A perm is a perm. It's the rods that create the size and shape of curl.
you can use anything as a rod...crayons, empty soup or soda cans, rods. I even saw a picture once online of someone doing a perm with empty cigarette packs. The result actually turned out kinda neat.
But I am willing to bet that those are some type of extensions on her hair. The crown (top) of her hair looks way to thick to be natural.