Many people may not know the specific reasons some ladies wear beads, especially around the waist.

Besides being trendy, waist beads are actually an age-old tradition in parts of Africa with distinct meanings, symbols and history attached to them.

Here are some of the reasons women wear beads around their waist:

1. It is a symbol of femininity and sensuality

Some women wear waist beads under their clothes and allow only their lover to see them as a meaning of sanctity and purity between the two.

2. For some, the beads are a means of seduction to provoke desire.

Sometimes, wives would use the rattling of the beads to communicate their fertility. It is a rite of passage and it symbolises growth. Waist beads were a rite of passage for some cultures. Mothers would adorn their daughters with beads during their first menstruation as a ceremonial rite of passage into womanhood. Each time new waist beads were inherited, it symbolized a healthy life, growth and maturity.

3.  Measurements and body shaping

Both traditionally and in modern times, women wear waist beads to get or keep their bodies intact. It is said that the beads shape your body and keep the waist small and hips accentuated. It is usually used as a measurement tool because the beads do not stretch. So if/when the waist beads start to feel a little tight, it’s a sign that there has been some weight gain and vice versa.