This woman is a member of the Padaung tribe in Myanmar, commonly referred to as the “long neck” tribe.  When the girls are about 5, they start to wear the brass rings and more are added as they grow.  An adult may have up to 35 rings which average about 25 lbs.  Contrary to popular belief, the neck bones and spinal cord have neither been stretched or changed.  The reason that the neck appears longer is because the heavy weight of the brass coils presses down the collar bone.  The Padaung women consider the longer the neck they have, the more elegant they are.  Before you say that this is weird, consider that in our society women starve themselves in order to obtain what our society calls “beautiful”.