Lip plates in Africa: women stretching their lower lips

[Kofi]

What is beauty? What makes a girl beautiful? In Africa we have a saying that goes "One man's meat is another man's poison" or "One man's fish is another man's tiger-meat". In other words, beauty cannot be defined without considering the concept behind it.

Slim and skinny women are considered very beautiful and sexy in America and other European countries. Meanwhile, fat women are considered the prettiest and the sexiest of all in countries like Mauritania in Africa. In most countries in Africa, beauty lies within the individual and not on the surface. There are Lip plates or Lip disks in Africa and yes sometimes the world finds these very strange.

In certain parts of Africa, females get their lower lips cut according to tradition. This is part of our tradition and tradition must go on. Some people may consider this picture very ugly but it may surprise you to know men in these such communities would rather die for a black girl with a lip plate than to choose a white girl from Europe or America with no lip plate as a life partner.

The Surma people of Ethiopia may appear very primitive to the outside world but the truth is that, they are the most civilized people of all once you get closer to them. The Surma people may appear illiterates to the outside world but the truth is that, the Surma people are the wisest people alive if you consider the meaning of life.

The Surma people live in a remote corner of south-western Ethiopia, virtually untouched by the modern world. When they are getting ready to be married, women stretch their lower lip with the help of wooden or clay plates called "sigaro". The bigger the lip, the smoother the dowry negotiations between the two families.

Not just Africans. So many tribes in the Amazonian region of the world also practice lip plating. The Suya Indians of Brazil and a whole bunch of other tribes practice lip plating too.

What do you think? Do you consider this a barbaric tradition?

[Graydory]

what! that picture is really scary! do you mean this is really going on in Africa? hmmm! Africa needs to wake up. this is just too uncivilised, too barbaric

[cinbadd]

As has been said, this is a long-standing tradition amoung many who live in remote areas. Living away from "modern" society allows these people to survive, and even thrive, without worry about what people with different beliefs and customs think about such practices. It's part of their way of life, and who am I to decide whether it's barbaric or, in other words, "acceptable"?

[John9]

The phrase "lip plates" did not make me imagine something like this. But when I saw the picture oh my it really is "lip plates". I do not mean to insult anyone's culture, but this is really "uncivilized" and it doesn't make sense at all. It looks painful to me.

[MattChow]

It really looks so painful. for me, that tradition is really barbaric. How could they stretch it to like that, I tried stretching my lower lip it wouldn't even budge more than an inch! My, I can't imagine how the women feel having themselves go through that! There really is no need to go through that, right, for a dowry. The women should look beautiful for them to get a big dowry instead of doing that. It's really scary, I hope one of these days they would put an end it.

[bluesnow]

Oh my God. This is really astonishing for me. I didn't know about lip plates and I thought the photo looked kind of photoshopped. So I googled it and it generated quite alot of results. It looks so painful! I don't know how they can live with that. Its quite absurd to me that the size of the lips will determine their dowry. Do they see it as a kind of beauty? No offence, but to me, it looked so ugly! Why does the woman have to be put through this kind of discomfort?

[Aleiah]

you're right, bluesnow. it looks like most of the women in africa are subjected to harsh and barbaric traditions. they'd have to endure with genital mutilations first and then the lip plates for the dowry and when they get married they can't enjoy intercourse with their husbands because their clitoris are mutilated and then giving birth. I guess, subjecting them to some kind of tradition or ritual such as those are so barbaric and inhuman. They need to stop these acts and give these women proper education so they would know better than to just kept silent and suffer the consequences.

[ThatGirl]

I don't see it as barbaric, no. I know that to many of us, especially in the West, this seems shocking, but it is a honored tradition that has gone on for centuries, maybe even longer. Many tribes do things such as this, as well as other acts of body modification.

How are we any different? People in our society get thing like this all the time: piercings, tattoos, gauging...why do so many see this as any different?

[Buah]

Originally Posted by ThatGirl

I don't see it as barbaric, no. I know that to many of us, especially in the West, this seems shocking, but it is a honored tradition that has gone on for centuries, maybe even longer. Many tribes do things such as this, as well as other acts of body modification.

How are we any different? People in our society get thing like this all the time: piercings, tattoos, gauging...why do so many see this as any different?

you are right! I don't see anything wrong with this. the lip plates are just part of what they consider to be right. in other words, the lip plates are just part of their tradition and they do this because they honor their tradition and customs

[BlueSword]

gee, ladies would you agree if they place a lip plate on your lip to measure how much your dowry is? if that were my daughter i wouldn't let such foolish tradition hurt her or something. i wouldn't subject her to such suffering and humiliation. this started because they don't have much respect for their women, it seems like women are like beggars. anyway, that's just my opinion in this.

[jessika]

oh!! holy God i just don't believe this, what kind of a tradition is it, what is the logic behind it??? why are they doing this? this is just in human, a torture to women and that too just to decrease the the dowry which itself is against societal interest. God please help these people come out of the shackles of superstition and ignorance.

[William]

This looks absolutely barbaric. Can you imagine all of the potential and or future health problems it could cause, especially for her, look how young she is! This is sad, I can only hope that such things stop in a matter of a few years..

I feel that they should be able to do anything they want because it is something they feel is needed. Thats like us saying we can't have earings or something like that. idk its not up to me, but i feel they should be able to

[winny]

This is terrific! Each day we see the wonders of nature and that of creation. God must be too much to have created them with specially elastic lips and you see a divine modification that suits a culture that was made to be. Tradition must be respected, if not, let someone from somewhere else go stretch her lips and see how wide it will go. I can't even stretch mine half an inch farther. God is great and tradition must be respected and preserved because it spices up life. That tradition is cool and entertaining!

Seems American culture has caught on with the idea of lip plates, but rather in the form of gauges. There is nothing barbaric about this practice, it's merely odd, especially to Western society. Lip plates are all part of their social rules, rules, I'm sure, they are not willing to let go of. Understanding such a culture, one would understand that lip plates hold more meaning, spiritually. Western society has no right decide which culture and/or society is 'barbaric' and 'uncivilized' and which is. The world has allowed the influence of technology to dictate the difference between 'World Power' and 'Third World'. Rather than make a conclusion based on a judgement that lacks the bigger picture, people should look more into why these practices are still in existence. I'm sure lip plate people would find Western Societies glasses wearing population just as odd, or 'barbaric', better yet, 'uncivilized'.

Agreed that culture is the sum total of a peoples way of life.In as much as I am not condemning the culture of other folks,people should take the good side of their culture and learn to discard the negative sides.We should do this in agreement with the fact that,Culture is dynamic;it is not static,not cast in stone.

I know that certain cultural practices like circumcision are equally painful too,in this act[for the male],god reasons are advanced world wide,even from the scriptures.But,with this lip plate of a thing,what are the reasons for the women to under go such painful exercise of lip extension?In those days,we hear of men who are given some stroke of the cane before they get married to their chosen wives.That,according to those who practice such,is to know if the man[in question] can endure certain things that come with married life,whether he can tolerate his wife if she offends him,etc.Beside,when he remembers what he passed through before marrying the woman,he would not be in a hurry to part ways with her.These are some reasons advanced.And,even though they sound logical, the practice is almost no more.So, why must these people not do away with the LIP PLATE CULTURE?

Well,that they are away from civilisation,anything goes.But they certainly need help.

Thanks,
A.Morris

[hell]

well, if thats a tradition then its not barbaric. its just it, just like how facelift or we women today's boob enlargement or penis enlargement.

Originally Posted by Graydory

what! that picture is really scary! do you mean this is really going on in Africa? hmmm! Africa needs to wake up. this is just too uncivilised, too barbaric

There is more barbaric and unacceptable things going on in the "civilized" world than you think obviously. it is frightening because you don't understand it, and it is one of the many things that makes them different and beautiful.

[DaughterUK]

I must say that this picture is truly shocking, and saddening. What is happening here is a form of bodily mutilation enforced on these women for the sake of culture, much like female genital mutilation. The picture looks painful actually, and it does make me wonder how on earth these women can eat normally, or for that matter kiss their husbands.

I for one do not think that it can be compared to how Western women have their ears pierced or members of either sex having a tatoo. The difference is whether a particular form of body modification is engaged in by choice, or because it is enforced. Furthermore, ear piercings and tatoos are not a form of mutilation, they do not get in the way of normal bodily functions like eating, rather they are purely decorative in nature.

From what others have pointed out already in this thread, these women are NOT given a choice about it, they are forced into doing this to themselves in order to obtain their dowry. It is the lack of choice and lack of education that make this a barbaric form of abuse, not necessarily the body modification itself. If they were doing this of their own free will then that would be different, but they are not.

[Adesuyi]

This practice seems cultural, so for those who practise the culture, it may not be barbaric. But there is always a room for cultural re-examination. In other words, this aspect of culture should have been re-examined.

It is part of their culture but I don't see any reason why they shouldn't change to conform to normal life. Remember Human sacrifice was also part of their culture but they changed the practice to conform to societal norms. Such practices are just inhumane and most of the time, those involved don't even want to do it but they are been forced to undergo such practices all in the name of tradition

this seems barbaric to me. This is just insane and I don't see why people should go through this barbaric tradition just to better their looks. This is just inhumane

[jales]

because it is tradition there is social pressure but on women to do this, and they have no choice. we all need love and when there is no choice each of us will do these things to get it.

that's what's wrong with this picture in my opinion.

[joe]

I live in Africa but there's nothing like this in my country anyway I do not consider this barbaric because I do respect people for their belief and their culture....and their life style ...

apart from that it seems an interesting story, it incites my curiosity to know what's behinds this

[pasturel123]

I don't see this as barbaric as long as this is done at an age where there is a choice.
Do they hold down 5 year old girls and cut their lips and insert the disk?
If not then there are a lot of other things they do to small children under the guise of "tradition" and "custom" and "religion".

If they are doing this to small children then just add it to a long list of child abuse.

How can they expect positive outlook from other countries? If you have a government make it work for you.

I don't think this is barbaric or uncivilized because this is just a tradition. Look at the world in our perspective - we look them as so uncivilized and barbaric. Look at the world in their perspective - we look at the rest of the world as weird.

Try looking at things in different perspectives.. What does it give you? It tells you that your opinion is not a fact people have to agree on.

Anyways, they do this because they think this is beautiful, and the bigger the better. They must continue the tradition because the male side will think that if they don't stretch their lips and stuff, they are bad and they don't want them. African women do this for themselves - to get a life with a partner. It's like how the women in modern societies look as beautiful as possible so they can have a partner. We should respect this tradition and by the way, remember that they might not like you without your lips cut :P

I agree with the above post. those who think this is barbaric are those that do not cherish culture and traditions. It is part of their culture so there is nothing wrong with it. you may not like it because you are not part of them and they may not like you without one.

It is time people begin to think outside their culture for once. your culture isn't the only culture in the world. your culture is just one in billions so if u find any culture very different from yours, don't ever refer to that culture as barbaric.

[medieval]

I wouldn't refer to this as barbaric though I would never allow my sister to get her lips caught. It is part of their culture and a sign of beauty. In America people tan their skin and use botox. some even go for plastic surgery which is worse than lip plating. Beauty depends on how you view it and those Africans consider lip plated girls the most beautiful and the most decent girls for marriage which I don't see a thing wrong with that.

[Ogoshi]

you cannot condemn something just because you don't like it. Some people undergo all the pains involved to get their lips plated because that is what they consider beauty. If someone could go to this extent just to make herself beautiful then I think we should praise them instead of condemning them. Take vuvuzela for example, some people think vuvuzela is nothing good yet others pay money to get vuvuzelas because vuvuzela adds spirit to the game.