FOCUS AFRICA: "Jigida": The African Waist

Africa is home to many trends however ‘African’ it is viewed. Decades ago in Africa, women devised many ways to look beautiful; from body paintings to hair-do’s not to talk of waist beads which we choose to highlight today.

When you see beads around the waist of some girls, have you ever wondered what it means? Though, some ladies use it for fashion but is that 

The real purpose?

The growing popularity of waist beads as a trend in the world has led them to take on their own meanings and interpretations. Now, many women wear them as a form of personal expression or as a fashion statement. Although waist beads are not limited to any race, culture, or country, it is still very important to know and understand the significance of waist beads within African cultures.

Waist beads have a long history in Africa dating back to ancient Egypt and are worn for various reasons and purposes. They are a symbol and celebration of womanhood, sexuality, femininity, fertility, healing, spirituality, body shaping, first menses, protection, seduction, and wealth amongst other things. The meaning of the colors and different shapes of beads varies with every tribe and they can be thought of as a visual dialect. Each bead, color, and shape relays a different message depending on the receiver.

Traditionally, mothers adorned their daughters with waist beads during their first menstruation as a rite of passage into womanhood. The beads symbolized a young lady’s fertility, developing body, and her sexuality. A young lady’s beads were adorned with bells to let possible suitors know that she was at the proper stage for sexual intercourse. In many cultures the waist beads symbolized a young woman’s purity and were to only be taken off by her husband on their wedding night.

Waist beads can also be worn for seduction purposes. For some, the beads possess intimate appeal and can provoke desire. Rumours have it that Yoruba women lace their beads with charms and fragrances that were known to be irresistible to the opposite sex. Some women wore different shapes of beads and only wore them during intimacy as a means of enhancing the sexual experience of her and her husband. The beads to some women are what lingerie is to modern women. Wives would often lure their husbands with the rattle of the beads or use them as a means to communicate their fertility at certain times of the month.

Many women have also used waist beads as an instrument of body shaping. The beads were used to alert women of their weight gain or if they were pregnant. Unlike clothing, the beads do not stretch; they break or roll up the waist so as mentioned before, instead of using scales as a means of weight measurement, the beads were used for women to monitor their weight. If your beads were higher on your body or popped, it meant that you were gaining weight and if your beads lowered on your waist, it was a sign that you were losing weight.

There is so much beauty and history behind waist beads. They are more than mere shapes, colors and sizes. Each string of beads holds traditions, values, and customs. Its fine to use these beads as a form of expression or as a fashion statement but please do not forget the history.