Lotus shoes
Origin: China
Material: silk, cotton
Date: before 1905
Lender: Übersee-Museum Bremen
Sensuality & Eroticism
"More than anything else, I've always a weakness for pretty feet and beautiful shoes." (Rétif de la Bretonne)
Due to their numerous nerve endings, our feet are very sensitive. Shoes cover these sensitive and sensual parts of our bodies, only allowing parts of them to be exposed, which in turn arouses both curiosity and excitement. Thus, feet and shoes can exude sensuality and eroticism.
Even the Romans viewed the slipping into a shoe as a symbol for the sexual union of a man and woman. Additionally, in various images and customs in European popular belief, shoes are a symbol of fertility and femininity.
Dainty Shoes
Small but nice?
A narrow, dainty woman’s foot has been a widespread beauty ideal. Around 1850 narrow, laced ladies boots were in fashion.
In China, starting in the 10th century, aristocratic girls had their feet bound and were thereby deliberately crippled. The smaller her foot, the better a woman’s chances were of getting married. Over time, this painful tradition expanded to include other social classes.
