I have just finished an interesting book called Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. I had not realised quite what an horrific process Chinese foot binding was and googled it to find out more. The ideal length for a foot was three inches and girls marriage prospects depended on the size of their feet.

I suppose the closest our culture came to it was the ever tightening corset to acheive the tiniest waist.

There's also squeezing into high heel shoes with pointed toes - that looks a bit crippling too.

There's also squeezing into high heel shoes with pointed toes - that looks a bit crippling too.


Not if you wear the right size. Generally, if the shoes fit properly, you shouldn't be squeezing all your toes into the pointed bit.

I saw a lasy on holiday wearing sandals who was a victim of wearing pointy shoes that were too small. All her toes were crunched up together and pretty much permanently deformed. A westernised, latter day version of Foot Binding if I ever saw one.

I saw a lasy on holiday wearing sandals who was a victim of wearing pointy shoes that were too small. All her toes were crunched up together and pretty much permanently deformed. A westernised, latter day version of Foot Binding if I ever saw one.

Is that the Scottish coming out on you, Fig? Oooh, I do remember the days of squeezing into shoes and then walking home in barefeet, carrying said shoes!

Is that the Scottish coming out on you, Fig?

Yeah, something like that.

It definitely wasn't a typo anyway. Definitely not.

Have you clocked Victoria Beckhams feet ? For years she has squeezed her tootsies into high heeled shoes .... and she has massive bunions.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=463922&in_page_id=1773&in_a_source