The Kayan Lahwi people, also known as Padaung, are a minority ethnic group with populations in Burma and Thailand. Padaung women are famous for their distinctive custom of wearing brass coils around their necks.

As the women grow, the coils are lengthened, compressing the rib cage and displacing the collarbone, creating the illusion of an extremely long neck.

The origin of this custom is a bit mysterious. Some have theorized that it is a way to make the women less attractive to slave traders, or to protect the throat from tigers. The most commonly accepted explanation is simply that a long neck is considered a mark of great beauty.

In the 1930s, circuses and sideshows were tremendously popular in the United Kingdom. Padaung women, advertised as “giraffe women,” were star attractions, drawing crowds of curious gawkers.

The neck ring custom is still encouraged among some Padaung women of Thailand today, for the same reason: Western tourists pay good money for the chance to see a “giraffe woman” in the flesh.

Many Padaung women have chosen not to continue the neck ring tradition, rejecting it as cumbersome and an obstacle to integration with modern Thai society. The custom has been rejected mostly for reasons of convenience rather than health safety concerns.