Today, we are living in an era where fashion trends change very frequently. We adapt our fashion trends from celebrities and models. Our accessories change day to day and with just a tap we order it from any online shopping website and it’s ready to use but if we go back into history’s fashion trends and their accessories, it was somewhat painful and had long processes but it more than a fashion symbol, it was considered as a symbol of power, class and royal status. Now they are considered to be bizarre and extremely harmful to human body.
Here are top three bizarre trends practiced by the ancient civilizations:
- Kayan Neck Rings
We know less about the Kayan history and it’s neck ring culture because there is no written history but we do know that the tradition of neck ring dates back to 11th century. The neck rings were typically made of long brass spiral and curled manually around the neck by experienced women of the tribe, the process took several hours because brass spiral was difficult to shape due to its hardness. No one is able to find a strong reason behind this bizarre body modification but some say that it was used as a defense from tiger attacks while others say it was used to make women less appealing which will protect them from taken by rival tribe’s men. Now, the centuries-old tradition seems to be fading with the development of Myanmar and villagers are trying to preserve the fading culture by promoting and generating income through tourism.
- Foot Binding
Foot binding was considered to be a symbol of beauty. You read that right!
It is said that foot binding was practiced by upper-class court dancers in the 10th century and it was carried until the early 20th century. The process of foot binding starts in the age of 4 to 9 and foot were bandaged, after a certain period of time the binding cloth was tightened to further break the bones in order to get the desired shape. As for men, a woman with the bound foot at his home was considered to be a symbol of power and wealth because economically those women were unproductive and being able to afford such a woman was a status of power. There were many health issues faced by women with a bound foot. It took a long time for foot binding to fade but it was stigmatized in China and the last Lotus shoe factory was closed in 1999.
- Head Elongation
There are many civilizations who had head modification trends but we will be focusing on the Mangbetu – people of Congo. The Mangbetu were cannibalistic people and practiced head binding/shaping, the custom was a status symbol among the ruling classes and considered a symbol of beauty among the people. The process of shaping head was carried since the birth of a child, in order to shape it, the infant’s head was wrapped tightly with a cloth or a cord to give it a streamlined look. However, the tradition was outlawed later by the Belgian government.
These are the most painful and bizarre fashion trends from the past.
Let us know what you think about them and would you go for any of these fashion trends?
Orm Mechanics 