Bizzare Body Adornments

Tattoos and body piercings are now a common sight around us, although some people have qualms about it. I myself turn squeamish sometimes when I see tongues or navels pierced. What we see around us, however, pale in comparison to some traditional body adornments practiced in some countries. Let's take a look at three of them:

Scarification - A customary practice in many Northeast African tribes, scarification is the tradition of leaving permanent scars on the body for aesthetic reasons. Americans and Europeans may find this hard to understand, but to these tribes it is a rite of passage. By these scars, one can tell a tribe member's age or social status, as well as how rich he is. In some cases, the scars can make a person look more sexy. Scars are usually created on the face and the belly, but legs and the back are also good parts to have scars on. By making deep incisions on the skin, scars  are created in geometric patterns. Ash  or some form of acid is then rubbed on the incisions the help make these scars permanent.

Lip plates – Have you ever wondered how far you can stretch a person's lip? The Mursi and Suri tribes of Ethiopa can give you the answer. Among the many tribes in Africa that wore lip plates, these tribes remain today to wear this unusual body adornment. How is a lip plate installed? About a year before a girl reaches marrying age, she begins stretching her lip, starting with a small hole. She then keeps stretching it until the hole is big enough to hold a plate. These girls tend to push the limit of their  lips because bigger lip plates meant more dowry. Sometimes, however, the lip can snap, which renders the girl unfit for marriage—except for the old or the sick.

Lip plates were originally worn to prevent men from seizing women and turning them into slaves, but today, they are articles of fashion.

Neck rings – Some Thai women are known for wearing several tight rings around their necks, creating an illusion of elongated necks. Illusion, because what actually happens is that their shoulders get deformed after many years of wearing these rings. Women wearing neck rings have become a tourist attraction in Thailand.

People have different reasons for wearing unusual body adornments. Some just want to be "in", others want to experiment and try something new. Others, still, carry on with these practices a part of their cultural traditions.  It doesn't help to label these practices "weird" or "extreme". As the old adage puts it, to each his own.