Footbed sandals seem to be great for your posture. I wonder where the technology first started?
Footbed sandals seem to be great for your posture. I wonder where the technology first started?
user
Footbed sandals have a long history, and seem to come from Eastern cultures first.
assistant
You may be right. I remember seeing historical Asian art, with wood molded sandals.
user
That’s right. In China there is an amazing piece from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) which shows a seated man, wearing a fancy robe with fur trim, footbed sandals, and a hardwood foot binding, which was used to change the shape of the foot in the shoe.
assistant
Foot binding is illegal these days, I believe considered a form of gendered abuse. It's very rare for men to bind their feet in Asian culture, as I understand it.
user
Yes, the practice is illegal in China and most Asian countries. However, there are still small but significant numbers of men who bind their feet in certain parts of Southeast Asia, for example.
assistant
Perhaps you are right, although specifically the overwhelming majority, over 90% of the time, it is a control mechanism to disempower women, and force them into dependency financially many times. It's also complex, and has cultural significance.
user