Nowadays, they're wearing it for cultural/tribal reasons. However, the exact opposite is true today, as the tradition is alive and well in Myanmar where the look is considered to be beautiful and elegant. Body modifications and mutilations - The limbs and extremities The Padaung - Myanmar Mission, Geneva There are three Kayan villages in Mae Hong Son province in Thailand. CPA Media - Archives - Beauty Secrets Of The Padaung A symbol of wealth, position and beauty, the coils can stretch their necks over a foot and weigh over 20 pounds According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world record for longest neck 40 centimeters (15 inches) belonged to a Padaung woman. One of the treasures of any country is its people. As the girl grows taller, larger sets of coils replace the outgrown ones. A little pillow on top of the loops cushions the chin. In the village I visited they were tall and fulsome indicating a certain passage of time. Padaung women has always been punished by the removal of the rings, a fate almost literally, worse than death. These heavy coils can weigh as much as 11 pounds (5kg). It's becoming their own standard of beauty. The Padaung have said that this practice originated to protect women from tigers, which often attack a victim by biting the neck. Parents of girls are often very happy and men like to marry long-necked women because of the money they will bring in. Billboards showing the womens necks are on roadsides all over the north. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Many women have removed the rings for medical examinations. This constitutes 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In The Hardy Padaungs (1967) Khin Maung Nyunt, one of the first authors to use the term "Kayan", says that the Padaung prefer to be called Kayan. Wearing them isnt always an easy task, though. Loikow (five hours from Kalaw) is a medium-size town located on a lake in the Kayah State in Myanmar Most visitors come here to see the long-necked women of the Paduang tribe, a branch of the Karen tribe with only 7,000 members, most of whom live in villages within a 100 mile radius of Loikow. One of the Padaung women had gone back to her home area, but the two that remained were on call for tourist arrivals throughout the day. Tel: +41 22 906-9870, +41 22 906-9871 People With Long Necks: The Controversial Kayan Tribe in Thailand Many of the indigenous groups in Thailand were essentially composed of refugees from Burma who had settled on the Thai side of the border in the years following World War II. The Padaung women live in special villages in reasonably nice huts. The Karenni rebels' introductory lecture tried to give the affair a political overtone, but when the boat tourists came ashore at the Padaung camp there was no pretense of "cultural exchange" or learning experience. ==. Padaung (Yan Pa Doung) is a Shan term for the Kayan Lahwi (the group in which women wear the brass neck rings). +++, After a dinner of chicken curry, raw pork and a jungle delicacy identified as minced mole, I asked our hostess if she felt forced to wear the costume because of visiting foreigners. Helen "Lee" Jayu, a Lisu shopkeeper from the same tribe as U Dee, said that all the Padaung are in Thailand under U Dee's patronage and that there are no problems as long as no one leaves the area. Soon thereafter, the Karenni base was attacked and temporarily occupied by Burmese troops. At about the age of 6, girls are allowed to choose whether or not to put on the rings.