Incredible images capture the Ethiopian Suri tribe whose girls have lip plates implanted at puberty as a sign of beauty

• Suri tribe girls have bottom two teeth removed when they hit puberty
• A small disc is then inserted into lower lip and size slowly increased
• The larger the disc the more cows father given in dowry when she marries

The Daily Mail (UK) | 20 April 2014

It may look odd to us, but in the Ethiopian Suri tribe, this enormous lip plate is actually a sign of beauty.

When girls hit puberty they have their bottom two teeth removed in a bizarre ritual before a small hole is cut into their bottom lip.

A clay disc is then inserted into the hole, which is steadily increased, stretching the lip, much like flesh-tunnel piercings which have become popular with teenagers in the UK.

The larger the lip plate the more cows the girl's father can demand in dowry when his daughter is married - usually 40 for a small plate and 60 for a larger one.

Men on the other hand take part in the considerably less-painful ritual of body painting. 

A basic paint is made from herbs and plants mixed with soil, before the tribesmen cover themselves with it, sculpting it into patterns.

In recent years, some young women from the tribes are refusing to have their lips pierced, and removing their teeth can be a violent and sometimes traumatising task.

A Suri tribeswoman from Ethiopia is pictured wearing a large lip plug which is a traditional sign of beauty

When a Suri girl reaches puberty her two bottom teeth are removed and a small clay plate inserted which is slowly increased. The larger the plate the more cows her father can demand in dowry when she marries

Suri tribesmen engage in the less painful practice of body painting. They make a basic paint from soil, herbs and plants before scratching patterns into it