Elisa K.

Pierce
Essay on Lip Plates and Child Abuse
Question: LIP PLATES
Your new neighbors have just received U.S. citizenship and plan to make their home in
your neighborhood for the rest of their lives. The couple, originally from a small tribe in
Africa, have had plates placed in their lips, which over the years have stretched their lips
out about six inches. In their culture, this is a significant sign of beauty and they
therefore wish to pass this tradition on to their young daughter.
https://www.themedicalbag.com/bodymodstory/pucker-up-lip-plating-still-in-vogue-inremote-tribal-villages
Seeing that this might cause their daughter a certain amount of stress as she enters the
U.S. public school system, you suggest that the parents not do this to their daughter. The
parents refuse your advice and proceed with their plans to have the plates placed in their
daughters lips. Could this be construed as child abuse? Defend your response. What
would you do?
Answer:
We all grow up with a number of different cultural traditions, some of which include
body decoration. Whether it be an earring worn in a childs ear, a circumcision hidden
under the clothing of a boy, artwork tattooed on someones chest, or a large lip plate that
has been stretched over the years by the parents or family of a young child. There
appears to be a substantial amount of grey area on what is socially acceptable and what is
considered child abuse in terms of body decoration. Though a lip plate is deemed socially
acceptable in some small Tribes in Africa, it is not part of the social norms here in the
United States. This type of body decoration will cause intentional physical harm,
permanent damage, emotional instability and social isolation at an age where a girl is not
prepared to make an educated decision on whether or not she wants this. Therefore, I
believe that within the United Stated, this tradition is child abuse at the Federal and State
level. (www.childwelfare.gov, Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect, p. 1) It is our
responsibility as adults to be advocates for our youth, whether they are living in our own
homes or somewhere down the street. Ongoing maltreatment, with no protector, is
much more damaging then a single incident, however injurious. (Berger, 2014 p. 232)
Physical abuse is generally defined as any action that results in a physical impairment of
the child. (www.childwelfare.gov, Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect, p. 2) Lip
Plating was thought to originate as a deliberate disfigurement designed to make women
and young girls less attractive to slave traders.
(https://www.themedicalbag.com/bodymodstory/pucker-up-lip-plating-still-in-vogue-inremote-tribal-villages, Pucker Up) Over the years it has developed into a cultural and
social acceptance, a potential sign of beauty, maturity, and even wealth within tribal
villages. The process of obtaining the lip plate is a very painful and damaging process. A
small hole is cut into a girls lip and her bottom 2 or 4 teeth are removed. A circular
wooden clay disc is inserted into the hole in order to stretch it.
(https://www.themedicalbag.com/bodymodstory/pucker-up-lip-plating-still-in-vogue-inremote-tribal-villages, Pucker Up) This action causes permanent damage to the young

womans mouth and lips. This practice is typically not done until the girl has reached the
age of 15 to 16. Her permanent teeth would be the teeth removed deliberately by her
mother, causing extreme pain and discomfort. If she is to decide at some time that she no
longer wants the lip plate, the only options are invasive surgical procedures which will
never fully correct the permanent damage to this young womans face and mouth.
In the state of Utah, emotional abuse can be defined as physical, emotional, or
developmental injury or damage. (www.childwelfare.gov, Definitions of Child Abuse
and Neglect, p. 80) Though, in Africa, lip plates may be viewed as acceptable, it is not
easily accepted in the pubic school setting in the United States. The age in which young
women receive the lip plate is between 15 and 16 years of age.
(http://www.mursi.org/introducing-the-mursi/Body%20Art/lip-plates, Lip Plates) This is
a critical time in the development of a young adult as they go through puberty. This type
of cultural body decoration cannot be easily hidden or removed, causing a feeling of
difference and isolation among her peers, if not mistreatment. Consequences of this type
of maltreatment may include the young woman being less friendly, more aggressive, and
more isolated then other children during a time where social acceptance is important to a
young adults emotional growth. (Berger, 2014 p. 235) This type of ongoing
maltreatment will cause more damage than just the physical damage of the lip plate.
While the type and result of abuse matters, it is equally important to consider location. In
the United States, laws are established to protect children from various forms of abuse.
While lip plating may be socially and legally acceptable in tribal villages, it meets the
criteria set in this country as being considered child abuse. Furthermore, at the Federal
level, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act defines child abuse and neglect as:
Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death,
serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act of failure to
act which presents and imminent risk of serious harm.
The ultimate goal with child maltreatment is primary prevention which focuses on the
macrosystem and exosystem. (Berger, 2014 p.235) I am part of that young womans
macrosystem. It is my responsibility to report any intentional physical or emotional harm
to the proper authorities. Unlike an ear piercing, circumcision, or a tattoo, lip plates
cause intentional pain, permanent physical and/or emotional harm, without the ability for
a child to make an educated decision. In my mind, this is child abuse that would have to
be reported to the proper authorities.

Reference List
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to the life span (Second ed.). New York, NY: Worth
Publishers.
Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect. (2014, June 1). Retrieved July 2, 2015, from
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/define.pdf#page=2&view=Types%20of
%20abuse
Pucker up: Lip Plating Still in Vogue in Remote Tribal Villages. (2014, July 14).
Retrieved July 3, 2015, from https://www.themedicalbag.com/bodymodstory/pucker-uplip-plating-still-in-vogue-in-remote-tribal-villages
Lip-plates. (n.d.). Retrieved July 3, 2015, from http://www.mursi.org/introducing-themursi/Body%20Art/lip-plates