Myanmar, Kayah State, Paduang long-neck woman. This incredible lady defines the essence of dignity. Her neck is encircled with brass rings from long ago. We may never know if she was a willing participant as a child to have her body altered. My guess is that male village elders imposed this deformation upon her. And peer group pressure may have been intense. Despite first shock, this elderly, poised lady appears to have weathered life’s difficulties with amazing strength. She possesses intrinsic beauty on the deepest level even as she sleeps. I took liberty in this photo to alter reality by converting portions of the image into black and white and adding a slight glow to honor her presence, then I brought back selected colors in muted hues for emphasis. Perhaps I was driven by her own altered reality of mutation.

‘Dignity’

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