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The Padaung aren't the only ones to elongate their necks. Ndebele women in southern Africa also wear neck rings.
The Padaung’s original home, Burma (present-day Myanmar) was subject to a military coup in 1962. The new regime introduced laws to modernize the nation, and eradicating “primitive” tribal practices was one of their goals.
Adultery, for instance, is punished by removal of the rings. This usually renders a woman unable to stand due to weakened neck muscles.
As a result, they persecuted the Padaung because of their ancient customs. The tribe fled to Thailand, where they still live in refugee camps to this day, which have since become tourist attractions of their own.
The rings are also a symbol of status for the tribe. Often, the wealthier the husband, the more rings a woman has.
Sources: (History Daily) (Ranker) (The Peoples of the World Foundation) (Marie Claire) (Siyabona Africa)
See also: Bizarre status symbols through history
In addition to their necks, Ndebele women also wear copper and brass rings around other parts of the body, including arms and legs. The rings (called idzila) are removed when the husband dies.
Discoloration, scarring, and even mold has been found in women’s necks following the removal of rings.
Wearing neck rings requires some lifestyle changes. For instance, women who wear them are unable to bend their heads backwards, and as such they need to use straws to drink.
The vocal cords are also affected by this body modification. It’s not uncommon for women who wear them to have deeper voices.
When women remove the coils (for instance, to replace them), the neck muscles will likely be weakened and standing straight might prove difficult.
While the body adapts to the modification, chaffing and bruising around the neck is not unusual.
In truth, this body modification lowers the shoulders, rather than elongates the neck.
Despite the name, one's neck doesn’t actually get elongated. The weight of the coils do not stretch the neck. Instead, they make the collar bones collapse, and, consequently, the upper ribs are also pressed downwards.
A full set of brass coils often consists of up to 25 coils. We're talking about approximately 22 pounds (10 kg) around the neck.
This change of coils is a special moment in a girl’s life, as it's the only time they can actually see their naked necks.
As years go by, rings are added to their necks. Previous coils are often removed and replaced with longer ones as the girls grow older.
The most plausible explanation, however, has to do with its association with beauty and wealth. A woman with an elongated neck is considered more attractive in these tribes.
In the Padung tribe, girls start wearing neck rings as young as age five.
Another theory rooted in folklore is that Padaung women are descendants of the mythological Mother Dragon and wear the rings to represent her.
There is also a tribal myth that says that the neck rings were used as protection against tiger bites.
Some historians theorize that neck elongation rings are worn as a status symbol in Southeast Asian Padaung tribes. The Padaung are a subgroup of the Kayan people, who now live between Myanmar and Northwest Thailand.
Neck rings can be found in both Asia and Africa. The roots of the practice, however, remain unclear. But historians do have some clues as to why it started.
One theory is that women started to stretch their necks in an effort to become less attractive to both slave traders and to signal men from other tribes that they were Padaung women.
The practice is estimated to go back all the way to the 11th century in Southeast Asia, but it could be much older.
Humans have been doing body modifications for millennia, including tattoos, piercings, foot binding, and skull flattening. Neck elongation is also a form of body modification.
These young girls get a brass coil collar weighing about 4.5 pounds (2 kg) placed around their necks.
“Giraffe women” are the main tourist attraction in the Mae Hong Son province of Thailand. They are, however, refugees, and the women get only a small portion of the tourism income.
Unlike the Padaung though, the rings worn by the Ndebele symbolize a woman's faithfulness to her husband.
The ancient tradition of neck elongation has been around for over 1,000 years. This form of body modification is still used to this day by some peoples in Asia and Africa, and doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. But where does the tradition come from, and why do women keep wearing coils around their necks?
In this gallery, we delve deep into the ancient tradition of neck elongation and bring you the story of those known as "giraffe women."
The weight of the brass pushes the clavicle and ribcage down as far as about 45 degrees from their normal position, causing a considerable structural change in a woman’s body.
The ancient tradition of neck elongation
Women have been wearing neck rings for over 1,000 years
LIFESTYLE Body modification
The ancient tradition of neck elongation has been around for over 1,000 years. This form of body modification is still used to this day by some peoples in Asia and Africa, and doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. But where does the tradition come from, and why do women keep wearing coils around their necks?
In this gallery, we delve deep into the ancient tradition of neck elongation and bring you the story of those known as "giraffe women."