There is a tribe in Myanmar known for wearing neck rings or brass coils around their neck. Women from this tribe coil their neck for years to stretch it, and when it’s finally time that they remove it, the results are unbelievable. Curious what she looked like after? Wondering why she did it in the first place? Continue reading to find out what these neck rings do to their body!
Why They Use It
Anthropologists found out a few explanations as to why people wear these coils around their neck. One theory explained that women from this tribe wore neck rings to make themselves less attractive. It is said that this was their way of protecting themselves from slavery. But another theory implied that it was the other way around.
Why They Use It
For Beauty
In other cultures, not only women are wearing these neck coils, both men and women do. Although it was more common for women to be practicing this, sometimes you’ll find men practicing it as well. Wearing neck rings is seen to be a symbol of beauty. Directly after wearing neck rings, your neck will appear to be longer. But it was explained that this is not because your neck was stretched, but rather because your collarbone was pushed down.
For Beauty
Beliefs
They believed that the neck rings that they wear made them look more attractive. Overall, slender and long necks are seen to be appealing and could be achieved with the help of wearing neck rings. Anyhow, this type of body modification is particular within the tribe.
Beliefs
The Dangers And Risks
If you are not familiar with this kind of practice, you would probably find it dangerous. So it is not surprising anymore to hear that people are worried about the safety of this practice. In actual fact, this kind of practice is actually safe since it does not really elongate the neck.
The Dangers And Risks
Cultural
Instead of stretching the neck, it actually pushes down the collar bone and compresses the ribs. Though it can get risky over time. According to the women of the Kayan tribe, they wear these neck rings since it has become a part of their cultural identity.
Cultural
Lifelong Goal
A 28-year-old girl named Sydney V. Smith had always dreamed of becoming a “giraffe woman.” Over the last three years, she has been trying to extend her neck by wearing about 11 copper rings around her neck.
Lifelong Goal
The Motivation
Body modification had always fascinated Sydney, especially the tribal women of Thailand and Burma. She said that she always had a long neck. She also mentioned that when she was still in middle school, she was being called “the giraffe girl.” Then when she saw pictures of the long-necked tribes from Thailand and Burma in National Geographic, she said that she became more fascinated with them.
The Motivation
Experimenting
After seeing the pictures of long-necked tribes in Thailand and Burman, Sydney decided to cut up her coat hangers and wear them around her neck every time she went to bed. Even though her parents found it to be completely ridiculous, she still continued to do it. She believed that doing this practice every night will stretch her neck.
Experimenting
Attachment
It was clear to Sydney that her neck was longer compared to most people, but not in an odd manner. She then began to question whether she wanted to wear the rings and still be considered the “girl with the long neck.” Eventually, she realized that she was already attached to the rings wrapped around her neck.
Attachment
Slow And Steady
Having said that Sydney is not a part of the Kayan tribe, she still chose to continue this challenge on her own. Unfortunately, it was more hard for her since she was already physically mature when she decided to follow the practice.
Slow And Steady
The Beginning
Clearly, Sydney enjoyed feeling the pressure she was getting on top of her neck and shoulders. She was looking for comfort and excitement, and this was where she focused on. In 2011, she started wearing a tight-fitting copper necklace that suits the requirements she needs.
The Beginning
Adjusting To The Rings
At her age, Sydney’s body did not have any more space for growth to happen. She then decided to take things slowly, and just added more rings as she adjusts to them. Eventually, she was already wearing 10 rings around her neck.
Adjusting To The Rings
Shy Girl
Sydney always felt shy to be seen around with coil rings around her neck. When she was still living in Maryland, she hid them by wearing thick turtleneck sweaters. She also worked at the back of the house in a restaurant just to avoid unwanted attention from people.
Shy Girl
The Mastermind
She had her rings customized by her friend. They are also patched around her neck, but they have a special screw so that they can be easily removed in case of any medical emergencies. But for Sydney, they are permanently attached to her.
The Mastermind
The Risks
In the process of placing the rings around her neck, Sydney says that she always made sure that it is done safely. However, she did not deny that sometimes she gets some burn from it. She also thinks that her neck is about 10-11 inches long and she couldn’t be happier with the rings.
The Risks
A Worldwide Sensation
When you get your self featured in the comic books by Ripley’s Believe It or Not, you can tell that things are getting pretty serious. If you haven’t heard of the show before, you should be aware that they feature the oddest and peculiar stories to tell out there.
A Worldwide Sensation
In The Media
Sydney’s story caught the show’s attention. It was not long before her story started spreading. For other people, what Synedy was practicing was a very unique thing, since it is not something people usually do very often, especially if it’s not part of their culture. Its uniqueness is the reason why it caught the media’s attention.
In The Media
A Comic Book Character
Not a lot of people would say that a comic book character was inspired by them. We are not sure if Sydney has superpowers of some sort, but there’s a chance that she could stand in for Elastigirl or Plastic man if she really had to. Nevertheless, she clearly caught a lot of people’s attention.
A Comic Book Character
Making Progress
This photo was captioned with the word “Progress.” You do not have to be an expert scientist to understand what she was trying to say. The coils grew from the first few days, and you would notice that there are already little changes in her physique.
Making Progress
Too Heavy
At the end of the day, the rings on her neck would get so heavy that it leaves Sydney no choice but to remove them. By that time, she already had 15 rings wrapped around her neck. Altogether they weighed five pounds!
Too Heavy
Not Worth It
It may not sound a lot of weight for some, but the fact is that it gets tiring to wear them when you have it on 24/7. It will start to feel like torture for other people.
Not Worth It
Medical Issues
An orthopedic surgeon from Southern California, Dr. Jonathan Nissanoff, says that he does not advise anyone doing this practice because it may cause a severe injury in the nerves on a person’s neck. He also added that at Sydney’s age she is already growing, in this way she is just stretching her skin but her neck won’t stretch anymore.
Medical Issues
Not Giving Up
Despite knowing what Dr. Jonathan Nissanoff said, it still didn’t stop Sydney from doing it. She still went on and still considered adding the 12th ring even after hearing what the doctors said. She also thought of making many out of her appearance. She even said that she would like to work as a specialty model, but exploiting herself was not her original plan. “However, it seems to be my calling”, she said.
Not Giving Up
Health First
The coils, however, will eventually take its toll on her body someday. She wouldn’t have any other choice but to remove them. If these neck rings were not going to work out for Sydney, she wasn’t going to put her health and her life on the line just to experiment with the rings. Her health always came first.
Health First
They Dominated Her Life
In one of her recent interviews, Sydney explained the reason why she had to remove the painful coils off of her neck. She said that she couldn’t do things properly as a long neck woman with fifteen rings wrapped around her neck in the United States of America.
They Dominated Her Life
Her Life Changed
We are sure that it was not easy for her to keep these tight neck rings coiled around her neck all the time. She must have begun to realize the things that she had previously taken for granted.
Her Life Changed
All About The Rings
People could not help themselves but feel curious in some way when they checked and tried to take a look at the accessories. For all that, she started to get tired of being questioned about it five years later. The rings also made her feel confined.
All About The Rings
Where Did Sydney Go
“It’s all been about the rings, it was no longer about Sydney. I wanted to stick my neck out to make things work, but reality kicked in after some time.” We couldn’t imagine this being a fun feeling.
Where Did Sydney Go
Freedom At Last
After five long years of having the rings wrapped around her neck, she finally decided that it was time for her to remove them. She realized that wearing the neck rings were simply not worth the effort. The burden of wearing the coils just made her life difficult.
Freedom At Last
Not Practical
She tried to explain it. She said that unless you’re willing to completely isolate yourself and you are a trust fund baby and don’t even need to leave the house, or don’t even need to drive, then maybe you could pull it off.
Not Practical
Still The Giraffe Woman
Sydney still considers herself to be the “Giraffe Woman” even after she took the neck rings off. She does not feel any regrets about what she did in the past. Even though it has changed her body in various ways.
Still The Giraffe Woman
It Took A Toll
Sydney got herself some severe bruising on her collar bone area. This is not surprising at all since she had the neck rings around her neck for five years! If you’ll come to think of it, she’s still fortunate that it was just only bruising that she got.
It Took A Toll
In A Lot Of Pain
She first mentioned that her neck was “very frail, sort of like arms on a toothpick.” Although this does not appear to be the most pleasurable images, it is still best to hear and know the consequences of her actions.
In A Lot Of Pain
Trying To Recover
Although Sydney suffered from having bruises and experiencing stiffness, The doctors assured her that the recovery isn’t going to take that long. It seems like she must have had a lot of luck in this case.
Trying To Recover
Not The Only One
Sydney was not the only person who recently did such harsh things just to improve their looks and modify their bodies. Continue reading to see more people who decided to get a severe operation just to look like the celebrity that they idolize the most.
Not The Only One
Romario Dos Santos Alves
Incredible Hulk, a character from Marvel has been portrayed by a lot of stars in the past, but our favorite actor to take on this role would be Lou Ferrigno. However, a guy named Romario Dos Santos was willing to give it a try. This Brazilian man wanted to look exactly like the comic book character. So he went on and grew his biceps to 25 inches by using alcohol, Synthol, and painkillers.
Romario Dos Santos Alves
Almost The Hulk
It was not a good idea at all, it even had a bad effect on his health. He almost had to amputate both his arms and later on attempted to put an end to his life. They had to extract the Synthol rocks that he added to his arms. Ever since the incident, he promised to stop taking drugs and is now working hard to be a great bodybuilder.
Almost The Hulk
Nadya Suleman
Nadya Suleman has already been famous even before getting plastic surgery. She was known as the “Octomom” for giving birth to a set of octuplets in January 2009. At one point, people began to notice and point out the similarities she has with the actress Angelina Jolie. After learning about this, people believe that she has chosen to get collagen injections and undergo rhinoplasty.
Nadya Suleman
Octomom
They claimed she had it to look more like the actress, but the photos of her after the surgery contradict this. In an interview, she said that she never even thought of Angelina Jolie, except the last time that she saw a movie of the actress some time ago. “This is so far away from the place I’m in right now, to think of any,” she said.
Octomom
Justin Jedlica
A guy from New York, Justin Hedlica, spent almost a quarter of a million dollars to look like Ken. Yes, Barbie’s Ken, the doll! He had to go through at least 190 operations to achieve the look that he was trying to aim. However, he did not go through all this to have a good career in modeling. There’s no need for that since he and his husband own a business in Chicago.
Justin Jedlica
Real-Life Ken
Calf implants, chest implants, rhinoplasty, gluteoplasty, thigh implants, lip augmentations, biceps implants, brow shaving, brow lifts, and shoulder implants are some of the procedures that he got. Imagine going all through that! When he reached the age of seventeen, he felt unhappy with the looks that he had. That is when his obsession with plastic surgery began. Just four days after he celebrated his eighteenth birthdays, he got his very first one.
Real-Life Ken
Mikki Jay
We are all aware that the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has had a lot of plastic surgeries over the years. In actual fact, the attention that they attracted almost stole the spotlight of his musical abilities. A British woman named Mikki Jay is known to be one of his biggest fans. She spent thousands of dollars for a chin implant, cheeks implants, and rhinoplasty.
Mikki Jay
Michael Who?
Mikki underwent all through that surgery just to look like her idol! It is interesting to learn that she has the voice that goes well with her looks as well. She then began performing as one of the most popular Michael Jackson impersonators out there in 1992. She was even given the chance to perform for the music icon himself!
Michael Who?
Crystal U
It is not shocking to learn that a lot of plastic surgery clients request to look like the famous singer Britney Spears. In a program released by MTV called I Want a Famous Face, an office worker named Crystal U always dreamed of looking like the pop star. She spent around $25K to get a nose job, for fat grafts, lip injections, and breast implants. She was hopeful that by doing all these things, it may help her fulfill her dream of becoming a stripper or an Anaheim Angels Strike Force. We are not sure if any of these has come true, though, But we sure are wishing her success!
Crystal U
Claire Leeson
When she was still a student, Claire Leeson was being bullied at her school. After going through two suicide attempts, she found comfort by watching the show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Her friends would always tell her that she resembled a lot like Kim Kardashian, so she went on and spent over $30,0000 on plastic surgery to make this even more true.
Claire Leeson
Not Quite Kim
Debt collectors were on her heels due to the rising costs of plastic surgery. She then decided to work as an impersonator and be on TV shows so that she could pay for all the procedures. She has recently confessed her disappointment for getting the procedures and even despised being compared to the reality TV show star, Kim Kardashian. The online threats and attacks that she was getting made things more difficult for her.
Not Quite Kim
Toby Sheldon
A German musician named Toby Sheldon decided to move to Los Angeles in California to live up to his dreams of becoming a pop star. He always dreamt of becoming like his idol, Justin Bieber. His obsession with his idol made him spend over $100,000 on plastic surgery just to look like him. He did gain some fame when he appeared on TV shows like Botched, The Doctors, and My Strange Addiction. Unfortunately, his dead body was discovered after the 35-year-old overdosed himself of sleeping aids, Xanax, Valium, and alcohol. It may be because of the fact that he just broke up with his boyfriend a few days before his death.
Toby Sheldon
Tiffany Taylor
The daughter of Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, had already been modeling for big brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Sassoon Jeans, and Versace. Aside from all of that, she also appeared in AskMen and Maxim Hot 100. Tiffany Taylor, an oil and gas consultant, thought that looking like the first daughter would improve her self-esteem. That is why she paid $60,000 for two nose jobs, an eyelift, a mini facelift, and two breast augmentation. Given all of these, the Texan mother of three does not have any intentions to quit.
Tiffany Taylor
Donna Marie Trego
Donna Marie Trego has worked in clubs that featured acts like Boyzone and Angie Brown. She was in awe of Lady Gaga, she decided that it was time to change the course of her career. Even though she shelled out $60,000 for the plastic surgeries, this South Wales native paid even more money to recreate the classic Gaga outfits and hire dancers for live shows.
Donna Marie Trego
Donna Gaga
Donna Gaga has appeared in multiple shows all over Europe, such a GlastonBudget, which was a major tribute concert in the city. She then finally got the opportunity to meet Mother Monster herself in 2014. Lady Gaga was very pleased with the commitment Donna Marie has.
Donna Gaga
Nileen Namita
Nefertiti is probably one of the most famous queens ever seen in history. This historical figure has been used in numerous films and TV shows in the past. A woman named Nileen Namita had always believed that she was the reincarnation of the queen of Egypt.
Nileen Namita
Queen Nileen
Nileen Namita went through counseling in her early twenties. She then decided to work on looking like the queen of Egypt, Nefertiti. Since 1987, she has spent $100,000 on 51 procedures. She went through 5 eye surgeries, six mini facelifts, and eight nose jobs. She has received the blessing of her three kids. With that being said, for sure she will be getting more body modifications in the future.
Queen Nileen
Matt And Mike Schlepp
Twin brothers, Michael, and Matt Schlepp used to study in North Canyon High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Michael and Matt were both huge fans of the famous Hollywood actor, Brad Pitt. The twins appeared on the MTV show entitled, I Want A Famous Face. In the show, the twins had the chance to try looking like doppelgangers of the actor. The two of them got nose jobs and chin implants for about $20,000.
Matt And Mike Schlepp
Pitt Twins
On top of those, Michael also got jaw and cheek implants. Unfortunately, they didn’t get that much compliments from other people since some thought that the end result did not look anything like the star. An online survey revealed that the two look more like Steven Cojocaru, who is known for working on Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood.
Pitt Twins
Kitty
Kitty was born and raised in Houston and she was a huge fan of Jennifer Lawrence. After the birth of her daughter, she gained some weight and then decided that we want to go all in to look like the Academy Award winner. She asked the services of Dr. Franklin Rose from the First Surgical Hospital and got herself a liposuction, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation. The show Nightline even covered and featured the whole process! Kitty loved the end result a lot, but it turns out that her husband Eric is not a big fan of Jennifer Lawrence and didn’t really approve of the surgery that he got. But Eric still respected and accepted the decision her wife made.
Kitty
Jordan James Parke
Jordan James Parke was a regular guy who is working as a makeup artist. His life was turned upside down when he started to get hooked watching Keeping Up With The Kardashian and became fascinated with Kim K. He then began having different procedures to look more like the star of the show! Along his journey to be the male version of Kim K, he spent more than $150K! However, he still won’t stop himself from getting plastic surgery. Even though that he’s getting a lot of long stares from people and lots of negative feedback online, he chose to use this as a motivation to be a better version of himself.
Jordan James Parke
Xiaoqing
Xiaoqing was 21 when she decided to have plastic surgery to look like Jessica Alba. It was during 2010 when the Chinese woman began her transformation by wearing a blonde wig on top of her dark hair. The wig was given to her by her boyfriend, and was told to wear it more often. Their split was the turning point of her life. After their breakup, she had plastic surgery to look like the actress in an attempt to get her boyfriend back. It was then revealed that her boyfriend was a huge fan of the actress. He reportedly had posters of the actress on his walls and kept many photos on his phone.
Xiaoqing
Jocelyn Wildenstein
Next up, we have another who drastically underwent plastic surgery to win his man’s heart. Unlike the others that were mentioned on the list, Jocelyn Wildenstein had no plan to look like a celebrity. This swiss-born socialite wanted to look like a cat! She spent millions of dollars just to look like that. She was trying to keep her husband at that time happy. Being a big fan of big jungle cats and owner of a private African reserve, she thought that if she looked more feline her husband would want her again. Unfortunately, she wasn’t successful since the divorce still pushed through.
Jocelyn Wildenstein
Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson had always dreamt of looking like the soccer icon David Beckham. He spent $26,000 in government benefits in order to achieve his dream look. So he underwent plastic surgery and got teeth enhancement, cheek and chin fillings, and tanning injections.
Jack Johnson
Biggest Fan
Did he think that looking like David Beckham would give him more chances of getting the ladies? Or maybe improve his playing skills? We just don’t know that. At any rate, what matters the most is that Jack was happy that he looked like the iconic soccer player. We’re pleased that it worked out for him.
Biggest Fan
Carolyn Anderson
These women right here may share their last name, but Carolyn Anderson wanted to have something else in common with Pamela Anderson. Carolyn shelled out $40K to look like the actress. Throughout the course of more than 14 years, she spent money to get Botox, breast implants, hair extensions, teeth whitening, teeth straightening, skin peels, fake tans, and beauty spot tattoos. She went through all of that procedure just to look more like the actress. She even proudly shared that she now feels that she’s better than the original after spending $160K on clothes that could match that of the Baywatch star. This sure is a lot of money, but we guarantee you that it’s all worth it.
Carolyn Anderson
Rodrigo Alves
Rodrigo Alves had this goal to obtain the perfect face and body. He has gotten himself with so many plastic surgery procedures. As a result of this, medical professionals have claimed that his body will no longer survive if he was to take any more procedures. Alves said that he feels 100% happy with his look. The doctors advised him to get therapy for his body dysmorphic disorder.
Rodrigo Alves
Sarah Burge
Sarah Burge had experienced a terrifying ordeal of being beaten up to death and then being left alone. It’s a good thing that she survived all through that, but she ended up being obsessed with looking like a barbie doll. After the incident that she went through, she got addicted to getting various types of plastic surgery.
Sarah Burge
Human Barbie
She spent over half a million pounds with her goal to look like a living breathing doll. This housewife and beautician went through more than a hundred procedures just to make her dream look come true. She has undergone liposuction, facial laser, procedures, and breast surgery. Her last recent surgery involved her nipples being removed!
Human Barbie
Valeria Lukyanova And Olga Oleynik
Valeria Lukyanova has always dreamt of looking the way that Barbie looks. She’s got a lot of pretty drastic steps to make this a reality. She spent thousands of dollars just to do it. She’s not alone on this journey. She and Olga Oleynik have begun their friendship online, and they share the same strange fascination. For Olga and Valeria, Their makeovers served as the security of their friendship. These two Barbie lookalikes both came from Odesa, Ukraine. Their looks helped them to draw attention and get clients for their spirituality lectures. They became more successful when they both got famous online.
Valeria Lukyanova And Olga Oleynik
Herbert Chavez
Herbert Chaves is a Filipino dressmaker who spent thousands of bucks just to transform himself into a Superman or Clark Kent. Just the cleft chin operation alone already cost him thousands of dollars. He told the story of how it all began. It started with him being a huge fan of the comic book character when he was 5. He even holds the world record for having the biggest collection of Superman merchandise and memorabilia. Chaves shared that he had already undergone 19 procedures and has no plans on stopping anytime soon. He said that the only thing that will stop him from getting plastic surgery is when his body can not endure it anymore or his doctor telling him he is too old for more procedures.
Herbert Chavez
Guerra
Guerra also goes by the name Venus D’lite. Guerra is known for starring in Rupaul’s Drag Race. This drag queen frequently impersonates the pop legend Madonna, but wearing wigs and makeup to look like her was not enough for him. He wanted to take it to the next level and spent $175k on the surgery! He said he was eager about looking like the Queen of Music. His fascination is now close to becoming an addiction. He said that after going through 19 procedures, it has been a while since his face has been “touched for the very first time”
Guerra
Gavin Paslow
There’s this 39-year-old security guard who decided that he wanted to look like a pretty strange figure, Satan! Trying to look like the devil himself, he shelled out thousands of bucks. He has gotten himself so much surgery to give himself horns, fangs, and a forked tongue. Imagine all that effort! The horns come with two Teflon implants on his forehead. He even changed his time from Gavin Paslow to Diablo Delenfer which translates to “devil from inferno.” He also has 29 tattoos and wears green contact lenses. He also likes wearing frilly shirts and a long tailcoat. Let us not forget the method for having pointed ears. He made it clear that he was not a Satanist but addicted to body mods.
Gavin Paslow