I have to blog about something that is gonna make you cringe. The title doesn't refer to Rice Krispies. Nope, I've been reading this book called Snow Flower and the Secret Fan that I borrowed from the library. I started it over the weekend and have been riveted by it. It took a few pages to get into it, but once I gave it a chance it really got going. In a nutshell, it is the life story of a Mandarin girl from a rural village in 1820's China and her "laotong" (old same). It would take a long time to explain how they come to meet, but basically they are lifelong friends thrown together by fate. The story details the events of their lives as they grow into women with families of their own. It really is a fascinating story and the author, Lisa See, writes with amazing prose. Think Memoirs of a Geisha with a Chinese twist.
One of the trials that the girls must endure is that of achieving the ultimate symbol of beauty. Waaaaay back in the day, Chinese families had a hierarchical society that treasured male family members and females were considered burdens by most. A woman's purpose in life was to please her husband and to bear a son. Beauty was also a painstaking process. To be considered marriageable, women were put through a traditional rite of passage called footbinding. This excructiating ritual entailed binding young girl's feet very tightly in order to break their bones. This caused their feet to become more malleable, thus creating smaller feet in the long run. It took an average of two years to complete the process. Dainty feet were considered the ideal and if you had the unfortunate lot in life to have larger feet...well, you were condemned to a life of servitude and umarriable. As I read the graphic description of footbinding, I literally cringed and recoiled my own feet in empathy.I don't want to scare anyone off from reading this book however. It truly is very good reading and sucks you into their world. As far as I know, this practice was outlawed and overall women's feet are safe from harm these days. I know that lots of cultures have various customs that involve some sort of bodily change. Some of the most well-known are male circumcision, female mutilation, stretching of the earlobes, lips, and necks (mostly tribal rituals), and a myriad of others. It truly shows how differently people celebrate beauty and rites of passage.
2 comments:
Amazing what women will do for "beauty." I cannot imagine the pain involved in this and what's worse is that it's women doing it to one another.
I loved your blog about this book. I read it also and the foot-binding is what fascinated me the most about it. I researched it on the web and in the library. I found a good bit of information and pictures...fortunately and unfortunately! My stomach curled at some of the pictures but I was curious as to the different methods used on the feet to break and form them. I like Lisa See's other book, Shanghai Girls a lot better than this book. Still it is an interesting read and you should read it.
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