Ataye Eligidagne – a young girl in Ethiopia – started lengthening her lips 3 years ago to comply with her tribe’s long-standing tradition of attaching plates to her lips.

Ataye and her large lip plate.

To wear the giant lip plate, the girl had to `sacrifice` her bottom front teeth.

Piercing the lips and attaching clay plates is a long-standing tradition of the Surma and Mursi women living in the Omo River valley.

With this lip plate, Ataye will receive a dowry of 50 cattle.

Girls starting from the ages of 15 to 18 will have their bottom two front teeth extracted to lengthen their lips, and older women will help them pierce holes through their lips.

The Ethiopian government has just banned women from wearing lip plates.

Ataye said she is proud of her giant lip plate.

The way to the tribe of girls who like to wear lip plates:

The Omo River Valley is located in southwestern Ethiopia.

Most tourists choose to come to Ethiopia by air, landing at Bole International Airport.