The lip plate, also known as a lip plug, lip disc, or mouth plate, is a form of body modification. Increasingly large discs (usually circular, and made from clay or wood) are inserted into a pierced hole in either the upper or lower lip, or both, thereby stretching it.
Woman with lip plate
Lip Plates in Africa
In some African countries, a lower lip plate is usually combined with the dental extraction of two lower front teeth, sometimes all four. Among the Sara people and Lobi of Chad, a plate is also inserted into the upper lip.
Among the Surma and Mursi people of the lower Omo River valley in Ethiopia, about 6 to 12 months before marriage, a young woman has her lip pierced by her mother or one of her kinswomen, usually at around the age of 15 to 18. The initial piercing is done as an incision of the lower lip of 1 to 2 cm length, and a simple wooden peg is inserted. After the wound has healed, which usually takes between two and three weeks, the peg is replaced with a slightly bigger one. At a diameter of about 4 cm, the first lip plate made of clay is inserted. Every woman crafts her own plate and takes pride in including some ornamentation.
In contemporary culture, most girls of age 13 to 18 appear to decide whether or not to wear a lip plate. The largest lip plate recorded was in Ethiopia, measuring 59.5 cm (23.4 in) in circumference and 19.5 cm (7.6 in) wide, in 2014.
Read also: The West African Rift System
Extreme Lip Plates on Suri Women | Tribe | BBC Earth Explore
Mursi tribe lip plates
Lip Plates in South America
In South America among some Amazonian tribes, young males traditionally have their lips pierced and begin to wear plates when they enter the men's house and leave the world of women. Lip plates there are associated with oration and singing. The largest plates are worn by the greatest orators and war chiefs, such as Chief Raoni of the Kayapo tribe, a well known environmental campaigner.
Labrets in North America
In the Pacific Northwest of North America, labrets have a long history of use, dating back at least five thousand years. At times they were used by both men and women, but in more recent times (e.g. Among the Haida, Tsimshian, and Tlingit, they were once used by women to symbolize social maturity by indicating a girl's eligibility to be a wife.
Modern Adaptations and Health Concerns
In western nations, some young people, including some members of the Modern Primitive movement, have adopted larger-gauge lip piercings, a few large enough for them to wear proper lip plates. This practice can lead to infections, especially during the process of perforation.
It also complicates normal mouth functions such as salivating and eating. Gum irritation can also arise as consequence from plate rubbing, leading to related gum diseases and infections. Some tribes (Zo'e in Brazil, Guarani, Tupi, and Chiriguano.
Read also: Guide to Kenya Number Plates
Historical Exploitation
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, African women wearing lip plates were brought to Europe and North America for exhibit in circuses and sideshows. Around 1930, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey promoted such women from the French Congo as members of the "Ubangi" tribe; the Ringling press agent admitted that he picked that name from a map for its exotic sound. The word was used in this way in the 1937 Marx Brothers film A Day at the Races.
Extreme Lip Plates on Suri Women | Tribe | BBC Earth Explore
Lip plates: cultural tradition or self-mutilation?
Read also: License Plate Recognition in Egypt
