When girls were 4 to 7 years old, the girls' mom will bound their feet.
- the feet were softened in hot water.
- cotton bandages, generally 2 inches wide by 10 feet long, were soaked in hot water, so they'd shrink as they dried. Then the binder folded the girl's four small toes under her feet.
- If successful, the girl's feet would eventually be 3" to 4" long.
- began wrapping each foot with bandages in a figure-eight pattern.
- wear a small pair of shoes, force to walk around.
The way that women bind their feet
Physical abused
Although foot binding was seen as a sign of beauty and attractiveness, the foot binding brought malformation to women's feet. They were almost disabled. They could walk very well. In walking, the body is bend forwards at a considerable inclination, so that they could place the centre of gravity over the feet; and the great muscular exertion required for preserving the balance is evinced by the rapid motion of the arms, and the bobbling shortness of the steps. The effect of this process are really painful. Children always tear away the bandages in order to gain relief from the torture; but their temporary removal, greatly increase the pain by causing a violent revulsion of the blood to the feet. This was injurious to health, and renders the victim a cripple through life.