Photo of the Day

November 9, 2017

Skin Deep

An elderly woman in Myanmar is one of the last of her tribe to have intricate facial tattoos. "The tribes first began to ink their faces as a way of disfiguring their beauty, to make themselves unattractive in hopes that by doing so, they could avoid being kidnapped or chosen as concubines by the Burmese kings," explains Your Shot photographer Han Lin Teh. "The process of the facial tattooing is extremely painful, especially on the tender eyelid areas, and dangerous, as some even died of infection. It has been outlawed since 1960s." This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.
Photograph by Teh Han Lin, National Geographic Your Shot
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