A few days ago, I published my first blog — and honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by the response. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read it and send me those lovely messages. One thing is certain: this journey is going to be exciting. I have no clue where it will take us, but I can guarantee it’ll be entertaining, insightful, and maybe even a little uncomfortable in the best possible way.
Because here’s the truth — we may have to unlearn and relearn what we think we know about waist beads. So buckle up, my friend, because this week, I wanted to know what Ghanaian women truly think about waist beads — their first encounters, what wearing them feels like, and how their meaning has evolved over time. The responses? Whew. Let’s just say, my email almost exploded.
A total of 364 women took part in this survey, and the results were equal parts enlightening and hilarious. To start, a whopping 98% said they’d first seen waist beads as children — usually on their mothers or grandmothers. And it makes sense, doesn’t it? Children imitate what they see. If Mama wore them with pride, little Ama was bound to try some too, even if it meant stringing bottle tops together just to feel included.
Then came the next revelation — 95% of the women said waist beads make them feel beautiful, confident, and more in tune with their femininity. One woman told me, “The moment I put on my beads, I feel like a goddess — even if I’m just home doing laundry.” I laughed because that’s the magic of it. It’s not about who sees it. It’s about how it makes you feel. Waist beads are like a secret power switch — no audience needed.
Now, brace yourself for this one: 97% of the ladies said their waist beads have increased intimacy with their partners. And not in a subtle way. One woman flat-out called hers a sex toy. “My beads don’t talk,” she said, “but they speak fluent body language.” Another said her partner doesn’t need any special signals — “Once he hears the beads move, conversation over!” I couldn’t stop laughing. The mere sound of beads brushing against skin seems to have magical effects on men’s blood pressure. Apparently, beads are not just cultural ornaments — they’re also emergency romantic defibrillators.
Beyond the playfulness, though, the women shared something deeper. For many, waist beads aren’t worn to please anyone. They’re worn to remember themselves. One respondent said she started wearing them again after childbirth, as a quiet way to reconnect with her body. “After my second baby, I didn’t feel sexy, I didn’t even feel like me. But tying those beads reminded me that I still exist beyond motherhood.” That line stayed with me — because that’s what waist beads often do: they remind us we are still whole, still feminine, still powerful.
Of course, some women mentioned wearing them as a weight management tool — an idea that goes way back to our ancestors. Historically, beads were used to track a baby’s growth. I remember my grandmother explaining that as babies gained weight, the beads would get tighter. It was the earliest form of a measuring tape — the original “waistline monitor,” if you will. Today, women use the same logic: when your beads start sitting higher, you know it’s time to check your relationship with fufu. When they drop, well — congratulations, you’ve probably made peace with the treadmill.
Still, 2% of the women said they’d never heard of waist beads or didn’t know what they were for. That surprised me at first, but then again, it’s not entirely unusual. There’s so much of our own heritage that we still need to rediscover. And that’s why these conversations matter — to help us bridge what we’ve lost with what we’re reclaiming.
In my research, one truth stood out: Ghanaian women genuinely love their waist beads. Not for their sexual undertones (which, let’s admit, are a delicious bonus), but for the way they make them feel. For most women, waist beads are not about seduction; they’re about celebration. They’re visual poetry for the body — reminders of beauty, strength, and womanhood.
But oh, let me tell you one story that almost made me drop my pen. I once had a client — a beautiful woman with an old soul — who told me she threw away a whole sack of waist beads because she believed they contained “witchcraft.” When she said that, my jaw nearly hit the floor. Inside that sack were beads with gold nuggets! GOLD, Vera! She tossed them all because someone had whispered they carried “juju.” It was funny and painful at the same time. But it revealed something important: how much fear and misinformation still surrounds cultural adornments.
And then there was an elderly woman I met who had tied beads around her knee. Naturally, my curiosity couldn’t resist. “Ma, why around your knee?” I asked. She smiled and said, “It helps with the pain.” You see? For her, beads weren’t for decoration — they were therapy. Beads as band-aids! It sounds wild, but that’s the beauty of African ingenuity: we find comfort in culture.
So yes, based on everything gathered from these beautiful women, we can safely say the Ghanaian woman wears waist beads for many reasons — aesthetic, emotional, medicinal, spiritual, even practical. But at the heart of it all, waist beads are about identity. They remind us where we come from and who we are becoming.
To sum it all up:
- Waist beads help with weight tracking — from babies to grown women.
- They make women feel feminine and confident.
- They enhance intimacy — some call them “bedroom rhythm instruments.”
- They serve as pain relievers — cultural therapy at its finest.
- They can even be heirlooms, passed from mother to daughter, generation after generation.
Each bead carries a story. And together, they form a necklace of our womanhood — colorful, sacred, and endlessly fascinating.
Happy Beading.
Vera (Artist, Photographer & Bead Instructor at TALTOHMA)
References
Acheampong, L. (2020). Femininity and Symbolism: The Role of Adornment in African Womanhood. Journal of African Cultural Studies, 32(4), 512–526. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13696815.2020.1754953
Boateng, A. (2019). Adornment and Identity: The Power of Waist Beads in Ghanaian Womanhood. African Studies Review, 62(2), 135–148. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/african-studies-review
Okeke, N. (2022). Body, Culture and Sensuality: Understanding African Feminine Aesthetics. Journal of Gender and Culture, 28(1), 22–39. Available at: https://genderandculturejournal.org/okeke-2022