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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Shangas, post: 166567, member: 360&quot;]Chinese foot-binding was actually outlawed in the 1910s, I believe, when the new Chinese Republic was established and the fall of the Qing Dynasty occurred. </p><p><br /></p><p>China wanted to be seen by the West as embracing modern ideals and modern ways of thinking. The Chinese queues (ponytails) were chopped off, clothing styles changed, and footbinding was outlawed, but that said, it died a surprisingly slow death. Even into the 1920s and 1930s, they still had women who tried to bind their daughters&#039; feet, and the government had to send officials into the little towns and villages (the HUNDREDS OF THEM that there are in China), and re-educate these people on WHY footbinding was so undesirable in the &quot;New China&quot;. But old habits die hard. </p><p><br /></p><p>But then, we look at footbinding and think how barbaric it is, but as the others pointed out - corsets were no better. </p><p><br /></p><p>To be fair, corsets to a certain extent, DID serve a purpose - remember that women didn&#039;t wear bras back then. The fad for what was called &#039;tight-lacing&#039; (ULTRA-SUPER-MEGA-RESTRICTIVE cut-off-your-air-supply corset-lacing) came in during the later 1800s, and it was then that people REALLY started to stop and say: &quot;This is getting a bit ridiculous!&quot; </p><p><br /></p><p>I mean ALL women wore corsets back then. The lady of the house. The kitchenmaid. The housemaids. The husband&#039;s secretary at work. They all wore them. </p><p><br /></p><p>The point of the corset was to support the body and the bosom. Once corsets started going out of style in like, the 1920s and 30s, they were replaced by bras. </p><p><br /></p><p>But that said, women still force themselves into impossibly uncomfortable clothes to this day. Skinny jeans, anyone?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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