foot binding

[Laeskis]

I'm watching a show on the National Geographic channel about footbinding in the old-world far east.
I'm thinking: ouch... :shock: screw that

[jimkopelli]

And so is everyone else in the modern world with any sense.

[libertarianjim]

Allright, these are neither my words nor my sentiments, as I consider myself a Mill-style faminist, so don't pile on me for this:

With smaller feet, the women can stand closer to the sink when doing dishes.

[file cabinet]

let's not forget about high heels in western culture.

[Laeskis]

yes, but high heels don't malform somebody's feet.
though, I do bet they're uncomfortable.
I do see some sort of relation between the two...

[Jkrs]

Actually, wearing heels persistantly for years can and will damage ones' feet. The present human biomechanics aren't geared towards walking like that.

[Laeskis]

I could just imagine.

[Claverhouse]

Very few modifications of the human body are to be recommended ( or even allowed, in my more authoritarian moments ).



Claverhouse :ph34r:

[Laeskis]

Yay! A new extreme body art!
A perversion of the term 'body sculpting'
See what forms you can twist, break, and strain your body into....permanently.

I wanna do a sculpture of the moon...

[Phreon]

If there was only a way to start a "mouth binding" craze...

Phreon

[CosmicDust]

With smaller feet, the women can stand closer to the sink when doing dishes.
Who came up with that? Women couldn't STAND in bound feet. They were merely fetish objects.

[Arioch]

With smaller feet, the women can stand closer to the sink when doing dishes.
Who came up with that? Women couldn't STAND in bound feet. They were merely fetish objects.I believe it was because during the time people thought that women with smaller feet were more attractive.

I think they could do a measure of walking and such. Just very painful and uncomfortable. Not that they were expected to go to far....

The aweful thing about it is that the mothers insisted on having their daughters bound to increase their chance of getting a husband later on.

[Mazirah]

I couldn't imagine having my feet bound. I doubt it would be very successful in my case. Given my size, my feet are disproportionately big. I wear a ten, and trying to stop my foot from growing any larger than a size 3 would take a great deal of physics and sorcery.

And I'm getting tired of heels too. Researchers have found that prolonged use damages the achilles tendon and causes the spine to deviate from it's normal position. With the spine being 'off' this leads to increases in knee, back, and ankle pain in women.

~Maz :huh:

[Laeskis]

They thought the women were more attractive, but outside the bindings the feet were grotesquely malformed....it was very disgusting to look at.
Trouble is, most women with bound feet did have to walk. The show had 'commoners'...now in their 80's or so, who had bound feet and were giving interviews.
They said that they had to do normal labor-intensive chores like fetching water...all with their feet bound.
The aristocratic class didn't have to do much other than lie around...the peasant class looked up to the aristocratic practice and applied it to themselves...where it was incompatible with their lifestyle.

[s]

I saw that show, too. Fascinating, eh?

I babysat my college roommate after her boob job... and thought "ouch, forget that."

[Laeskis]

Fascinating in the same sense as a small child poking a dead animal with a stick.

[s]

Was it "capable of arousing and holding the attention?" I thought so, so that is why "fascinating" was the term I chose to use.

Corsets malformed women's rib cages and placing pressure on their organs, making them faint more easily. I find that interesting, but not necessarily a good idea. Ah, what women do for "beauty."

Luckily, I am a natural beauty.

[Claverhouse]

Corsets malformed women's rib cages and placing pressure on their organs, making them faint more easily. I find that interesting, but not necessarily a good idea. Ah, what women do for "beauty."

Luckily, I am a natural beauty.


Doctors, male, back in the 18th & 19th centuries, used to practically stamp their feet & scream at the stupidity of corsets: the average man used to rather dislike them ( more work ): made no difference, women blithely continued, Because a/ they wanted to b/ their mothers told them to c/ they weren't going to be told what to do.

Time goes by, women stop wearing them & underwear from a 100 years ago becomes desirable fetish stuff for both sexes. In 2104 they'll be digging out old thongs, and saying 'Look, how naughty'.


Congrats s.


Claverhouse :ph34r:

[s]

thanks, Claverhouse.

[Laeskis]

Was it "capable of arousing and holding the attention?" I thought so, so that is why "fascinating" was the term I chose to use.



Oh yes, I know what you meant. I didn't intend for my statement to come across like it did.
I mean it fascinated me like that....I guess the description is "morbidly fascinating"
Heh, if it hadn't been for the reeeaally wierd looking feet I probably would have changed the channel.

[KentOhio]

They still do circumcision on men... that's a form of mutilation for cosmetic effect.

[Claverhouse]

Exactly.

Earlier somewhere we discussed these depraved circumcisionary rites for both male and female. Not one of our more uplifting threads.



Claverhouse :ph34r:


:rofl:

[Laeskis]

Depraved? Gah.

[s]

Circumcision for males is also a religious rite and not merely cosmetic. To each his own on this issue, for I do not have a strong position on male circumcision, since my spouse does not seem to feel his mighty fallus is mutilated. In fact, it seems to work just fine and looks quite dandy. Male circumcision does, however, seem to be rather unnecessary risk involving a minor operation on such a vital appendage. Female circumcision is about controlling female sexual gratification and no doubt causes health problems, so I do have a strong opposition to this practice.

[Claverhouse]

Quite a lot of religion is bunk. Especially religious practices.


A believer, but not in favour of cutting bits off



Claverhouse :ph34r:

[s]

Quite a lot of religion is bunk. Especially religious practices.


A believer, but not in favour of cutting bits off



Claverhouse :ph34r:

Agreed.

[Laeskis]

well, this isn't the thread for a discussion on circumcision...but since it's the current mode, I'll post.

I think it was a nutso concept to devise; but since it does exist I've found it to be quite preferable on myself that is....
I'd be sick if I saw it with.....umm...the rest of it attached.
It'd be quite disgusting. It's ugly enough as it is.

[jimkopelli]

I've also heard that the main reason for circumcision is hygiene... one less area to clean, or something like that. I don't have a problem wth it... it happened to me before I had any say in the matter, and I've just gotten used to it.

[Laeskis]

It supposedly collects moisture and bacteria...but I'd say that a shower a day keeps gangrene away!
Still though, even if the hygeine idea is retarded, it's still preferable without the excess baggage, in my estimation.
Loose skin, sagging anywhere isn't very appealing, I should think....besides, it's just something to get caught in the zipper.

[Arioch]

I've heard of health reasons before for male circumcision.
Besides cleanliness (and you wouldn't believe how many people I know that don't shower every day :sick:)

[NGene]

It supposedly collects moisture and bacteria...but I'd say that a shower a day keeps gangrene away!
Both points are valid, which makes me quite indifferent to male circumcision... Though, if the info on this page (http://www.cirp.org/pages/anat/) is correct, circumcision might be slightly not advisable... see what it says about sexual pleasure! :devil:

Female circumcision, on the other hand, shouldn't be called "circumcision." It's mutilating, destroying and a form of torture that has absolutely no benefits or rational basis whatsoever.

It's funny to notice how it's usually the mothers who want something stupid done to their daughters. It's the case with feet binding and corsets, and I've read it's also the case with female circumcision.

[s]

It supposedly collects moisture and bacteria...but I'd say that a shower a day keeps gangrene away!
Both points are valid, which makes me quite indifferent to male circumcision... Though, if the info on this page (http://www.cirp.org/pages/anat/) is correct, circumcision might be slightly not advisable... see what it says about sexual pleasure! :devil:

Female circumcision, on the other hand, shouldn't be called "circumcision." It's mutilating, destroying and a form of torture that has absolutely no benefits or rational basis whatsoever.

It's funny to notice how it's usually the mothers who want something stupid done to their daughters. It's the case with feet binding and corsets, and I've read it's also the case with female circumcision.

Men in some parts of the word would not consider marrying an "uncut" woman. Sewing up the vaginal opening, often a part of the female genital mutilation, is thought to prevent rape and promote chasity. Removal of part or all of the clitoris eliminates sexual gratification, a "desirable" trait in countries where women are commodities. Mothers, who are forced to buy in this docterine, may feel that passing on this chaste tradition is a vital part of the female bond and also there may be resentment towards her own foremothers, an "I went through this, so you will, too" reasoning. Men too often "toughen" up and teach theirs sons brutal machismo, because they were raised in that manner, so men also pass on "stupid" traditions. However, women, who sometimes have no other means of aggression, practice passive-aggression on their fellow women and daughters by keeping them hobbled literally or metaphorically. Foot binding is an excellant example of an "odd" gender rite that literally hobbles.


And there ya go... full circle and we are on topic. That was fun.

[jimkopelli]

Wow, people can be stupid and irrational when it comes to tradition. Ethnocentrism does have it's high points, eh?

[s]

Wow, people can be stupid and irrational when it comes to tradition. Ethnocentrism does have it's high points, eh?

No, ethnocentrism does not have high points as it overlooks our errors while claiming superiority. Realizing all societies do stupid shit, including our own (who in my opinion has less excuse due to our access to information) would be a better assessment.

[jimkopelli]

Ok, sure. But our stupid shit seems normal, and we're used to it. They're used to theirs.

[s]

Ok, sure. But our stupid shit seems normal, and we're used to it. They're used to theirs.

Yes.

I was questioning the misguided use of "high point/ethnocentrism," but you have the general idea.

[Laeskis]

they shouldn't do that stuff to women. That is indeed 'stupid shit'
For men, it seems that being trimmed a little causes a densitization effect which is good for .....durability.
So I'd say that that is not 'stupid shit'

[s]

they shouldn't do that stuff to women. That is indeed 'stupid shit'
For men, it seems that being trimmed a little causes a densitization effect which is good for .....durability.
So I'd say that that is not 'stupid shit'

"Stupid shit" does not refer specifically to circumcision. I already posted opined on that topic. A trimmed tallywacker doesn't seem to dull many men's thirst from my experience... :rofl:

We do, as a society, do stupid shit that at first glance may not seem barbaric, but that is because we sanitize our barbarity. I hold our own society to a different standard, as I mentioned earlier, because of access to information.

[Laeskis]

I can't think of many other self-mutilation type actions we take in Western Culture...unless you count:
Body Piercings
Tongue Cleaving
and Plastic Surgery (in all forms)

[s]

I can't think of many other self-mutilation type actions we take in Western Culture...unless you count:
Body Piercings
Tongue Cleaving
and Plastic Surgery (in all forms)



Yea, boob jobs on teens with mama's okay is barbaric.

[jimkopelli]

And ridiculous. What about that gastric bypass surgery? That changes appearance more than almost anything... other than amputation... Have we pretty much decided that things are okay as long as you can come up with a medical reason to justify it?

[KentOhio]

Gastric bypass surgery really does save lives though...

[CosmicDust]

Sometimes the complications of gastric bypass destroy the lives they were supposed to save, though.

[s]

Gastric bypass is done of free will, so I believe the adult electing for this surgery should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding their health.