Ataye Eligidagne(20) dons the largest lip disk in the world

 

Ataye Eligidagne(20) dons the largest lip disk in the world. 

 

At a whopping 59.5 cm in circumference and 19.5 cm in diameter, it’s over twice the size of the average disc.

 

The previous record disc in the Guinness Book of World Records was 15cm in diameter.

Lip discs are a long-running tradition amongst the Surma woman of the lower Omo Rover valley in Ethiopia.

There is evidence of woman wearing the discs in this region from 1896. The procedure, which also involves knocking out the bottom two teeth, is done at the age of 15-18. 

In recent times, the Ethiopian government has taken measures to ban the discs, and the frequency amongst the younger generations is reportedly dwindling.

The discs carry a multifaceted significance. They are intended to attract a husband, as well as a dowry for the family of the wife, who are given a contingent  of cattle respective to the size of the disc.

But they are also a form of self-expression.