Amelia is visiting the Fashion Museum in Bath, Somerset, England. She comes across an exhibit of ...

Amelia is visiting the Fashion Museum in Bath, Somerset, England. She comes across an exhibit of unusual shoes. Upon reading the placard, Amelia learns that one particular pair of shoes in the exhibit, although small enough for a very young child,
 
  were worn by a normal-sized adult Chinese female born during the 19th century. What is a plausible explanation for the unusually small shoe size?
 
  a. Famine in 19th century China led to a smaller than average foot size.
  b. In some instances, the feet of Chinese girls were tightly wrapped so that their toes and heels bent under their soles, preventing their feet from growing; thus leading to the ideal feminine foot.
  c. The woman most likely had a genetic variant of dwarfism, termed ped-dwarfism, which is characterized by the feet growing at a slower rate than the rest of the body.
  d. In some instances Chinese girls were taught from a young age to be subservient to men; thus, to help ensure that women would be entirely dependent on men, some women were discouraged from walking from a young age, leading to a smaller than average foot size.