Asian Lotus Shoe

Foot binding (also known as "Lotus feet") is the custom of applying painfully tight binding to the feet of young girls to prevent further growth. The practice possibly originated among upper-class court dancers during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Imperial China (10th or 11th century). Foot binding became popular as a means of displaying status (women from wealthy families who did not need them to work could afford to have their feet bound) and was correspondingly adopted as a symbol of beauty in Chinese culture. Shoe for bound foot. Cloth, with black edging, purple cloth tape; embroidered floral/swastika design; pink tapes for securing shoe; broad cloth piece sewn to inside heel; reinforced arched sole with blue/white/red stripes and floral painted design.