Waist Beads: The Rebirth of a Classic Fashion Trend By Jemimah Otueroro

The
21st Century has witnessed tremendous evolutions in different spheres of human
endeavour. This is visible in science, technology, religion, literature, arts,
and fashion is not an exemption. Perhaps, of these areas of human activities,
fashion has been very pronounced and visible.

In
the current fashion world, a lot of changes that have occurred have been in the
areas of female wears and accessories –of which, in Nigeria, the re-emergence
of waist beads –a classic and ancient fashion accessory, is fast becoming a
modern trend.

Waist
beads are a type of jewellery, usually made up of glass, wood or metallic
beads, strung together by a piece of synthetic treads and specifically worn
around the waist by the female gender. The origins of waist beads are traceable
to ancient times in most African settings when so much emphasis is placed on
body adornments and accessories. This fashion adornment was seen decades ago on
Yoruba ladies in Nigeria. However, Senegal, Ghana, South-Africa, Ethiopia,
Kenya and other African cultures also utilises waist beads in ancient times as
a symbol of womanhood. Basically, waist beads are beautiful artefacts from
Africa’s long rich history that has found a home and relevance in today’s
fashion environment, especially amongst the young female gender.

Virtually,
every culture in Nigeria and beyond, especially around Africa, has her own
peculiar name for waist beads. For instance, in Yoruba culture, it is popularly
called bebe idi, Hausas called it Jigida, while amongst the Igbos it is called Mgbaji.
It is uncommon to find a culture in Nigeria without waist beads usage for
specific purpose or relevance. Amongst the Yorubas and Igbos, waist beads are
symbol of maidenhood; they are worn by young girls who are yet to move into the
stage of a married woman. They are also worn during festivals, ceremonies and
celebrations by dancers and performers to add beauty and glamour to their
attires and adornments. These waist beads, usually come in different colours
and shades and these colours and shades have different meanings to the users,
depending on the culture the wearer comes from. For instance, it is generally
believed that, white colour signifies purity and light, blue colour signifies
loyalty, red connotes confidence, orange signifies courage, yellow signifies
strength, gold and black colours connote power, while purple signifies royalty
and green connotes fertility and prosperity. These meanings as ascribed to the
different colours of waist beads are by no means exhaustive, but they are
indications that waist beads are meaningful artefacts that go beyond beauty.

Meanwhile,
in the present age, and especially in Nigeria, there seem to be different
ideologies and misconceptions on the re-emergence of waist beads adornments on
a woman’s body. This is regardless of how attractive, culturally-relevant and
timeless these pieces of jewellery are. In the present age, waist beads have
evolved into a more profound and personal object of beautification for many
young girls and women. These beads are a means of self-expression that affords
a great sense of individuality as a wearer/user gets to choose their preferred
colours, shapes and forms that best defines their personality. Hence, some
users have admitted that wearing waist beads does not only make them feel instantly
attractive to themselves, but it also gives them the power and confidence that
comes with expressing themselves in a culturally-relevant manner as an African
woman.

Another
reason ladies wear waist beads is for self-awareness. These beads, some users
affirmed, have a unique way of keeping the user’s physique in check. To these
categories of users, they likened wearing waist beads to having a waist scale,
which helps them to be aware of their waistline and general weight gain and
weight loss. These beads also makes the user conscious of their sitting and
breathing postures and offers a more personal reminder of the changes in their
body, while boosting self-awareness.

However,
despite these positive and usefulness of waist beads, there seems to be a disdain
for them from some quarters in the Nigerian society. While some are of the
belief that waist beads are for fetish purposes, others assumed that they are
signs and symbols of promiscuity, having the mindset that any lady wearing
waist beads is promiscuous. Some also views ladies wearing waist beads as those
being possessed by an evil spirit (ogbanje, in Nigerian parlance); they form a
general impression of it being immoral fashion ornaments and have unfavourable
disposition towards them as just as they do with body tattoos and body
piercing.

Nevertheless,
the piece of jewellery exudes such sensuality that various musical artists of
African heritage have written songs in praises of its uniqueness and relevance
to African culture. Despite these misconceptions, most ladies wear waist beads
not for these misconceptions stated above but because it makes them feel
attractive. Therefore, it is important for the society to understand that this
ageless piece of fashion adornment is here to stay and there is need for those
with wrong notion of waist beads to limit the stereotype about waist beads and
appreciate its aesthetical and cultural functions.