Foot-binding is said to have been inspired by a tenth-century court dancer named Yao Niang who bound her feet into the shape of a new moon.

She entranced Emperor Li Yu by dancing on her toes inside a six-foot golden lotus festooned with ribbons and precious stones.

This shape is most likely similar to the way ballet dancers wear shoes today.

Gradually, other court ladies took up foot-binding, making the custom a status symbol among the elite.

A small foot in ancient China represented the height of female beauty.

This is the same way designer brands of shoes can become popular.

What are some status symbols that you're familiar with in our culture?

For families with daughters, foot size translated into a way to marry up.

The most desirable bride possessed a three-inch foot, known as a “golden lotus.” It was respectable to have four-inch feet—a silver lotus—but feet five inches or longer were dismissed as iron lotuses. The marriage prospects for such a girl were dim.

The process had to begin in childhood when a girl was 5 or 6.