“YagYang”. The Apatani are tribal people living in north east of India in the region of Arunachal Pradesh. Tattooing and stuffing of large nose plugs is the particularity of these women. YagYang 75 years old, her husband passed away few months ago and she feels very alone, during my visit I was very fond of this woman and I wanted to spend some more time with her, so I asked her which was her favorite dish. The next day i returned with the fresh fish, as she mentioned, and when she saw me she was very happy and welcomed me with a big smile. Photo location: India. (Photo and caption by Passarini Mattia/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Sangoma” initiate Dipuo Banda (C) is led out of her teachers shack while she remains in a trance like state prior to dancing during her 3 day initiation ceremony with her teacher, family, friends and students in the Alexandra Township in Johannesburg, South Africa, 14 May 2021. Sangomas, the Zulu term for Medicine Women or traditional healers, fulfill different social and political roles in the community, including divination, physical healing, emotional and spiritual illnesses, directing birth or death rituals and finding lost cattle. (Photo by Kim Ludbrook/EPA/EFE)

A woman dressed in a dirndl, a kind of traditional Bavarian clothing, jumps into Lake Schlier on July 30, 2006 in Schliersee, Germany. The event called "Dirndlfliegen" ("Dirndl Flying") was sponsored by a local fashion store and a big Austrian Dirndl manufacturer. While these kind of events had been held in Austria before, this was the first of its kind in Germany. 29 women and one man wearing a wig participated in the event that held a new Dirndl as the grand prize. (Photo by Andreas Leder/Getty Images)

An albino woman adjusts her costume backstage as she and others wait for their fashion show during the Mr. & Miss Albinism East Africa contest in Nairobi, Kenya, 30 November 2018. Hudreds of abino men, women and children participated in the contest to raise awareness on discrimination and stigma against albinism in the region. (Photo by Dai Kurokawa/EPA/EFE)

A contestant prepares backstage before the final show of the Miss International Queen 2018 transgender beauty pageant in Pattaya, Thailand March 9, 2018. Twenty-seven international contestants are participating in the annual beauty contest for transgender women which aims to promote the tourism industry in the resort city of Pattaya and create a positive image of transgender people. (Photo by Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

'Military woman' is a constantly updated gallery of images of women wearing uniform: military, police and so on. We truly hope that our beloved visitors won't remain passive and will take part in this project making it even more interesting! Note that all the images featured in the gallery are taken from publically available sources: their copyright belongs to their respective creators and the trade mark to the owners. ...

There are many types of hobbies. Some of them are strange, such as piercing your skin with huge metal hooks with ropes attached to them, and dangling yourself from the ceiling. Others might enjoy riding down huge mountain hills on skis, snowboards, mountain boards, bikes, etc. However, some enjoy pastimes that are more tranquil and meditative. For example, the art of contortionism is a very peculiar hobby that is usually practiced by women and children, due to the natural stretchiness of their tendons. Despite the fact that tendons of grown men are usually too stiff, a Berlin-based dancer is able to do amazing things with his body and is not afraid to show it to the world.