lotus foot

plural lotus feet

1. A foot whose shape has been altered by footbinding.

   Well I made some exhibition, I lost my will to eat / The only thing that matters to me is to touch your lotus feet

   2002, George Harrison, “Stuck Inside a Cloud”, in Brainwashed

   1 more example

   The tiny “lotus foot” in its delicate silken shoe was seen as one of the most attractive qualities in a prospective bride; the smaller the foot, the more sexually pleasing the girl was. More recent studies have shown that foot-binding was likely practiced not purely for the sake of marriage, but also to keep girls at home and engaged in handicrafts, such as spinning cotton, in order to contribute to their family’s income.

   2020 February 14, Antonia Malchik, “The Neglected Consequences of Foot-Binding”, in The Atlantic