Kayan Women of Myanmar Who Wear Neck Rings

A beautiful series of the Padaung/Kayan people of Myanmar, who have the ancient tradition of wearing neck coils.In these cultures, girls start wearing the neck rings at the age of five, which pushes the collarbone down, creating the appearance of a very long neck.Photographers Ricardo Moreira and Hugo Santarem capture these unique and beautiful faces in lovely natural lighting, showcasing a culture that most of us know very little about.

“Many ideas regarding why the coils are worn have been suggested. Anthropologists have hypothesized that the rings protected women from becoming slaves, making them less attractive to other tribes.

It has also been theorised that the coils originate from the desire to look more attractive by exaggerating sexual dimorphism, as women have more slender necks than men. It has also been suggested that the coils give the women resemblance to a dragon, an important figure in Kayan folklore.”