The Kayan women of Northern Thailand are known for the exquisite and incredible brass coils they wear around their necks. They are often called the “long necks” or the “giraffe women” by outsiders and can wear up to 25 coils, which many never take off. Myth has it that the women will break their necks or be unable to support them if the coils are removed but this is simply not true. Maeneng, above, is the matriarch of her village, and while she is the only one to wear 25 coils, she often helps adjust and repair the coils of other women.
