Researching Scars
Though I haven't decided yet how literal the reference to scars in my project will be, I did some research on the topic. Here's what I found:
anthropological study of scars:
source: http://illuminations.berkeley.edu/archives/2004/article.php?volume=2&story=1
"I'm most interested in the stories we create around scars, how someone like a doctor looks at scars as opposed to the way someone who lives with very visible scarring would," says Case. "There is a very human need to make narratives around scars."
[...]
"Her friend showed a kind of revulsion, as if looking at the scar could remind her that it could happen to her, too,' Case says. "Finally, the cancer survivor made her friend look at the scar. She said: 'Look at this! It means that I survived!'"
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I did a Flickr search for "scar", and found many photos of scars.
after looking at the photos, and reading their descriptions, I have come to the following conclusions:
people feel need to "point out", document, call some attention to their scars, even if it's not pleasant to them ("This is a very hard photo to take of my right arm. This is an old football scar.")
people have a somewhat unrealistic perception of their scars. most of the pictures of scars on flickr, the scar was very hard to discern (maybe it was just the photo quality / zoom level, but still)
scars are important to their bearers. they like to tell the story behind the scar, even if it was a trivial event/accident that happened years and years ago.
Positive views of scars:
"Not the scars of life, but the scar of life, the scar that gave a life back... This is where the surgeon entered my dad's head and removed and moved blood vessels that were pressing on his nerves."