Of jeweled prominence and therefore essentially ornate, ornaments are rarely thought of as more than an accessory of fashionable leanings, or at most encompassing the sphere of traditions embarking from within the folds of the cultural in which case they might be symbolic but dominant still assertion of beauty. And while it is beauty indeed of the body that all forms of jewelry accentuate in all their wearing, it not always would be limited to the conventional notions of the appearance that govern their particular premise of sporting. So while indeed your exquisite neckpiece that you have carefully chosen to complement perfectly your wedding gown might make you shine like the radiant diva or that single pearl dangling from each of your ears is enough ‘armor’ for you to unleash your killer allure on prom night, the utility of jewelry confined just to the event of their sporting is only half the truth of what these accesorising modes of human beauty are supposed to be.
But jewelry have stemmed into being conveyances of not just history and heritage while cruising along the transfixed appeal that any gaze of beauty inevitably has upon every human but also evolved to be, or rather originating also in such concerns that link them essentially to pursuits of health and aspects of lifestyle. The very Indian encircler of the hands that is donned as bangles are one such example in essence, linked to a range of health and spiritual benefits that emphasise in fact the more essential ways for which jewelry came through to attain its own place of importance. Another such very traditional but no less spectacular a choice of jewelry that finds expression today well as an expression of fashion sensibilities has its roots in the forever exotic land of Africa. Worn around the waist or hips as strands of pretty and colorful small glass beads and known therefore as waist beads, this particular piece of jewelry is thought to have been made popular by the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, recorded in use since at least the 15th century. Intricately woven into the African way of life even today where the female folk are commonly found sporting this really enticing style of accessory, the allure of these sparkling ties of beaded prominence have made them equally coveted a fashion staple among style enthusiasts all over the world.
Worn in either single or multiple layers across the waist or the belly for which reason they are known also as belly beads, as per personal choices and style preferences, waist beads today are not just glassy in their appearance but can also be assertions in metallic, wooden or crystal mediums. Beautiful indeed in their assortment of many a sparkling beads of striking hues and as definite shapes, and beautiful as well in the way they lend themselves to the satiation of the aesthetics are these waist beads that are essentially very decorative in nature. Flashing around the mid part of the body in a charm that sure is capable of commanding all attention are these waist beads that lend themselves however to the play of the physicality in a way that is ingrained into the ideals of beauty albeit not in a manner we expect out of jewelry as expressions of their utility. Wearing these beaded waist chains are believed to help shape and accentuate the body proportions of the wearer and serve therefore as some sort of body shaper in their own right. Helping shift the weight of the body to the hips and buttocks thereby endowing more desirable a figure of curviness upon the feminine form are these spectacular sights of shimmery stature that have thereby managed to hold their position of significance within the African tradition while also catering as well to contemporary pursuits of bodily beauty.
Beyond this purview of beauty but resident somewhat in an identical essence as well is the effective way in which waistline beads help with pursuits that can be interpreted as adhering to the coveted ideals of fitness and therefore of health. Commonly used as almost some kind of a device that can gauge changes in weight are these beaded beauties capable of tracking both gain and loss of fat and flab in and around the area where they are worn. For fitness purposes therefore that does not entail the use of any specific measuring instrument, waist beads can be handy sources of keeping a tab on bodily progress. With such mechanisms of their essence that does not allow them to stretch, the seating of waist beads in any definite period of time determine rather reliably whether or not you have been living up to your expectations of adding or cutting off some inches from around what tends to be the most problematic area of the body. Any extra addition around the area will shift the strands higher up the torso while in the event of some deletion the strands will loosen and fall further down the hips. This makes waist beads a rather convenient everyday medium of tracking your progress along the route of which you are trying to advance that helps also therefore make immediate changes in your regimen and habits to the desired end.
Source: The Guardian Nigeria
Another way in which waist beads expand their scope of working along the beauty route is by being upkeepers of posture. An essential aid to maintaining the health as well as appearance of the body, paying attention to one’s posture is always a very crucial definer of lifestyle exertions. In this regard, waist beads can come across as really assertive a reminder of urging one to maintain one’s bodily posture by making them more aware of it. The way waist beads do this is through manifesting in different levels of tautness in their fitting across the body midsection, depending on how the wearer is sitting and whether or not they are tending to slouch down rather excessively. Such awareness of how one is letting their body shape down in very unwanted assertions triggers therefore an immediate reaction that has the wearer paying more attention to their sitting position even as they engage also in other needful propriety of how they should lead their body to be. With essential indulgences like proper breathing, relaxing the back and engaging the stomach muscles entailing this realisation of the incorrect posture they are maintaining, this particular piece of functional jewelry helps its wearers ensure through the very feel of their fit, that they are beautifying themselves also along the more desirable expanses of good health.
Also associated with the body clinging dimensions of the strings that waist beads are in all their simplicity and that which render it capable of functioning as body shapers and fitness trackers is another essential natural physical mechanism that it helps further. Wearing a waist band around your body helps significantly with improving the flow of blood in the body. This increased and more efficient blood circulation while indeed is a way to good health, staving off the risk of numerous health complications, yields also beauty benefits like a glowing complexion aided by the healthy mode of performance induced intrinsically.
Physicality apart, waist beads are also a really beautiful medium of bringing upon positive awareness upon oneself. A rather surprising means of inducing good vibes and happiness can be these sights of prettiness that present a favourably compatible case of body positivity. Unlike other more stark measures of tracking bodily transformations, waist beads help dawn upon the same realisation in subtle but effective still mannerisms, driving one to action to correct their wrongs rather than succumbing to the glaring displays of the numbers on a weighing scale. In being somewhat non concrete reminders of the gap that exists between the expected and the real, waist beads can be definite enough a guide to weight loss or gain desires even in their gentle, more’ empowering’ exertions. This fore of the empowerment attributed to this piece of jewelry also relates its innate role in enhancing the sensuality of females. As bright pieces of adornment that go round the hips and the waist, the allure of wearing waist beads is such that helps accentuate the natural form of the body. Also because they come in different sizes and measures fitting therefore all body types and shapes in just the way most complementing of each, beaded chains tend to be more inclusive an element of definite fashion prominence. Fostering hence the feel good awareness of being happy and confident about one’s body, regardless of how conventionally unappealing the structure of it might be designated as, waist beads do not just bring about a different exploration of beauty upon the wearer but also challenging in some manner the societal conventions of what is seen as desirable.
Source: Muleskinner
The health and social benefits of wearing waist beads itself are significant enough to grant them their own position of standing amongst the many items of jewelry traditionally and historically coveted by mankind. But also associated with the African lineage of this specific mode of adornment is also such associated beliefs that link them with fertility and sexuality as well as endowing upon the wearer spiritual protection of a certain type. Arousing emotions of love and intimacy, inciting a pride in their identity as being bearers of heritage and legacy while affording excessively well the style expected of them in their essence as a form of jewelry are these famed American charms of fortune and beauty that dangle enticingly today as elaborate expressions of empowered femininity and inclusivity beauty all around the waists of the world!
