Exaggerated ruff of the modern Maine Coon

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I am not sure if this is a general trend but I am seeing Maine Coons with exaggerated ruffs. They are almost approaching the appearance of a lion's mane. Well, not quite but I'm beginning to call them manes and not ruffs. The picture below is an example. 

TICA simply state that the ruff becomes more developed with age. They don't specify the dimensions of the ruff or whether it should be impressive or large or dramatic et cetera. On that basis, I presume that breeders have decided to take it upon themselves to make it look more impressive. 

I'm not saying that I'm seeing these very large ruffs across the board but there are some incredibly impressive Maine Coons on the Internet with enormous ruffs, chiselled muzzles and gargantuan ears topped by a plume of paint brush-like hair!

Exaggerated ruff of the modern Maine Coon
Left: exaggerated ruff. Pic in public domain. Right: standard ruff. Pic by Helmi Flick.

The 'ruff' comes from menswear of the 1500s - the Elizabethan era. It is called neckwear. It was entirely decorative. It looks very feminine by today's standards. The world appears to have become more masculine in line with increased competitiveness due to the dramatically increased human population. It's a genuine rat race and it is getting worse.

The ruff - male neckwear of times past
The ruff - male neckwear of times past. Photo: Dress Like a Grown Up!

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