Monks Oxfords Spectator shoes (Co-respondent shoes) Winklepickers Wholecuts Slip-on shoes Court shoes Prince Albert slippers Loafers Venetian-style shoes Women's Ballet flats High-heeled footwear Mary Janes Mojari Mules Peep-toe shoes Saddle shoes Slingbacks
Other shoes	Driving moccasins Flip-flops Galoshes Platform shoes Sandals Self-tying shoes Slides Slippers (Uwabaki) Tiger-head shoes Veldskoens Zōri
Wooden footwear	Bakya British clogs Cantabrian albarcas Clogs Geta Klompen Namaksin Okobo Padukas Pattens Sabot Träskor
Boots	Military Ammunition boots Bunny boots Combat boots Jackboots Jump boots Jungle boots Tanker boots Trench boots Munson Last Work Australian work boots Cowboy boots Engineer boots Hip boots Jika-tabi Rigger boots Steel-toe boots Waders Fashion boots Chelsea boots (Beatle boots) Chukka boots Go-go boots Knee-high boots Over-the-knee boots Platform boots Thigh-high boots Ugg boots Other Jodhpur boots Wellington boots Ballet boots
Sport-related footwear	Athletic shoes Ballet shoes Boat shoes Climbing shoes Cross country running shoes Cycling shoes Football boots Ghillies Hiking boots Ice skates Inline skates Kung fu shoes Minimalist shoes Motorcycle boots Mountaineering boots Plimsolls Racing flats Racing shoes Riding boots Roller shoes Roller skates Sabatons Safari boots Skate shoes Ski boots Sneakers Swimfins Water shoes Wrestling shoes
Folk footwear	Abacas Abarkas Alpargatas Avarcas Balghas Bast shoes Ciocie Clogs Espadrilles Furlane Galesh Geta Giveh Haferlschuh Hnyat-phanats Huarache Hwa Jipsin Jorabs Kamiks Kolhapuri chappals Moccasins Mojaris Mukluks Nalins Okobo Opanci Peshawari chappals Snowshoes Tsarouchi Takunya Upanah Valenkis Waraji Zōri
Historical footwear	Areni-1 shoes Buskins Calcei Caligae Carbatina Cavalier boots Chinese styles Chopines Duckbill shoes Flowerpot shoes Hessians Lotus shoes Pampooties Pigaches Poulaines Socci Turnshoes
Shoe construction	Bespoke shoes Blake construction Goodyear welt Shoe buckle Shoelaces Toe box High heels Clear heels Kitten heels Spool heels Stiletto heels Wedges
Hosiery	Anklets Bobby socks Dress socks Footwraps Knee highs Pantyhose Sock Stocking Tights Toe socks Tabi
List of shoe styles

v t e Historical clothing
Clothing generally not worn today, except in historical settings
Body-length	Abolla Banyan Brunswick Court dress (Empire of Japan) Chiton Frock Frock coat Hanfu Justacorps Paenula Peplos Stola Toga Tunic Xout lao
Tops	Basque Bedgown Bodice Doublet Peascod belly Poet shirt Sbai Suea pat
Trousers	Braccae Breeches Sompot Chong Kben Culottes Harem Knickerbockers Pedal pushers Saragüells [ca]
Skirts	Hobble Poodle Safeguard Sompot Sinh Train
Dresses	Bliaut Close-bodied gown Debutante Gown Kirtle Mantua Polonaise Robe de cour Sack-back gown Sailor Tea gown Zaju chuishao fu
Outerwear	Capote Car coat Caraco Cardinal cloak Chamail Chlamys Cloak Kinsale cloak Dolman Doublet Duster Exomis Greatcoat Himation Houppelande Inverness cape Jerkin Kandys Mackinaw jacket Nadiri Norfolk jacket Overfrock Pañuelo Palla Pallium Pelisse Poncho Shadbelly Shawl Galway shawl Kullu Smock-frock Spencer Surcoat Surtout Ulster coat Visite Witzchoura
Underwear	Basque Bustle Chausses Chemise Codpiece Corselet Corset Waist cincher Dickey Garter Hoop skirt Crinoline Farthingale Pannier Hose Liberty bodice Loincloth Open drawers Pantalettes Petticoat Peignoir Pettipants Union suit Yếm
Headwear	Anthony Eden Apex Arakhchin Attifet Aviator Ba tầm Bergère Blessed hat Bonnet Capotain Caubeen Cavalier Coif Coonskin Cornette Dunce Fillet French hood Fontange Futou Gable hood Hennin Jeongjagwan Jewish Kausia Kokoshnik Llawt'u Malahai Matron's badge Miner's Mob Modius Monmouth Mooskappe Motoring hood Mounteere Nemes Nightcap Ochipok Pahlavi Petasos Phrygian Pileus Printer's Pudding Qeleshe Qing Salakot Snood Smoking Stephane (headdress) Tainia Taranga Welsh Wig Wimple
Footwear	Buskins Calcei Caligae Carbatina Chinese styles Chopines Duckbills Episcopal sandals Hessian Lotus shoes Manchu platform shoes Pampooties Pattens Pigaches Poulaines Socci Tiger-head shoes Turnshoes
Accessories	Ascot tie Belt hook Cointoise Cravat (early) Hairpin Hatpin Jabot Lavallière Muff Oes Partlet Perfumed gloves Ruff Shoe buckle Visard
Clothing portal

• Chinese footwear
• Shoes
• Foot fetishism