Question:

Does anyone have ANY information on the women of the Padaung tribe of Thailand who appear to stretch their necks by wearing dozens of brass rings around their throats?  I want to experience the stiff neck and chin-up feeling that they have but only plan to wear the neck rings for about a year, so I probably won’t get any real stretching done.  And I really love the way they look!  Do they use rings, coils, or both?  What are the rings made of?  How are they formed? How are they applied to the womens’ necks?  Where can I get it done?  Any information is welcomed! Michele

Response:

Does anyone have ANY information on the women of the Padaung tribe of Thailand who appear to stretch their necks by wearing dozens of brass rings around their throats?  I want to experience the stiff neck and

There was an article about this in National Geographic a few years ago.  They even had an X-Ray of one of the women, showing how the rings effected the stretch.  Apparently, their necks do not actually stretch.  The rings push the bones in their shoulders down, which gives the appearance of a longer neck. As for getting that `chin-up’ feeling, a good leather posture collar will accomplish that quite well. — Stan                 | "Sometimes we need to ride the mindway

Response:

Does anyone have ANY information on the women of the Padaung tribe of Thailand who appear to stretch their necks by wearing dozens of brass rings around their throats?  I want to experience the stiff neck and chin-up feeling that they have but only plan to wear the neck rings for about a year, so I probably won’t get any real stretching done.  And I really love the way they look!      Do they use rings, coils, or both? What are the rings made of?      How are they formed? How are they applied to the womens’ necks?      Where can I get it done?  Any information is welcomed! Michele

The neck of these women isn’t lengthened, but rather the bones of their shoulders are pressed down. I can’t recall at the moment were I saw the article, and x-ray showing the deformity. Posssibly National Geographic.

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are the rings made of?  How are they formed? How are they applied to the womens’ necks?  Where can I get it done?  Any information is welcomed! Michele The neck of these women isn’t lengthened, but rather the bones of their shoulders are pressed down. I can’t recall at the moment were I saw the article, and x-ray showing the deformity. Posssibly National Geographic.

Yep, nathinal Geographic had a piece on them a few years ago. — Espen "Nameless" Berntsen Game programmer at FunCom Oslo A/S http://www.funcom.com

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I can’t recall at the moment were I saw the<BR article, and x-ray showing the deformity. Posssibly National Geographic.<BR <BR Yep, nathinal Geographic had a piece on them a few years ago.

Ahh….. the Giraffe Necked women of Paduang… my favourite "primitive" modification…. I always wanted to make a page devoted to the pics, etc I’ve collected on Neck stretching… however that pesky "copyright infringment" thing has held me back… From National Geo pics to a Clive Barker drawing to a "Garbage Pail Kids" trading card, ever item I have is copyrighted.. ::sigh:: Anyway… on to the point of this post…. I saw an advert for a National Geographic CDROM set… it claims to have "every photo ever printed in National Geographic"… has anyone bought this? Any reviews? Do they censor the old old old pics of Primitive Modifications? Shawn/SPC *"Is that a subincision in your Pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"* "In clandestine clinics fugitive technicians experimented with test-tube babies and cuttings" William Burroughs

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are the rings made of?      How are they formed? How are they applied to the womens’ necks?      Where can I get it done?  Any information is welcomed! Michele

If you peek across the net you might find this of interest. http://www.infothai.com/wtcmcr/lngneck.htm Yours, Stefan. /* My apologies, Stefan.Lundgren at klinfarm.uu.se           */

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Ahh….. the Giraffe Necked women of Paduang… my favourite "primitive" modification…. I always wanted to make a page devoted to the pics, etc I’ve collected on Neck stretching… however that pesky "copyright infringment" thing has held me back…

That stinks! But on the vein of the Paduang women, there was a section on them last night on Desmond Morris’ "The Human Sexes." (The Learning Channel). Why they do it? It makes them beautiful, they told interviewers. Actually, that whole series is pretty neat — they also had a small section on lip stretching in some "primitive" tribe, and then compared it to collagen injections, etc. by a western plastic surgeon. I only wish I’d stayed awake to watch the whole show, but I think 3 new installments are on tonight thru thursday. I love Desmons Morris! –Judy —   "I haven’t used my age to get what I wanted since I was 5." – James Lowe

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But on the vein of the Paduang women, there was a section on them last night on Desmond Morris’ "The Human Sexes." (The Learning Channel). Why they do it? It makes them beautiful, they told interviewers.

They also had footage of pearling being done, and some amazing tattoo work! You can order it uncensored (showing the procedure) from 1800 809 1221… BTW, BME also made it on TV lately. I think it was on Science Odysee or something like that — They were talking about new methods of publishing, and BME was one of the pages that they featured…         Shannon BME: Body Modification Ezine                 http://www.BME.FreeQ.com/

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I saw an advert for a National Geographic CDROM set… it claims to have "every photo ever printed in National Geographic"… has anyone bought this? Any reviews? Do they censor the old old old pics of Primitive Modifications?

Yeah,  I received this as a gift…woo!  All of the magazines are scanned in and represnted in .PDF files.  So actually, some of the text is quite hard to read.  They really appear to be complete scans of each and every magazine.  I have done some searches, but nothing extensive.  I am not a (blecch) Windows user, so I have not yet figured out how to cut and paste pictures out of their native viewer into other programs/formats. next time I get windows running (I just deleted the foul thing from my computer) I’ll do a search on this topic. — Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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I have it. It was 200$ and is a 30 cd set. It is very cool. They kept every ad, picture, and article from November 1888 through December 1996. I have not yet figured out how to save photos, or even print them. It seems that they made it so that you can do anything with the text, but can only look at the photos. Still very educational. michael mulcahy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I can’t recall at the moment were I saw the<BR article, and x-ray showing the deformity. Posssibly National Geographic.<BR <BR Yep, nathinal Geographic had a piece on them a few years ago. Ahh….. the Giraffe Necked women of Paduang… my favourite "primitive" modification…. I always wanted to make a page devoted to the pics, etc I’ve collected on Neck stretching… however that pesky "copyright infringment" thing has held me back… From National Geo pics to a Clive Barker drawing to a "Garbage Pail Kids" trading card, ever item I have is copyrighted.. ::sigh:: Anyway… on to the point of this post…. I saw an advert for a National Geographic CDROM set… it claims to have "every photo ever printed in National Geographic"… has anyone bought this? Any reviews? Do they censor the old old old pics of Primitive Modifications? Shawn/SPC *"Is that a subincision in your Pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"* "In clandestine clinics fugitive technicians experimented with test-tube babies and cuttings" William Burroughs

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They also had footage of pearling being done, and some amazing tattoo work! You can order it uncensored (showing the procedure) from 1800 809 1221…

        Yeah, I just called them…It’s 6 * 52 minutes tapes and sells for about 90 bucks US.  A little expensive, specially if you only want one episode. Phil — "Power To The People" – BPP

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I have the most visceral memory about seeing pictures of these women for the first time when I was a little girl.  It’s hard to explain, the memory is almost a physical sensation… I was wholly intrigued by it, as well as frightened and totally seduced.

I remember seeing this issue of NG as well and wondering about what it meant for these women.  It was about the time that my sister was arguing with my mother about wanting to get her ears pierced, and mom was adamant about not letting it happen.  I remember taking my sister’s side and showing mom the magazine saying, "there are a lot more extreme things she could do."  I guess it was my first real fascination with body modification.  The idea of this fragility, their total vulnerability, just blew my little mind.  I remember thinking that those women were very beautiful and also very brave. Every time I see them now, I’m transported back to that moment. I feel exactly like I did then, aware of the mystery and magic of it all, beginning to know the power we have over our own -selves-…

Very beautifully said, Andria.  I feel like as the owners of our bodies we choose to make ourselves what and whom we are.  In terms of change and modification, as our bodies age and we decide what we want to look like, we allow our inner selves to come out.  It *is* mysterious and somewhat like taking a plunge off a legde we can’t climb back up onto after it’s done.  My first modification was like a rite of passage, over 9 years ago now, and I still have it. I feel like I get a special energy from knowing that it’s there. Our power over ourselves is so undefinable at times. Harnessing it is sometimes an elusive task.  Personal power propels us to change what we look like, how we act, what we do. But still the most powerful ones have periods of weakness and self-doubt.  I often wonder about what kind of power people derive from their modifications.  More than aesthetics, I wonder about the spirituality that people gain from what changes they have made to their personal living canvasses. We’ve heard, recently, some very eloquent and engaging commentaries about what modifications mean to people. And one of the nicest things is that there is always positive feedback when the deep and heartfelt posts come up.  I always love reading about the personal experiences, motivations, and meanings behind people’s mods…they are inspiring and revealing.   I guess you could label this post a call to RABbits to continue to share their feelings and their inspirations.         Chef — Silencio todavia es una respuesta. (Silence is also an answer).

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I must have been 9 or 10 years old when I saw them.  I remember so vividly looking at the photographs and reading that these women could -never- take these rings off because their necks could no longer support their heads.  The idea of this fragility, their total

I remember this too… I also vividly remember that the punishment for infidelity was to get your rings removed.  In other words, death. (Unless, of course, you had devoted family members that would feed you and clean you while your atrophied neck muscles regained their strength). I loved the look, and always wanted it, but wasn’t willing to do the "atrophied neck muscles" route — walk in beauty Leaf to email me, remove the _ from "jade_jaguar" or just click here: "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time"      James Taylor

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I have<BR not yet figured out how to save photos, or even print them. It seems that<BR they made it so that you can do anything with the text, but can only look<BR at the photos. Still very educational.

Great…. I might pick it up then. Um…have you tried the "CAPTURE SCREEN" Feature on a program like Photoshop? I do that all the time, but as the anesthetics debate shows, I’m prone to breaking the law. ~ Shawn/SPC, master criminal *"Is that a subincision in your Pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"* "In clandestine clinics fugitive technicians experimented with test-tube babies and cuttings" William Burroughs

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No. I do not know how to do stuff like that. I do have photo shop, but…um…my version didn’t come with instructions. michael mulcahy i will give it a try – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have<BR not yet figured out how to save photos, or even print them. It seems that<BR they made it so that you can do anything with the text, but can only look<BR at the photos. Still very educational. Great…. I might pick it up then. Um…have you tried the "CAPTURE SCREEN" Feature on a program like Photoshop? I do that all the time, but as the anesthetics debate shows, I’m prone to breaking the law. ~ Shawn/SPC, master criminal *"Is that a subincision in your Pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"* "In clandestine clinics fugitive technicians experimented with test-tube babies and cuttings" William Burroughs

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 I feel like as the owners of our bodies we choose to make ourselves what and whom we are.  In terms of change and modification, as our bodies age and we decide what we want to look like, we allow our inner selves to come out.

The above quote comes from a post by chef – who may quite rightly say I am taking it out of context by my saying the following… It occurs to me, and has been the subject of some debate with others, that some forms of modification have a ‘window of oppurtunity’.  That is to say that only if a process is begun at an age when a person cannot normally be said to have a fully developed sense of self-directed behaviour can the ultimate effect be achieved.  The stretched necks, certain types of sadhu penis stretching which depend  upon an undeveloped ligature, foot binding, etc. would seem to be such things.  This raises the possibility that others [parents, society, combinatorial forces, etc] must, either through direct action or inaction, make choices for us concerning our bodies and what mods are actually possible for us to achieve.  In this regard, I think it is interesting to consider to what extent we may have been denied/forced into mods and what we might consider our responsibiltiy or anyone’s responsibility concerning children/youth as individuals or society as a whole.  I may use this as an element in a paper i am working on for a seminar, so any feedback is greatly appreciated. Erik http://members.aol.com/spidergod5/index.html

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I must have been 9 or 10 years old when I saw them.  I remember so<BR vividly

Leaf responded: I loved the look, and always wanted it, but wasn’t willing to do the<BR "atrophied neck muscles" route

I’m happily suprised by the response this post/modification has drawn. Giraffe Necks were sort of my "moment of clarity"… they represented the "missing link" to me. My mind could comprehend tattoos, piercings and scarification (which was all I had been exposed to in Geo, school books, etc) because it seemed so simple…. sharp impliment+skin will get you at least one of the three. The extreme manipulation of the body that it took to do THAT was VERY influential to me… not in the context of action… I didn’t try brass rings on my neck, but as far as a way of THINKING. I think Corsets came next… a "found" copy of a hetero porno mag that had reprinted Claw’s bondage pics of Bettie Page…maybe 11 pages of Bettie in corsets and high-high heels. I was smitten. Then I ran off to watch cartoons. Oddly I was reading the new BODY PLAY magazine a few minutes ago, and when I sign off, I’m going to watch "Disney’s Hercules"…… some things don’t change, eh? Shawn/SPC *"Is that a subincision in your Pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"* "In clandestine clinics fugitive technicians experimented with test-tube babies and cuttings" William Burroughs

Response:

But on the vein of the Paduang women, there was a section on them last night on Desmond Morris’ "The Human Sexes." (The Learning Channel). Why they do it? It makes them beautiful, they told interviewers.

Well, I also hear that nowadays, they get a lot of tourist $$$ from it, so I think the "purity" of the whole thing may be getting compromised.  Does anyone know what the long-term health effects of this are?  They just barely hinted at it on the show… (one of the problems with the series has been how short a period of time they get to spend on each little micro-subject — I wanted more on these bodmods!). Actually, that whole series is pretty neat — they also had a small section on lip stretching in some "primitive" tribe, and then compared it to collagen injections, etc. by a western plastic surgeon.

Yes, and the lipstretch women also had some really keen horizontal ear stretches. I only wish I’d stayed awake to watch the whole show, but I think 3 new installments are on tonight thru thursday.

Tonight (Wednesday) is the last installment (at least for this week, don’t know if it resumes next week).  Segment #2 tonight is on the ‘Gender Wars’, my SO is quite keen to see if the women win…                 – Mike

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[snip] Oddly I was reading the new BODY PLAY magazine a few minutes ago, and when I sign off, I’m going to watch "Disney’s Hercules"…… some things don’t change, eh?

Hey, my brother is on tour with Disney’s – ‘Hercules on Ice’ tour.  He plays the Ice Titan (called by Hades to defeat Herc) and he is also Nexus (big blue mean guy that’s half horse).  When he is in FL, mabey I could hook ya up.  ;)~ ObBodMod:  So, fyi, Disney is an equal opp. employer.  They hired my bro who has about 26 hrs of ink, lots-o-steel, with his lobes at 1/2in. — G