10 Ancient Body Modification Practices

A long neck is considered beautiful among women in many cultures, driving some to artificially lengthen theirs. The practice of wearing thick, metal coils in order to attain a longer neck is estimated to have started in the 11th century AD in Southeast Asia.

In theory the coils are so thick that they push the head up, thus stretching out the neck and making it permanently longer. In reality, the neck does look longer, but it is due to the collarbones being pushed down.

It is uncertain why this started, though some say it was to make the women less attractive to avoid being captured as slaves or to protect the neck from potential tiger attacks. The most commonly accepted theory is that it shows wealth and beauty, thus making the woman more desirable, which is the reason behind it in the recent past.

Among the Ndebele tribe in Africa the women wear brass and copper rings around their necks in addition to their arms and legs. Girls in the Padaung tribe in Myanmar start wearing a brass collar when they are five years old, gradually adding more and larger coils.