Men are having procedures to give themselves ‘cauliflower ear’ to look like MMA fighters

People are constantly seeking to change the way they look these days and it's not always for the better.

While everyone's free to do whatever they want with their own bodies, the toxic nature of social media means we are constantly comparing ourselves with heavily edited or filtered pictures of people we don't even know.

Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to people becoming addicted to plastic surgery, undergoing procedures that are often unsafe and expensive.

And in a world where an increasing amount of men are now looking up to the wrong sorts of people as role models, it's perhaps not even that surprising that there's now a procedure to give men the impression of 'cauliflower ears'.

The term, most commonly associated with physical sports such as boxing, rugby and MMA fighting, is caused by blunt force trauma or repeated friction that cuts off blood flow to the cartilage in the ear.

It's a common sight in rugby (David Rogers/Getty Images)

Although rugby players and boxers in particular spend a large part of their lives having the blood drained from their ear to get their ears back to normal, it seems as if some blokes who might have never fought anyone in their lives now want to give off the appearance that they have, which might be one of the most embarrassing ideas I've ever heard of.

According to Russian Telegram channel Baza, via VICE, it's Russian men who are paying actual money to have their ears deliberately deformed.

We've seen Russian 'Popeye' in the past inflate his own arm muscles without having to eat a boatload of spinach, and now some of his other countrymen want the cauliflower ear look, perhaps so they can continue not listening to people's advice that it's a terrible idea.

You could do a lot of damage to your ears (Getty Stock)

It supposedly costs 6,000 rubles per ear, which is about £55, but reconstructive surgery could be significantly more, and naturally a procedure such as this does not come without its obvious risks.

Russian news outlets suggest that the main motivation for this bizarre procedure is simply to intimidate others, which might work if the people involved look like they've ever actually been in a fight.

Psychologist Ekaterina Trofimova summed it up well in an interview with Moskva 24, saying: Sometimes true strength hides behind a mask of outward composure and absolute tranquility.

"A person skilled in martial arts may appear indistinguishable from any ordinary person. However, they exude a special calm and confidence that others can intuitively detect. They don’t need to display ostentatious masculinity.”

So, while the likes of Andrew Tate and other folks in the manosphere might try and convince you this is a good idea, everyone who you might want to intimidate will probably just be laughing at you instead.