In the essay “Bound Feet,” Jung Chang describes the extreme Chinese cultural practice of binding feet. With an eye towards ensuring future beauty and acceptance amongst their peers, young Chinese girls were once made to endure this painful ritual. The torturous process of binding feet took place at a very young age and the pain was difficult to endure. The binding process itself consisted of essentially breaking the toes on each foot by bending them under their soles and then binding them in place with long strips of cloth. Next, the arches of each foot would be crushed by placing a large stone on top. This painful process would carry on for several years as the feet would need to remain bound day and night in thick layers of cloth in order
