Foot-Binding

Foot-binding was a practice first carried out on young girls in Tang Dynasty China to restrict their normal growth and make their feet as small as possible. Considered an attractive quality, the effects of foot-binding were painful and permanent. It was widely used as a method to distinguish girls of the upper class from everyone else, and later as a way for the lower classes to improve their social prospects. The practice of foot-binding continued right up to the early 20th century CE.