18/05/2026
Travel # Visitafrica
The Mursi people are an ethnic tribe living in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia, and they’re famous for the large lip plates worn by some women.
The tradition usually begins during the teenage years, when a small cut is made in the lower lip and gradually stretched over time using larger and larger plates made from clay or wood.
Some lip plates can grow incredibly large, sometimes reaching around 5 inches (12 cm) across. To outsiders it may seem shocking, but within Mursi culture it has traditionally been linked to beauty, maturity, identity, and social status.
There are many myths about why the practice began. One popular story claims it was used to make women less attractive to slave traders, though historians debate whether that’s actually true.
Today, many younger Mursi women are choosing not to wear lip plates, while others continue the tradition as an important part of their cultural heritage.
