What is there about a woman's feet that have led to their
eroticization in mass culture over the centuries, beginning (?) with
the Chinese practice of foot binding and culminating (so far!) in
stiletto heels, toe rings, anklets, red nail polish, and tattoos? Why
feet? Why not, say, elbows or knees?

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Clarification of Question by nautico-ga on 14 Jan 2004 07:09 PST

Perhaps the answer to why feet and not elbows/knees question stems
from the comparative ease of adorning and displaying the former. I've
yet to see an elbow ring or kneelet.

Hi nautico,

Why not elbows and knees? Personally, I think that after people have
reached the age of one year, there is absolutely nothing cute or
appealing about these joints. Also, knees and elbows are necessary for
survival; binding or altering them physically (as with feet) could
mean the total inability to stand erect, walk, run, hunt, lift and
carry, or defend oneself.

My first thought upon reading your question was that until fairly
recent times as history goes, women's clothing covered everything but
the face, hands, and feet. Therefore, those were the three areas woman
could embellish with adornments and makeup. Then I recalled ancient
Greece and Rome clothing and decided there had to be more to it than
my simple notion.

So I revved up Google and dug in. I'd not have seen most of the
websites I found if my machine were child-proofed with parental
controls!

I'm going to point you to a comprehensive website whose introduction contains this:

"The foot's inherent sexual symbolism has been related to the ancient
earth contact association with fertility; the genital forces of
reproduction; and with phallic symbolism of the male foot. We remain
the only species who can copulate vertically face to face and be
supported by our feet. In terms of evolution we were bipedal two
million years before we developed the brain we now call our own."

Topics include the ideal foot, the Christian foot, the foot in art,
and the evil foot. "Flat feet were viewed with suspicion and many old
wives tales and forebodings contain reference to the flat foot."

The author, Cameron Kippen, offers a short explanation of the reasons
for Chinese foot binding. "The sado-ritualistic practice of
foot-binding lasted a 1000 years and was done intentionally to create
a second, or quasi vagina." Amazing!

Kippen also discusses the sexualization of the female foot in
connection with the Crusades and the medieval fashion of men's long
toed shoes. He throws in some interesting facts along the way, such as
King Charles V of Spain was born with six toes on each foot.

All in all, I think this user-friendly page is just what you need to
answer your question, right down to what Kippen amusingly calls the
Foot Note. The information is presented in a chatty, entertaining way
and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I hope you do, too.

Mission
http://podiatry.curtin.edu.au/sexy.html

Regards,

revbrenda1st. 

Search strategy:

female foot
://www.google.ca/search?q=female+foot&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Fascinating. I especially enjoyed the quotation from Fats Waller!

Nautico,

Thank you for the generous rating and tip. Yes, the quote cracked me
up, especially the last line "your pedal extremities are colossal"
following the 'jive' talk.

Thanks again,
rev