Everything to Know About Why Women Wear Waist Beads

Curiosity as to why women wear waist beads has not been killed even after providing various answers. I got to know this just recently. Of course, you are curious again! You want to know the events that transpired and got me the discovery. Okay, let’s get to it.

So, it was a sunny afternoon at work when a colleague came into my office and tapped me on the waist. At first, I was going to react, but the shock on his face wouldn’t let me. Instead of insulting him as I would have(cruise of course), I ended up asking him if he was okay. Funny situation, isn’t it? Then to my surprise, he said “You wear waist beads?” I answered “Yes, I do” His next comment made me realize that some people some way, somehow still need to be told again. He asked “What are the advantages of these waist beads? Are you sure it is not Kayanmata? Because I heard that is what you girls wear for guys now. Now, here is where the lecturing starts.

It is very true that many people believed that waist beads are used only for the purpose of Kayanmata, but I thought we already answered that “It is not in any way true?” Obviously, we need to say it again.

However, the purpose of this content is to enlighten and answer some people’s heart-burning question, “Why do Women wear waist beads?”

But firstly, let’s get the meaning of waist beads.

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What is the meaning of Waist Bead?

Waist beads are a piece of jewellery worn on the belly, waist, and hip line. Waist beads are made out of various bead accessories with different colours, shapes and sizes.

However, the culture originated among West African women. But today, as the world evolves, other races are now embracing the culture as it becomes widely accepted and loved. It is now being worn for different purposes different from the initial traditional purposes.

Meanwhile, the traditional and modern reasons are all detailed in this post according to gathered facts.

Reasons Women Wear Waist Beads

Waist beads are created and worn for diverse reasons. Therefore, it should be known that the reason women wear waist beads is not limited to just one reason but, various reasons.

1. Tradition

As earlier stated, women wear waist beads originally as a result of tradition in Africa. And it means different things in different tribes and countries. An example is Ghana, it is a tradition in Ghana to put waist beads on babies during their naming ceremony. They believe that the waist beads help detect the baby’s growth and get them aware and notice when she attains certain stages in her life.

Another example is an Esan, here, women wear waist beads to differentiate their statuses. Explicitly, children wear a different type of waist beads, adults wear a different type, and royalties have their types too. This means, you can easily identify who a female you see is through the waist beads they have on.

2. Culture

Many African cultures have their derived meanings of the use of waist beads. They have a collective idea, custom and belief of the purpose and uses of waist beads. However, some of the reasons women wear waist beads for the purpose of culture in some tribes are below:

• Rite of Passage

In some cultures, waist beads are a symbol of maturity or growth. The girl child is supposed to put some waist beads on as a sign of transitioning from childhood to adulthood. It is referred to as a ceremonial right of passage.

• Means of Identification

Also in some cultures, the purpose of waist beads is for identification. The royalties and commoners put on different colours, styles, and sizes of waist beads for proper identification. So, it becomes easier to identify royalties from commoners.

3. Spirituality

Under the spirituality reason of why women wear wait beads, two points can be deduced. First, some women wears waist beads for protection while some wear it for fetishism.

Unfortunately, many believe that fetishism is the only reason why women wear waist beads, but I tell you, it is definitely not the only reason.

4. Adornment

Some women just love to adorn their waists with waist beads. Or it might be that it’s their partners that love it. Therefore, they wear waist beads, either to please themselves, or please their partners, or even both.

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5. Attractiveness

Some women wear waist beads so they can look attractive. Or perhaps, get the opposite sex attracted to them. Some men actually love seeing this adornment (waist beads) on women. So, to get them attracted to them, some women put it on.

6. Weight Check

Watching weight for some people is a must. And wearing of waist bead is one of the easiest means of tracking weight gain and loss. When a woman tracking her weight loss and gain gets slimmer, the waist beads loosens but when she adds weight, it becomes tighter. This helps her know immediately the next step to take.

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7. Fashion

Just as earlier stated, the culture of women wearing waist beads as been embraced by a lot of other races and countries. But as a means of fashion. Many people now use waist beads as a means of fashion, adorning their waists with various colours, styles, and sizes of waist beads. It is just like every other form of adornment such as the earrings, bracelet, necklaces, and so on.

Conclusively, the mindset of every women wearing waist beads are fetish should be cut off. This article has detailed the reasons women wear waist beads and it shouldn’t be an unknown fact anymore. Although fetishism is part of the reasons women wear waist beads, it is not the only reason.

Therefore, feel free to explore your love for waist beads!

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Reasons Women Wear Waist Beads

Here is a summary of the reasons why women wear waist beads:

• Tradition
• Culture
• Spirituality
• Adornment
• Attractiveness
• Weight Check
• Fashion