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See Also
See Again
© Getty Images
0 / 30 Fotos
It's a form of body modification
- 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.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
It's a form of body modification
- The practice is estimated to go back all the way to the 11th century in Southeast Asia, but it could be much older.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
Roots
- 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.
© Getty Images
3 / 30 Fotos
Roots
- 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.
© Getty Images
4 / 30 Fotos
Origins
- 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.
© Getty Images
5 / 30 Fotos
Origins
- There is also a tribal myth that says that the neck rings were used as protection against tiger bites.
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
Origins
- Another theory rooted in folklore is that Padaung women are descendants of the mythological Mother Dragon and wear the rings to represent her.
© Getty Images
7 / 30 Fotos
Origins
- 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.
© Getty Images
8 / 30 Fotos
When do women start elongating their necks?
- In the Padung tribe, girls start wearing neck rings as young as age five.
© Getty Images
9 / 30 Fotos
How do they do it?
- These young girls get a brass coil collar weighing about 4.5 pounds (2 kg) placed around their necks.
© Getty Images
10 / 30 Fotos
Adding more rings
- 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.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Special occasion
- 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.
© Getty Images
12 / 30 Fotos
Full set
- 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.
© Getty Images
13 / 30 Fotos
The neck doesn’t stretch
- 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.
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
It changes the structure of the body
- 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.
© Getty Images
15 / 30 Fotos
It changes the structure of the body
- The vocal cords are also affected by this body modification. It’s not uncommon for women who wear them to have deeper voices.
© Getty Images
16 / 30 Fotos
Optical illusion
- In truth, this body modification lowers the shoulders, rather than elongates the neck.
© Getty Images
17 / 30 Fotos
Lifestyle changes
- 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.
© Getty Images
18 / 30 Fotos
It can be painful
- While the body adapts to the modification, chaffing and bruising around the neck is not unusual.
© Getty Images
19 / 30 Fotos
Removal can have consequences
- When women remove the coils (for instance, to replace them), the neck muscles will likely be weakened and standing straight might prove difficult.
© Getty Images
20 / 30 Fotos
Removal can have consequences
- Discoloration, scarring, and even mold has been found in women’s necks following the removal of rings.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
The rings can be removed as a form of punishment
- Adultery, for instance, is punished by removal of the rings. This usually renders a woman unable to stand due to weakened neck muscles.
© Getty Images
22 / 30 Fotos
Persecuted
- 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.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
Persecuted
- 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.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Exploitation
- “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.
© Getty Images
25 / 30 Fotos
The Ndebele
- The Padaung aren't the only ones to elongate their necks. Ndebele women in southern Africa also wear neck rings.
© Getty Images
26 / 30 Fotos
The Ndebele
- Unlike the Padaung though, the rings worn by the Ndebele symbolize a woman's faithfulness to her husband.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
The Ndebele
- 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.
© Getty Images
28 / 30 Fotos
The Ndebele
- 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
© Getty Images
29 / 30 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 30 Fotos
It's a form of body modification
- 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.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
It's a form of body modification
- The practice is estimated to go back all the way to the 11th century in Southeast Asia, but it could be much older.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
Roots
- 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.
© Getty Images
3 / 30 Fotos
Roots
- 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.
© Getty Images
4 / 30 Fotos
Origins
- 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.
© Getty Images
5 / 30 Fotos
Origins
- There is also a tribal myth that says that the neck rings were used as protection against tiger bites.
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
Origins
- Another theory rooted in folklore is that Padaung women are descendants of the mythological Mother Dragon and wear the rings to represent her.
© Getty Images
7 / 30 Fotos
Origins
- 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.
© Getty Images
8 / 30 Fotos
When do women start elongating their necks?
- In the Padung tribe, girls start wearing neck rings as young as age five.
© Getty Images
9 / 30 Fotos
How do they do it?
- These young girls get a brass coil collar weighing about 4.5 pounds (2 kg) placed around their necks.
© Getty Images
10 / 30 Fotos
Adding more rings
- 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.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Special occasion
- 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.
© Getty Images
12 / 30 Fotos
Full set
- 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.
© Getty Images
13 / 30 Fotos
The neck doesn’t stretch
- 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.
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
It changes the structure of the body
- 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.
© Getty Images
15 / 30 Fotos
It changes the structure of the body
- The vocal cords are also affected by this body modification. It’s not uncommon for women who wear them to have deeper voices.
© Getty Images
16 / 30 Fotos
Optical illusion
- In truth, this body modification lowers the shoulders, rather than elongates the neck.
© Getty Images
17 / 30 Fotos
Lifestyle changes
- 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.
© Getty Images
18 / 30 Fotos
It can be painful
- While the body adapts to the modification, chaffing and bruising around the neck is not unusual.
© Getty Images
19 / 30 Fotos
Removal can have consequences
- When women remove the coils (for instance, to replace them), the neck muscles will likely be weakened and standing straight might prove difficult.
© Getty Images
20 / 30 Fotos
Removal can have consequences
- Discoloration, scarring, and even mold has been found in women’s necks following the removal of rings.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
The rings can be removed as a form of punishment
- Adultery, for instance, is punished by removal of the rings. This usually renders a woman unable to stand due to weakened neck muscles.
© Getty Images
22 / 30 Fotos
Persecuted
- 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.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
Persecuted
- 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.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Exploitation
- “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.
© Getty Images
25 / 30 Fotos
The Ndebele
- The Padaung aren't the only ones to elongate their necks. Ndebele women in southern Africa also wear neck rings.
© Getty Images
26 / 30 Fotos
The Ndebele
- Unlike the Padaung though, the rings worn by the Ndebele symbolize a woman's faithfulness to her husband.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
The Ndebele
- 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.
© Getty Images
28 / 30 Fotos
The Ndebele
- 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
© Getty Images
29 / 30 Fotos
The ancient tradition of neck elongation
Women have been wearing neck rings for over 1,000 years
© Getty Images
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."
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