Waist beads have been a part of African culture for centuries. Sometimes known as belly beads, waist beads are strings of beads worn around a woman’s waist.
They are worn as a symbolic expression for: womanhood, femininity, fertility, spirituality, protection, seduction, confidence, sexuality, intimacy, celebration and so much more! There are so many traditions and reasons waist beads are worn and they are a reminder every time a woman sees or feels her beads around her waist.
Adornment- Waist Beads help women embrace and honor their sexuality. They make women feel beautiful and help with a positive body image, self-love and acceptance.Wearing them is a personal reflection and appreciation of your God-given beauty.
Weight Management- The practice of wearing several waist beads over time will help to keep the waist small and accentuate the hips. They can be a good tool to measure weight gain and loss. The tie-on beads do not stretch, so if/when the waist beads start to feel a little tight, it’s a sign that there was some weight gain, and vice versa. When they begin to drop/hang, that is a sign of weight loss.
Celebration- In African tradition, the maturity of girls to women was symbolized in many ways including by wearing waist beads. Traditionally, mothers adorned their daughters during their first menstruation as a rite of passage to womanhood.
Don’t be fooled by photos of only slender women wearing waist beads. Women of all shapes and sizes can confidently adorn themselves with waist beads as well.