There's a widely circulated myth that the women of the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia began wearing lip plates to disfigure themselves and avoid being captured or sold during the transatlantic slave trade. But historical and cultural evidence tells a different story. The practice of wearing lip plates among the Mursi is not rooted in fear or resistance to slavery, but in identity, beauty, cultural pride, and social status. For Mursi women, the size of the lip plate often signifies strength, maturity, a