While many western women these days wear fancy makeup and swanky clothes to appear fashionable, the Kayan people of Myanmar and the Ndebele Tribe of South Africa have a different solution to looking attractive. According to a custom affiliated with the Kan Khwan religion of the Kayan people, girls wear bronze rings round their necks starting from age five, with more and more coils being added as the girl ages.
It is no surprise that these women are considered "giraffe women" by foreigners. In addition to religious adherence, anthropologists believe that these women also wear these rings to accentuate their "sexual dimorphism" and appear more attractive, so the neck rings serve as a fashion statement as well. Furthermore, when interviewed, the women themselves also said that the rings enhanced their "beauty," similar to how makeup and fancy clothing helps women in Europe, the United States, and other Westernized societies consider themselves more attractive. However, since these neck coils permanently deform the clavicle of the wearer and also leave the neck as a bruised mess if the rings are taken off (the neck muscles under the rings are also severely weakened, and the rib cage compressed, after years of constant use), the average Westerner probably would not find this accessory to be highly fashionable.
On the other hand, to those in the Kayan tribe, a long necked woman is ideal in appearance and is even said to resemble a majestic "dragon." That being said, it is likely that these neck rings help Kayan girls obtain good marriages given the association of these neck rings with beauty and cultural identity.
As obscure as it may seem, the cultural practice of extending a person's neck with rings is also present in other global areas, notably in the Ndebele tribe of South Africa, where both men and women wear rings to show off wealth and status. The richer the tribesman or woman is, the more rings they would wear; similarly, in a western society, the wealthier somebody is, the more likely he/she is to have clothing from expensive, model-repped brands like Versace and Dolce and Gabbana.
In addition to showcasing physical beauty, fashion worldwide is also a clearly a symbol of social standing. No matter where you live, or what culture you happen to be a part of, you always find a way of showing society how respectable you are. The more affluent and powerful people in any society are naturally inclined to showcase their dominance with their physical appearance.
