Waist beads are a form of body jewelry with roots in Africa, originating many centuries ago. The handmade accessories are a string of beautiful stones, crystals, or charms tied around the waist to symbolize various things, such as fertility, coming of age, tribe identification, and so much more. Contemporarily, they are also used as a weight metric, allowing women to recognize when they are losing or gaining weight.

A + C Adornments, a Black woman-owned business, aims to show that EVERY body is BEAUTIFUL at all stages of their journey with their one size fits all waist beads! What started as a hobby between two sisters has grown into a bustling business that promotes body awareness, body positivity, and self-confidence amongst women of all shapes and sizes. 

Recently, brand founder Amber Shelton linked with us on Instagram to share the story behind her small business and fill us in on how transformative and empowering waist beads can be. Check out the interview below!

On the History and Significance of Waist beads: “They were made and created in Africa with many different symbolisms. It could be tribe recognition, it could be a gift from a mother to a daughter representing fertility or her coming of age, it could be a gift of “Hey, you’re getting married!”, it can mean so many different things. But when it comes to our reason for making them and adorning women with them, it’s a way of saying ‘My body is my own, my body is beautiful in every shape, wrinkle, dimple, size’, you know, every mold that has been broken with the creation of beautiful Black women. That’s what these beads are for.”

On Waist beads and Fitness: “If you are working out, trying to tone, trying to lose any inches, then the lower they will drop and the sooner they will fall. So if you want long-term, then tie them up a little higher. We try not to get into the ribcage area because it doesn’t move, it’s unforgiving, but our stomach and our abdomen, fluctuate, so let them roll!”

A + C Adornments curated an extra special set of waist beads just for PGS! These waist beads come in PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT’s signature shade of blue alongside a cleaning spray to keep your waist beads on point for the long haul. This set of beads is EXCLUSIVE to our 11th Birthday Box, so head on over to the PGS Shop to snag this special one-time offer!

Why do you wear your waist beads, #SweatSisters? Chime in down below!