Mentawaian Teeth Chiseling
Image Source: TomorroWoman
In the Mentawaian village of Indonesia, women are considered more beautiful if their teeth are chiseled down to sharp points–without any anesthetic.
Image Source: Pinterest
When young girls reach puberty, they chisel their teeth as a rite of passage into womanhood. The sharper and more narrow the point, the more beautiful a Mentawaian woman is considered to be. In this tribe, chiseled teeth are said to maintain balance between the body and soul. The balance between body and soul comes from a woman’s perception of her beauty. If a woman’s soul was upset with her body image, it was believed that the body would grow sick and die.
Although not required, many girls undergo the painful ritual because of superstitious beliefs and the desire to meet the standard of beauty within their tribe. Some women, like Pilongi in the above video—wife to a Mentawaian village chief—only go through with the procedure per their husband’s request.
“Now that my teeth are sharp,” Pilongi said after the painful procedure, “I look more beautiful for my husband, so he won’t leave me.”
If you enjoyed this examination of female body modification, see our other articles on body art and interesting diseases that ravaged humanity.
