Chinese foot binding is one of the most striking and disturbing practices in medical and cultural history. For centuries, it shaped not only the bodies of millions of women in China, but also their social status, marriage prospects, and daily lives. When people ask whether Chinese foot binding is still done today, they are often reacting to shocking historical images of severely deformed feet and wondering if such harm could still be occurring in the modern world. The short answer is that traditional Chinese foot binding as a widespread, socially accepted practice has effectively ended, but its legacy persists in cultural memory, in a very small number of surviving women, and in ongoing debates about beauty standards and bodily modification.
Historically, foot binding is believed to have begun around the 10th century during the Song dynasty, although its exact origins are debated. The practice involved tightly wrapping young girls’ feet—usually between the ages of four and nine—with cloth to break and compress the arches and toes. Over time, the bones would deform, creating what was known as the “three-inch golden lotus,” an extremely small, pointed foot that was considered highly attractive and a symbol of refinement and status. Bound feet were associated with femininity, obedience, and desirability. For many families, especially in certain regions and social classes, binding a daughter’s feet was seen as essential to securing a good marriage.
The process itself was painful and medically damaging. The toes were folded under the sole, the arch was forced upward, and the foot was repeatedly wrapped tightly to maintain the shape. This caused fractures, chronic pain, infections, and lifelong disability. Women with bound feet often had difficulty walking, were prone to falls, and could develop serious complications such as ulcers and osteomyelitis. From a modern clinical perspective, it was a form of repeated trauma and long-term musculoskeletal deformity. Yet within the cultural context of the time, it was normalized and even idealized. Mothers bound their daughters’ feet not out of cruelty, but because they believed it was necessary for their daughters’ future security and social acceptance.
Efforts to end foot binding began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Missionaries, reformers, and Chinese intellectuals increasingly criticized the practice as backward, harmful, and incompatible with national modernization. Anti–foot binding societies formed, pledging not to bind their daughters’ feet and not to allow their sons to marry women with bound feet. The movement gained momentum alongside broader social and political reforms. After the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, the new Republican government issued bans and discouraged the practice. However, enforcement was inconsistent, and in many rural areas foot binding continued into the 1920s and 1930s.
The decisive turning point came after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The Communist government under Mao Zedong strongly opposed foot binding as a feudal, oppressive practice. It was formally outlawed, and the state actively promoted women’s participation in labor and public life, which was incompatible with the severe disability caused by bound feet. Local officials, propaganda campaigns, and social pressure all contributed to making foot binding socially unacceptable. As a result, the practice rapidly declined and essentially disappeared as a living tradition within a few decades.
By the late 20th century, the only women with bound feet were elderly, mostly in rural regions that had once been strongholds of the practice. Researchers and journalists who visited these areas in the 1990s and early 2000s documented small groups of women in their 80s, 90s, and beyond, whose feet had been bound in childhood and never unbound. These women provided first-hand accounts of the pain, the family pressures, and the social expectations they experienced. Many expressed ambivalence: they recognized the suffering it caused, but also remembered that at the time it was seen as necessary and even honorable.
Today, traditional Chinese foot binding is no longer practiced in any organized or socially accepted way in China. There are no mainstream communities where parents bind their daughters’ feet, and the practice is illegal and widely condemned. The remaining women with bound feet are extremely elderly, and their numbers are shrinking each year. As they pass away, they take with them the last living physical evidence of the practice. Museums, photographs, oral histories, and academic studies now serve as the primary sources for understanding foot binding.
However, the question of whether foot binding is “still done” can be approached in a broader sense. While the literal practice has ended, the underlying themes—social pressure to conform to painful beauty standards, the control of women’s bodies, and the medical consequences of fashion—remain relevant. Many scholars and commentators draw parallels between foot binding and other forms of body modification, such as high heels, cosmetic surgery, extreme dieting, or certain forms of cosmetic procedures that carry health risks. The comparison is not perfect, but it highlights how cultural ideals can lead individuals to accept discomfort, pain, or even long-term harm in the pursuit of beauty or social status.
In contemporary China, foot binding is often discussed as a symbol of a feudal past and as an example of how harmful traditions can be overcome. It appears in school textbooks, historical dramas, and museum exhibits as a cautionary tale. At the same time, there is a growing academic interest in understanding the practice more deeply, not just as a form of oppression but also as a complex social institution that shaped gender, class, and identity for centuries. Some researchers emphasize that many women with bound feet took pride in their appearance and status, even as they suffered physically, reminding us that people’s experiences of cultural practices are rarely simple.
Outside China, foot binding continues to capture public imagination, often through sensationalized images and stories. This can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, including the mistaken belief that the practice might still be common or hidden somewhere in modern China. In reality, the combination of legal prohibition, social change, and economic modernization has made the continuation of traditional foot binding virtually impossible. Any isolated attempt to revive it would be met with strong social disapproval and legal consequences.
In summary, Chinese foot binding as a traditional, widespread practice is not still done today. It was effectively eliminated in the mid-20th century through legal bans, social reform, and changing attitudes toward women’s roles and bodies. What remains are a small and dwindling number of elderly women who bear the physical marks of the practice, historical records that document its long and complex history, and ongoing discussions about what it tells us regarding beauty, power, and the human body. The story of foot binding is important not only as a chapter in Chinese history, but also as a reminder of how deeply cultural norms can shape health, autonomy, and the lived experience of pain.
