This section is from the book "Human Sexuality", by J. Richardson Parke. Also available from Amazon: Human Sexuality.
In discussing the means resorted to by men and women to make themselves mutually attractive, I shall omit largely, although they are far from uninteresting, those brutal customs of savage races, which, in civilized eyes, at least, only enhance their physical deformity. Thus few women in Central Africa are found without the lip-ring. They say it makes them "look pretty;" and "the bigger the ring the more they value themselves."1 The Shulis have the under lip perforated by a piece of rock crystal, three or four inches long, "which sways about as they speak,"1 and without which they would regard themselves pretty much as one of our young ladies would on Fifth Avenue in her bare feet.
The Papuans pierce the septum of the nose, and pass through it sticks, claws of birds and pieces of polished stone. Many natives pierce, enlarge, or otherwise mutilate the ear lobes, some of the North American Indians, as well as the Arecunas and Botocudos of South America, and the Wat ait a of East Africa, pulling them down by this process of beautification almost to the shoulders.
The Botocudos dwell on the banks of the Rio Dace, in Brazil, and may be said to be the only people in the world having two mouths. The second mouth is artificial, formed by a large transverse slit in the lower lip; but it does not look artificial, and there are few more horrible sights than to see one of these fellows, while grinning fiercely, and showing the teeth in his upper mouth, suddenly stick his tongue out at you through the lower one. Some of these people develop an incredible elasticity of the lip, and it is said to be not uncommon for a woman, at a single effort, to throw the under lip up like a shield, covering both face and eyes.
"HeUol it dat Miss Johnaing?"
"Yes, sah."
"Miss Johnsing, I hab a very im paw taut question to propound to you dis mawnin. Will you marry me, Bliss Johnsing ?"
"Well sah, as yo' done ben so persjstinate and gentlemanly in de matta, sah, I will sah I Who is dat at de phone?"
1 Macdonald, he. cit., t, 17. 1 Westermarck, loc. ext., p. 166.
 
Continue to:
sexuality, reporduction, genitals, love, female, humans, passion