Young Women in Myanmar Shunning Traditional Neck Rings

For hundreds of years, Kayan women in Myanmar have worn coiled bronze rings around their necks, a traditional and customary symbol of beauty. But a new generation of women from one of Asia's most distinctive ethnic minorities is choosing not to follow in the fashion footsteps of their long-necked ancestors. VOA's Julie Taboh has more.
Originally published at - www.voanews.com/a/young-women...

[@Aelea]

I think it's beautiful when they're donning just a few rows of rings. So they could continue the tradition without causing pain or disfiguration.

[@sarenemun4817]

:(( when the tourist guide was talking about tourists coming in and calling his people "human zoo" or "giraffe women" when their name is the Kayan tribe.

[@sarenemun4817]

Also, it's not the giraffe these women tried to look like, but dragons. There's a whole story behind this tradition!

[@capchoc3592]

Should’ve smacked him

[@nmachiisaac2869]

That’s actually racist

[@nmachiisaac2869]

Sarene Mun wow that’s cool I wanna know. About it maybe I’ll search it up

[@swish3432]

They’re the one who deformed themselves.

[@susannorman4483]

Although unique to see, I’m glad the girls are shunning them or at least only wearing a few. I only hope they don’t change from tradition to exploiting themselves for tourism $

[@doodleproductions7552]

@This is what u want? - this is what u get! Are all those procedures bad for a person's health 100% of the time? Also, that's cultural relativism, many people in the United States (most geographers too) practice ethnocentrism.

[@doodleproductions7552]

@This is what u want? - this is what u get! Also, the neck braces are being exploited as a tourist attraction, most modern-day people of the time don't like the tradition, but are forced to because of traditional values. You're assuming they got a choice to wear them which some of them didn't and by the time they do want to stop it's too late and becomes uncomfortable to take it off.

[@mpumelelogarciasoumeyra2198]

Its funny how when we see actual sexism in other cultures we think it's cute and cultural.

[@hays3391]

It’s there culture. Leave there culture or whatever alone

[@mpumelelogarciasoumeyra2198]

@@hays3391 their* And culture is no excuse to oppress women.

[@hays3391]

@@mpumelelogarciasoumeyra2198 it’s been their tradition since you weren’t even alive yet so please don’t say stuff

[@anastasiaarmitage]

Someone will die alone and frustrated lol

[@mpumelelogarciasoumeyra2198]

@@anastasiaarmitage Hahah I knew you idiots think too low of non-westerners. We dont have to pretend all traditions are good, it is not offensive to think of other cultures as capable of not being brutal.

[@four-en-tee]

Look, coming from an agnostic catholic, i understand where they're coming from in terms of "tradition." However, if it really is a health hazard, then its a tradition thats best left forgotten. Otherwise, if we kept up traditions, there'd still be animal sacrifices during masses and other religious gatherings. :/

[@vladimirkhorzhan4472]

Animal sacrifices during masses still exist. It's called Islam.

[@warmythic2617]

:/ .....

[@KaiZen999XXX]

Circumcision is religion and its very rare but babies would die to blood loss .

[@YousifYaseenMusic]

@Vladimir Khorzhan That’s incorrect. In Islam and Judaism ritual slaughter is practiced on specific days where the animal is the prepared for a meal(s). It is akin to a christmas turkey with more overt religious sentiment. Animal sacrifice is killing and offering an animal to a deity for favor or other reasons. This is not the case in abrahamic religions.

[@sambatra6162]

@@vladimirkhorzhan4472 true!!

[@lordestan8477]

guess no neck ed got hope

[@sirisaacnewton3305]

😂😂

[@floatingchimney]

Can those rings elongate other body parts if you wear them?

[@rafaelros2307]

Lmao

[@mpumelelogarciasoumeyra2198]

Hahahaha asking for a friend

[@superbspurge]

It can elongate your _______________.

[@SirKolass]

You can try it, you will pee anywhere but inside the toilet however.

[@missvida6251]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 no comment

[@biggestsaintsfan]

Someone is using clips from this video to sell pillows on Facebook

[@SirKolass]

Imagine if they took that thing off, I imagine their head collapsing 😂😂

[@chiccacherrycolalime]

Lolllll

[@graystrishanna]

So washing your neck isn't a thing. I'd freak out about that ijs 😬

[@ravigupta2311]

Is this video copyright free?

[@ChromiF]

The human embodiment of the ‘nope.avi’ tf2 meme

[@susannorman4483]

Not bronze lady...brass. 🙄

[@anilaanilaakram3423]

Oh my god how much difficult it is for them I salute their level of beraness

[@hoganavajo]

It's not hard to understand why they find it elegant and ascetic in their traditional culture.

[@swish3432]

You’re sick

[@hoganavajo]

@@swish3432 excuse me? I am not implying they should find it so. But from their cultural perspective as passed through the centuries it can be understood by an educated mind.

[@tayloryetto]

Yes it is. F that

[@tvthecat]

you're insane

[@bbbhh7734]

Not a healthy practice

[@derarty4290]

They remind me of earthbenders from the Avatar :)

[@katep.1465]

People who encourage this and praise them for keeping their traditions should maybe think that not all traditions deserve to live on... Some can be truly barbaric and dangerous. These women are literally crushing their collarbones, how is that good? And the more tourists this attracts, the more they come to depend on money from this, the less chance there is they will let this practice die off and stop deforming their bodies.

[@verabolton]

Barbaric and dangerous just like gender surgeries 🥺

[@ro1andag508]

I like how they just have a datura tree chillin

[@MattyPastaNYC]

Brass Rings*

[@editname8084]

Our neighbor of indonesia my country

[@lisajswan]

This is torture like foot binding. No “beauty” is gain with this.

[@hombrepobre9646]

how do they sleep?

[@priyankabrar5182]

There’s no end to craziness

[@StickmanChmook]

*neck braces

[@mudlark4099]

Za Za Oo is a fantastic name.

[@mmm7m672]

That's so horrible doing this because you're neck is going to have enough problems when you are older & the disc are weakened

[@brandonparker637]

Taking giving neck to the next level 🤣😈

[@jcymngo]

The rings are brass.

[@amysaulter5243]

1:24 my girl lookin like bambam from got7

[@kingbambam9726]

I'm reminded of Bambam in this part lol , 😂 1:59 "This people are my people"

[@sebascampo7596]

kien esta aqui solo por una tarea :)

[@thirdy5360]

oh my good god

[@olcotttheosophy]

Why this tradition.

[@brandirevell6687]

Looks painful and dangerous

[@sf49erswarriorsgiantsgumba99]

Somethings just need to stay in the past! Just cuz it’s cultural, that doesn’t mean you forgotten about who and where your origin is from. Modern science show that these things are not good for you. And when they did this back in the days, it was for protection. Now I think they do it for looks! Nowadays we are more health cautious about everything!!

[@sarangrb1375]

Tesla coil

[@hays3391]

Y’all do know they ware those around neck from beheading protection

[@Me_mylife_myworld_Sunset]

Originally the rings were supposed to be used as a protection from tigers made of woman’s to wear to keep safe and not to be bitten

[@adelekebasheeratolawunmi6523]

This is rubbish

[@FrenchCat139]

Excuse me,Gentleman. Speaking other country's Traditional a rubbish isn't a Polite thing to say.

[@sambatra6162]

@@FrenchCat139 Aight but that tradition hurts these people, so it isn't good.

[@nayzawmyo8081]

we all know that.but at least he should say other polite word instead of rubbish

[@krackencrusader403]

No, a tradition that hurts its people brings no value, doing things just because they were done before breeds suffering. If a tradition is worth upholding then it can withstand inspection.

[@jennaalletag1637]

What happens when they take it off.

[@niketv2847]

That’s crazy as hell 🧐

[@detsan-ho9tf]

Crazy traditional

[@r41n31]

True Kaminoans

[@senianns9522]

J.R.R. Tolkien has a lot to answer for!

[@jakslslmsksodppxl1558]

Allah’ın belaları

[@TheRealSoarBae849]

They’re used to be Burmese people until the war started, and they’re going to find a new places just like KARENNI, Karenni and Karenni people look the same but different languages and Karenni People don’t believe doing a Tribe is real.

[@gracedarngawn6735]

Please stop wearing those ring

[@user-el2qm9jg1y]

اخه این چ کاریه

[@arcticmorning]

Crazy

[@vanesOnYT]

Good thing this 'tradition' is dying out

[@dreadheadsuave2786]

Looks like giraffes influence some humans in the world 😂

[@najicodm8405]

What the fuck

[@SamuelLovesJesus]

Terrible

[@PROUDTOBEANAMERICAN55]

Damn f* that. Im fine with my neck

[@kerryr3331]

Foolish tradition......stop it.....

[@amondzer2047]

Still not as weird as the gender confusion in the US

[@verabolton]

It's sad but true 🥺

[@mariaquiet6211]

Not as weird as the people who have to bring it up every chance they get

[@harisrex7532]

There's one of their ppl escaped to us bcuz this tradition sucks, his name goes by 'daddy long neck'

[@swish3432]

Condoning this is just as bad as condoning Chinese foot binding. It’s sick