A final story deals with political power. An emperor had trouble keeping his wife out of political matters. To keep her from interfering in matters of state, he had her feet and the feet of her followers bound so that she was forced to remain in her quarters. This final story conforms with the Chinese male's suppression of his woman. Because the woman could walk only a very short distance, she was confined primarily to her household. It would therefore be a disgrace for a woman to show her face beyond the doors of her home. Of course, with her feet bound, the woman was quite content to remain at home because, in addition to the pain of walking on them, she could not balance herself for a long period of time; consequently, she had no desire to do anything that would take an extra amount of energy.
All of the above stories have one thing in common — each deals with royalty. Thus it is safe to assume that the practice actually did start with someone of royal blood. The practice can then be related to royalty, sophistication, and social prestige. To do what the king did would elevate the average Chinese man's estimate of himself.
The binding of feet, if done properly, was started when the girl was five or six years old. The feet were bound by yards of cloth that would not stretch. To start the process, the foot was extended at the ankle, and the fleshy part of the heel was pushed down and forward under the foot. The foot was then carefully wound up with the material. The tight binding primarily cut the circulation, and this retarded the growth of the foot. It is easy to see that the toes would become bent under the pressure and would not spread out to their normal width. The binding would force the foot to become narrow and tapering. After a while, the toes would stay curled under, even when the bandages were removed for cleaning and changing.
Women's feet would then have unnaturally prominent in-steps as a result of this process. If done properly, the heel would become elongated and grow down to the ground level — that is, it would be on the same level as the bent-under large toe. Essentially, then, the woman walked on her toes and heels, the whole foot being about four or five inches in length. The entire process could take several years before all growth was arrested.
