Beautiful Girls
The sisters in "Shanghai Girls" are Beautiful Girls in the 1930's. They were models at a time when advertising was started with a painting of Beautiful Girls to sell a product. The author described a poster that she has of two Beautiful Girls--One standing and looking so wholesome and lovely, demure and the other sitting also, very lovely and wholesome with a wonderful inviting smile. They are dressed beautifully in silks and pastel colors and there are dead bugs falling all around them. They are selling bug spray. The girl sitting down has a bug spray fogger in her hand.
The idea was that Beautiful Girls could sell anything and the author described numerous products that they were used to sell. Such a little detail in history, but so rich and interesting.
Lisa See was asked about foot binding. Now I had learned that foot binding was a process by which girls were judged. They were more valuable as wives if they had tiny feet. I had learned that the reason that the husband's wanted tiny feet was so that the wife could not run away. To me it was barbaric and horrible. Lisa See decribed it much differently. She has the perspective of having relatives who knew women who had their feet bound and having a family who understood the benefits that allowed the barbaric practice to continue for a thousand years. The first woman who bound her feet to make them smaller was a courtisan. Her feet became so famous and popular with men who found them incredibly sensuous, that other courtisans began to bind their feet as well. Well wives didn't like their husbands being lured away by courtisans, so wives began to bind their feet as well and soon it became something that a mother could do for their daughter to insure a better life with a richer husband--bind her daughter's feet so that she would make a better marriage. The better the tiny feet, the richer the husband.
The way that Lisa described it was that the tiny feet came to be viewed as so beautiful. They would have beauty contests with only the feet showing and the winner might be a 70 year old woman. Women could not control other aspects of aging to retain their beauty, but they could bind their feet. It makes me think of incredibly high heeled shoes that I see around me. How can those women possibly walk in those things, but gosh they sure are pretty shoes.
I'm only on page 61, but "Shanghai Girls" is really good. I've found a new author.
The idea was that Beautiful Girls could sell anything and the author described numerous products that they were used to sell. Such a little detail in history, but so rich and interesting.
Lisa See was asked about foot binding. Now I had learned that foot binding was a process by which girls were judged. They were more valuable as wives if they had tiny feet. I had learned that the reason that the husband's wanted tiny feet was so that the wife could not run away. To me it was barbaric and horrible. Lisa See decribed it much differently. She has the perspective of having relatives who knew women who had their feet bound and having a family who understood the benefits that allowed the barbaric practice to continue for a thousand years. The first woman who bound her feet to make them smaller was a courtisan. Her feet became so famous and popular with men who found them incredibly sensuous, that other courtisans began to bind their feet as well. Well wives didn't like their husbands being lured away by courtisans, so wives began to bind their feet as well and soon it became something that a mother could do for their daughter to insure a better life with a richer husband--bind her daughter's feet so that she would make a better marriage. The better the tiny feet, the richer the husband.
The way that Lisa described it was that the tiny feet came to be viewed as so beautiful. They would have beauty contests with only the feet showing and the winner might be a 70 year old woman. Women could not control other aspects of aging to retain their beauty, but they could bind their feet. It makes me think of incredibly high heeled shoes that I see around me. How can those women possibly walk in those things, but gosh they sure are pretty shoes.
I'm only on page 61, but "Shanghai Girls" is really good. I've found a new author.
posted by KathrynVH @ 11:32 AM
2 Comments:
At November 1, 2009 at 5:28 AM,
EZ Travel said…
I loved the back story, digressions and all.
I have put Lisa See on my GoodReads list.
At November 3, 2009 at 9:22 AM,
Anonymous said…
I like the digressions too. They are like little side peeks into your life and personality.
I love going to those type events!! My favorite author is Robert Fulghum and I got to hear him speak last year at a book signing. It was fantastic!!!
-Tracy
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