Foot binding in China had a long history, and was only eradicated in the last 75 years or so. Mothers would bind their children's feet when they were small and they would grow curved under. This process was very painful as the feet grew and as women got older they were barely able to walk at all. There is much speculation about why Chinese did this to their children, and why they thought it was attractive. The most likely notion is that it forced women to sway their hips as they walked and men found this attractive. It also showed status within a family, because women with bound feet could not work in the fields with men, or even do very much housework. These shoes are smaller than the ones worn by women, and are most likely bound feet shoes for small children. These bound feet shoes are five inches long and two inches wide.
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