Body adornment is important to both men and women in South Africa as a way to communicate identity and status and to highlight attractiveness. During the last half of the 20th century AD, traditional body decoration continued to be practiced, alongside new trends.

Historical records suggest that Zulu men and women have had a long tradition of ear piercing. In the 1950s, earplugs became indicators, not only of an individual’s Zulu identity, but also of their place of origin. Most were made in Johannesburg, South Africa, for sale to Zulu migrants. At this time, vinyl asbestos, originally a flooring material, began to be used for earplugs. This encouraged craftsmen to experiment creatively, as it was easy to work and came in bright colours. Earplug designs started to follow the colour conventions of Zulu beadwork. Certain colour combinations were linked to places and they possibly even indicated the clan affiliations of the owner. In the 1980s, the tradition evolved further and perspex clip-on earplugs were sold in Johannesburg.

In Namibia, ivory dress ornaments, strung on leather belts or stands of beads, were traditionally given to a woman by her husband. She wore them on feast days to reflect his wealth. This tradition was recently given a new twist, when these ivory ornaments were made into expensive designer belts.