Azalea Trail Maids represent slavery??!! Rant

[DVC~OKW~96]

Unequivocally not. The small shoes are NOT the result of binding women's feet to make them smaller. That is a common misconception.

The women's feet were bound to force the toes to the heels, a completely horrific deforming experience that rendered them unable to take more than a few steps. This is not about prettily decorated shoes, this is about deforming women's bodies for the sake of fashion (or in the case of the Chinese women's feet, for the titillation of men).

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I'm including any girl in that type but the original question was in reference to Scarlett O'Hara so it could technically only apply to the white girls of that time frame...all though tecnically and depending on where you lived there were native american, french, spanish, german and south american decent families living in various southern states who were part of society. Heck in LA the Creole population had it's own society and those girls were dressed in the regalea....even in my home state which is not technically southern we had a native american population that had adopted that society, the cherokees had the whole cotillian, coming out, girls in hoops, and plantation society going for most of that time period. There were even slaves, though they were freed and adopted into the tribe and they intermarried, so in that society it was nothing to see an african american girl in hoop skirts taking part in afternoon teas and other typical society stuff.


Gee that was more confusing than the original statement.....um yes I was including everyone but depending on where there was there were some discrepencies

To clarify I'm not saying that there weren't women of all races who wore these dresses. However in the antebellum period there were also large numbers of black women living in desperate poverty, and I'm going to hazard a guess that most of them didn't own hoop skirts. It bothers me when people make statements about what "most" women of a time period were doing, while ignoring the realities of the time for significant portions of the possibility.

That being said, I don't see anything automatically racist about the Azalea Trail Maids. I do have to assume that competition for groups to participate in the parade was probably tight, and I think it's a little odd that a group whose primary attribute is pretty dresses, would be chosen over groups who represent concepts like education, such as a group representing a college. Having said that, while I would rather have seen a college represented, if the Azalea Trail Maids have been promised a chance to participate then they should be given that chance.

 

[stashbin]

Just for clarification purposes...The Trail Maids are chosen based on academic achievement and community service. They are ambassador type figures in our city. To be chosen to be an ATM is considered an honor because it shows that these particular group of girls study hard and try to be good citizens by volunteering in the community. The only reward for being chosen is the pride they feel. No beauty contest.
And while most of the posters on this board feel the dresses are ugly, here in Mobile they are considered lovely. It is a tradition that these young ladies wear these dresses and they wear them with pride.

I would like to say thanks to all the posters for their comments.

 

[merryweather20]

Unequivocally not. The small shoes are NOT the result of binding women's feet to make them smaller. That is a common misconception.

The women's feet were bound to force the toes to the heels, a completely horrific deforming experience that rendered them unable to take more than a few steps. This is not about prettily decorated shoes, this is about deforming women's bodies for the sake of fashion (or in the case of the Chinese women's feet, for the titillation of men).

I'm not sure where you are getting your information, but foot binding did make the womens' feet much smaller not just deformed. If you ever go to see a collection of period shoes (such as at the Bata shoe museum), you will see those identified as adult shoes are indeed very very tiny.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

I think it's great there going...and I hope your daughter has an amazing time! I didn't know what azaleas were until I went to college in Tallahassee, and they were blooming in the spring...LOVE THEM! Sounds like a neat organization, focused on education and service. Best wishes!!!

 

[Ember]

Just for clarification purposes...The Trail Maids are chosen based on academic achievement and community service. They are ambassador type figures in our city. To be chosen to be an ATM is considered an honor because it shows that these particular group of girls study hard and try to be good citizens by volunteering in the community. The only reward for being chosen is the pride they feel. No beauty contest.
And while most of the posters on this board feel the dresses are ugly, here in Mobile they are considered lovely. It is a tradition that these young ladies wear these dresses and they wear them with pride.

I would like to say thanks to all the posters for their comments.

Thanks for the clarification. I must admit I find it easier to think it's a good thing when it's not based on beauty but rather on citizenship and achievement.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Those big ol hoop dresses will be just perfect on Tuesday, plenty of room for a rolling heater.

 

[stashbin]

Those big ol hoop dresses will be just perfect on Tuesday, plenty of room for a rolling heater.

That is so true! Our girls are used to sweating in those dresses...not freezing in them! Maybe they can figure out a way to put a heater under there!

 

[stashbin]

I think it's great there going...and I hope your daughter has an amazing time! I didn't know what azaleas were until I went to college in Tallahassee, and they were blooming in the spring...LOVE THEM! Sounds like a neat organization, focused on education and service. Best wishes!!!

Oh...I don't have a daughter going...My oldest is 7.
When I refer to the maids as "our girls" I am refering to our community. Sorry about the misunderstanding.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

No need to apologize! Your sense of community is admirable!

With regard to the previous posters who believe that foot binding was some innocuous practice to make a woman's foot smaller do a google search on the topic. Although it was a part of a uni class on women's history (where I learned about the reality of it) you can find enough information on the internet to show you (graphically so be warned) that it was not some tidy practice to keep feet "small" rather to shape them like a lotus.

Of course the shoes that fit those deformed feet were tiny. the only part of the foot that could fit in a shoe were the tips of the toes and a portion of the back of the heel.

So, fancy dresses and prettily decorated shoes do not tell the whole story of what women had to endure for their time in history.

Enough on that topic. It's better left to a completely different thread.

Back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

[akhenaten]

No need to apologize! Your sense of community is admirable!

With regard to the previous posters who believe that foot binding was some innocuous practice to make a woman's foot smaller do a google search on the topic. Although it was a part of a uni class on women's history (where I learned about the reality of it) you can find enough information on the internet to show you (graphically so be warned) that it was not some tidy practice to keep feet "small" rather to shape them like a lotus.

Of course the shoes that fit those deformed feet were tiny. the only part of the foot that could fit in a shoe were the tips of the toes and a portion of the back of the heel.

So, fancy dresses and prettily decorated shoes do not tell the whole story of what women had to endure for their time in history.

Enough on that topic. It's better left to a completely different thread.

Back to your regularly scheduled program.

OT.... OMG I never looked at pictures of bound feet before...
the womans toes were totally bent under her foot.....

 

[Cindy F]

Sigh........seems like anytime we're in the news-it's always something ridiculous. I agree with PP, the dresses are hideous.