Ukinipamba Nitapendeza is an African proverb that roughly translated to English means "If you decorate me, then I will be beautiful." Body modification or adorning the body in a meaningful way was as popular in ancient Africa as it is in present-day America. Africans have been embellishing their bodies with paint, clothing, hairstyles, makeup, scarification, piercing, and even tattooing since 3,000B.C. This artistry, using the body as a medium, has been used for purposes such as identification, various tribal rituals and, to beautify the body. One of the most common forms of body modification in Africa as well as in present-day America is clothing.
             In Africa, the style of your clothing as well as the type of fabric that it was made out of could indicate what tribe you were from, what family you belonged to, and your families' status within the tribe. Clothing was also used to adorn and emphasize the areas of the body that were considered to be aesthetically pleasing; for example Mandinka tribes considered women with long necks to be the epitome of beauty, therefore women wore brightly colored tops that tended to have a lower neckline to display and also emphasize their graceful necks. Americans also use clothing to convey status. Americans purchase billions of dollars a year in retail and name brand clothing to aid in their portrayal of the status that they are or that they aspire to become.
             Second, only to clothing, the artistry of styling one's hair is another body modification that is extremely popular in both Africa and America. The majority of both Africans and Americans believe that hair is ones crowning glory that helps emphasize a person's character and essence. The most common form of sculpting the hair is done by braiding. In many African countries, hair braiding has developed into complex patterns signaling one's social status, age group, and village affiliation. While braided hair is principally a women's fashion,...