Dueling Scars
Do you know the expression "chicks dig scars"? Even though it's childish, the notion that scars are cool has some merit. You can't deny that there is a cultural admiration for someone who has scars from battle or other signs of trauma, but perhaps not in the literal sense. Why? The future? But you frequently see it in literature and movies, in those situations where the hero dramatically strips off their shirt to display the scars, holes, and tears of a terrible life, demonstrating just how resilient and admirable they must really be.
The notion that scars are attractive wasn't created in a world without fiction. Longer than you would imagine, people have sought for scars as a method to flaunt their own badassery in real life. According to a 2008 study, women found men with facial scars to be more alluring. However, the custom of getting scars to seem cool dates further back.
Germans used to fight in duels ostensibly to suffer facial injuries. College males in fraternities did this to flaunt their masculinity. In reality, the Nazi party brought back dueling in 1936. The fights were merely a kind of Fight Club-style competition to demonstrate one's toughness; they were never intended to be spiteful or to resolve actual issues.
As you can think, not everyone was willing to let an adversary to rapier-slash them. There are rumors that some men shave their faces themselves or even pay professionals to do it.
