Omar Reda, a 32-year-old Lebanese photographer, traveled to the Omo Valley in Ethiopia to meet the Hamar, Dassanech, and Mursi tribes. The Mursi are known for the plate women wear embedded in their lower lip.
According to Reda, the origin of the custom is said to be linked to slavery: “Girls would deform themselves to avoid being chosen as slaves. They start with a small plate and have their two lower teeth removed”, he told the Daily Mail. The idea was that the plates would make them less attractive to those who owned slaves.
This is an explanation attributed to tradition, not a proven historical fact: other sources place its origins in the colonial era or link it to dowry and social status. What the report does describe is its meaning today: the plate has become a symbol of beauty, and the larger the plate, the more beautiful a woman is considered.
