A small woman usually has small feet; both small women and small feet seem to be considered more attractive. In ancient China, many women’s feet were bound from toe to heel, to make them more seductive. Larger female feet are not only literally regarded as a sexual turn-off but, when referred to in proverbs, they usually stand for something else. Metaphorically women’s small feet indicate “the right measure” in marital relationships. In general, women that look vulnerable seem to have more sex appeal to men than strong-looking females, as female vulnerability confirms the established gender hierarchy. The “right measure” presented in proverbs equates with a relationship on an unequal footing. The Sena who live in Malawi and Mozambique warn against the danger of big female feet, in a proverb with several variants: [...]
And the Hebrew saying “I do not desire a shoe that is larger than my feet” means: I do not desire to marry a wife who is from a higher class than my own. Bigger feet do not only metaphorically refer to her belonging to a higher social class, but also to other matters threatening the status quo. The apparent male aversion to women with bigger feet reflects a deep-seated fear of losing control. Given the fact that women usually have shorter feet than men, proverbs use the image as a convincing metaphor of how things ought to be arranged in gender relationships. That women have an impact in spite of all the messages trying to prevent this from happening, is also expressed in a European proverb: “Without touching with her feet, woman leaves footmarks” (Portuguese and German).
A woman’s feet, and especially her heels, are a standard for her beauty in some cultures, among the Ethiopian Oromo, for example, “A girl’s beauty can be recognised by her heels”, referring to a woman’s perfect heels as an indication of beauty. It is linked to the tradition of veiling the face. In that context, looking at a woman’s naked feet is the only way to find out whether she is old or young. As my Kenyan friend Zera, born in Mombasa on the Islamised Swahili coast, told me: before she was married, her mother wanted her to veil herself, because that was what a virtuous woman ought to do. However, covering herself and wearing the veil did not protect her from men pinching her behind. “But how,” I asked her, “did they know that you were not an old woman? Or did they just take that risk?” Her answer was that men guess your age by your feet, so that they always first look at your feet before deciding whether a pinch is worthwhile.
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