The history of waist beads dates to the old age. To many, the origins can be traced to ancient Egypt (depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics) where they were first called girdles . These girdles were worn by women as a status symbol.
In West Africa, however, the tradition of adorning waist beads was made popular by the Yoruba tribe of South Western Nigeria. They are worn as a celebration of womanhood, sexuality, femininity, fertility, healing, spirituality, body shaping, protection and wealth.
Tales are told of the about how Yoruba women once laced beads with charms and fragrances that would be considered irresistible to the opposite sex. This practice is now less popular. What remains unchanged is that the fact that, asides giving satisfaction to themselves, wearing waist beads for the seduction of men is still one of the primary reasons some women wear them. Please don’t crucify me!
Waist beads can be considered as being part of the African Lingerie .
In African tradition, originally, waist beads are meant to be worn under clothing. They’re for you. It’s personal. The colors of each strand of bead varies with every tribe — it is a unique form of visual communication.
However, with the modernization of the trend, waist beads now serve as a form of personal expression and individual interpretation. They’re for all women – irrespective of body type, race or background.
They are considered by poets as colorful strands of femininity — vibrant glass or clay beads, gemstones, pieces of horn, shells and sometimes gold or silver fittings, strung together by hand and tailored to embrace a woman’s individual midsection.
What’s more?
They can be sometimes addictive.
The moment you buy one strand and you like it, chances that you’ll get more are usually very high.
Another reason for the sudden popularity and acceptance of waist beads is the sense of empowerment they provide over an area of the female form that’s often a source of physical discomfort or embarrassment, especially if you’re team FUPA.
Most women have issues with their middle section, and the last thing they want to do is draw more attention to that area. By putting on something (waist beads) very beautiful and adorning that area, you accept your body more.
In Ghana for example, another country where waist beads are worn, beads signify wealth and aristocracy, as well as femininity.
While African and Islamic women typically keep them under wraps, some display the beads over their clothes or on bare midriffs, such as belly dancers in Eastern and Northern Africa.
Waist beads are always practically worn — even while bathing or sleeping. They also serve as symbols of sensuality, fertility and rites of passage, passed down from mother to daughter.
There are existing superstitions about the linkage between pregnancy, waist beads and the energies of the Earth. To those who hold this belief, waist beads are regarded as conveyors of positive energy and healing.
Another silent function of waist beads is weight control — when your beads are getting a little tight, it’s obviously a signal to shed some excess weight.
Here are some of the color interpretations of waist beads:


Blue: knowledge, healing, peace, truth, harmony — a cooling color symbolizing faith, devotion, deep insight.


Green: prosperity, hope, harmony, healing and ripening, encouraging the wearer to love nature and be generous, humble and self-controlled.


Red: self-confidence, vitality, sexual energy, passion, courage.


Yellow: wisdom, knowledge, clarity, increasing