Why was the practice of "bound feet" started in China?

MaggieG 5

I posted an answer to this but it seems to have disappeared. It started in the upper classes who bound the feet of the daughters in order to demonstrate to the world that they were so wealthy the women did not need to work, and became a status symbol. It eventually spread to all except the very poorest families. This website explains it in greater detail. http://www-ec.njit.edu/~jkc1763/fb.htm Mar 14 04, 12:33 PM

MaggieG 5

"There are several legends that endeavor to account for the inception of this custom, one is that the concubine of a Chinese prince named Yao Niang walked so gracefully that it seemed as if she "skimmed over the top of golden lilies. " At that time the "lily footed woman" or a woman with bound feet became the model in China. A second legend says that this concubine, Yao Niang, was ordered to bind her feet so that her feet would look like new moons." http://www.angelfire.com/ca/beekeeper/foot.html Mar 15 04, 1:35 PM