In Hitler's Germany, anxious parents massaged babies' heads into the favored long shape of the master race. Deformation of the head is not physically harmful since the skull is a solid case with uniform walls. However, to shape the skull into the prevailing cultural aesthetic, the application of pressure must be initiated at birth when the baby's skull is soft. This female mask depicts the carefully chipped teeth of the Guro. Scarification patterns are also evident on the forehead and cheeks.
Some cultures value a full figure over a slender one.
To exaggerate this effect, tight bandages or bangles are applied to the arms, legs, and torso so that the flesh surrounding the bangles is enlarged. European explorers noticed that Native Americans bound their knees and ankles which caused their calves to swell. Similarly, Papuans in New Guinea place metal rings on the upper arms of infants, whose flesh bulges around the rings as they grow. This is not thought to cause physical harm. Tooth Alteration Many cultures alter the shape or alignment of the teeth.