CARTA: Footbinding: A Gene-Culture Co-evolutionary Approach to a One Thousand Year Tradition

This talk explores the 1000-year practice of "footbinding" in ethnically Han Chinese families, involving modifying young girls' feet by wrapping the toes under the sole, often resulting in broken toes. Two main hypotheses-Labor Market and Evolutionary Social Sciences-are considered for explaining the origins, maintenance, and cessation of footbinding. This talk presents evidence from autopsy results, medical examinations, anthropological records, interviews, and historical texts. It argues that evolutionary social and psychological principles related to hypergyny, mate guarding, parental competition, mate competition, and paternal uncertainty offer better explanations for the origins and maintenance of footbinding than labor market factors. [Show ID: 39472]
Donate to UCTV to support informative & inspiring programming:
www.uctv.tv/donate
Learn more about anthropogeny on CARTA's website:
carta.anthropogeny.org/
More videos from: CARTA: Body Modification: Anatomy, Alteration, and Art in Anthropogeny
(www.uctv.tv/carta-body-modifi...)
Explore More Humanities on UCTV
(www.uctv.tv/humanities)
The humanities encourage us to think creatively and explore questions about our world. UCTV explores human culture through literature, history, ethics, philosophy, cinema and religion so we can better understand the human experience.
Explore More Science & Technology on UCTV
(www.uctv.tv/science)
Science and technology continue to change our lives. University of California scientists are tackling the important questions like climate change, evolution, oceanography, neuroscience and the potential of stem cells.
UCTV is the broadcast and online media platform of the University of California, featuring programming from its ten campuses, three national labs and affiliated research institutions. UCTV explores a broad spectrum of subjects for a general audience, including science, health and medicine, public affairs, humanities, arts and music, business, education, and agriculture. Launched in January 2000, UCTV embraces the core missions of the University of California -- teaching, research, and public service - by providing quality, in-depth television far beyond the campus borders to inquisitive viewers around the world.
(www.uctv.tv)

[@qwertyuiopgarth]

I would assume that there were multiple reasons the practice continued, and multiple reasons why it ceased. Actions come with a whole host of advantages and disadvantages - and those actions with multiple advantages, particularly advantages that remain relevant even if one or more other advantages don't happen. Both approaches probably have part of the answer, and there is probably more to the story too.

[@uctv]

Check out "CARTA: Steps in Evolving Human Body Culturalization" here: ua-cam.com/video/HHO06RIAyGY/v-deo.html

[@vanessat9309]

That foot-binding as a practice ever became mainstream is hard to believe; that it persisted for ten centuries is really inconceivable!

[@lynndupree1205]

Foot binding was just an extreme example of beauty rituals. In my own life I have experienced these rituals in pursuit of beauty: Permed hair, from age 7, done by my mother. The stinky chemicals burned my scalp and my eyes. Teeth straightened at age 9, painful and expensive. Wearing a bra by age 11. The bra was, and is, restrictive and tight around my chest and shoulders. I have spent countless hours and dollars on makeup and hair products. In my teen years I spent many many hours tanning my skin under natural sun and tanning beds. This caused me to develop skin cancer, for which I had painful surgeries and laser treatments. Interestingly, my feet are also deformed by years of wearing tight shoes with pointed toes. My toes are permanently curled under, to a lesser extent than foot binding, but enough to cause painful toe deformity in later life. Also, I have an altered spine caused by wearing high heels, which may have caused my herniated disk at age 42. Starting at around age 50, I began having botox injections and hyaluronic acid fillers done to my face. Very painful and expensive. I also had a face-lift which was painful and expensive. And don't even get me started about dieting in order to be super thin. And I am NOT atypical! In fact most American women have had these things done, often sacrificing time, money, and pain in order to conform to the modern standard of beauty. So, let's don't feel so superior to the Chinese custom of foot binding. Yes, it was horrible, but not so very different from the rituals that we all consider to be just normal female behavior.

[@jannetteberends8730]

The question is: why do women want small feet? Lots of women buy shoes that are too small, and they can’t walk on.
A whole generation has mutilated toes because they propped their feet in pointy shoes.
Lots of women can’t walk on flat shoes anymore because they always wear high heels and their hamstring is shortened. And foot in high heels looks like those bounded feet.
And it’s old, think of Cinderella sisters who cut off part of their foot to fit in the shoe. And who got the prince? The one with the small feet.
My theory that it’s an overdoing of a desirable treat. Just like we see in the animal world. What’s so attractive about small feet is still an unsolved problem.
Btw, does the hips of a woman with bound tilt the same way as the hips of a woman on high heels? Because if that’s the case that can be an extra reason. Build in high heels.

[@cynthiawilson4500]

Horrible practice..brutal.
Mans vanity knows no bounds.