| The History of the Belly mask / Belly cast |
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| History tells us that Masking was used by many ancient civilisations. The Fourth Century AD Egyptians made body casts of plaster for burials and transportation to the next life, Native Indian and African tribes like the Makonde Tribe, Tanzania carved body casts from tree trunks at initiating ceremonies symbolising fertility and womanhood and the Irian Jaya tribes used their body casts as Ghost Armour. Belly casting (Belly masking as it is more commonly known in the US & UK), as we know it today originated in America in 1986 by an American lady, Francine Krauze. As a relatively new trend, belly masking is slowly making it's way into mainstream society. Demi Moore and her now famous pose for the cover of Vanity Fair magazine (Aug 1991) made the pregnancy photograph the thing to do. Now many celebrities are making belly masks a hot new trend. Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster were recently mentioned in a magazine article expressing their joys in having a mask made of their impending new baby. Julia Roberts chose her belly mask kit as her favourite baby shower gift on the Oprah Winfrey show. Slowly, Belly masking has gained momentum throughout Australia with more and more women making Belly masks or belly casts, and some even starting their own businesses! |
