Meet the Kayan Lahwi Woman

Now this is not Photoshop! According to wikipedia, Women of the Kayan Lahwi tribe are well known for wearing neck rings, brass coils that are placed around the neck, appearing to lengthen it. The women wearing these coils are known as "giraffe women" to tourists.

Girls first start to wear rings when they are around five years old. Over the years the coil is replaced by a longer one and more turns are added. The weight of the brass pushes the collar bone down and compresses the rib cage. The neck itself is not lengthened; the appearance of a stretched neck is created by the deformation of the clavicle.

                                                                              

The Ndebele Tribe in South Africa also wear neck rings as part of their traditional dress and as a sign of wealth and status. But unlike the Kayan tribe, only married women are allowed to wear the rings, called dzilla.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia