There’s a tribe on the Thai/Burmese border, called the Padaung tribe, where the women modify their body in a way unlike anywhere else in the world. There, they show beauty by elongating their necks with the weight of heavy brass rings. This can begin as early as the age of 5 where a girl will receive her first rings. The weight of the rings will push down and sometimes break their collar boneswhich drop their ribs and shoulders and give the appearance of an elongated neck. This process continues throughout their entire lives, and more rings are added as the woman sees fit. They can stop adding weight at any time but the women push themselves to withstand the pain of more and more rings because they believe that the longer their necks are the more beautiful they are seen to be. An equal amount of bands can be found on the woman’s arms and calves. This practice has serious health risks and if the bands were ever removed their necks would not be able to support their heads. In the National Geographic documentary “Taboo” a woman is being interviewed about her neck rings and she replies by admitting that they hurt and they make it difficult to sleep and wash at times but it is all worth it to her because the rings make her beautiful. I guess all around the world women are taking extreme measures to be perceived as beautiful to their community.
"Taboo | National Geographic Channel." National Geographic Channel - Animals, Science, Exploration Television Shows. 11 Mar. 2005. Web. 08 Mar. 2011. <http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/taboo/all/Overview#tab-Videos/01604_04>.
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