History Main / MarkOfShame

* In the film ''Film/DeadEnd'', one of the boys tries to give another the "mark of the squealer" for snitching on him.

* Theft has historically been punished with mutilation of some sort, generally the loss of a hand or a finger which would mark the criminal for the rest of his life as a thief.

* The US state of UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} has one for drivers convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol: a distinctive yellow license plate—often called "party plates"—with red numbering and no decorations. (For reference, the standard Ohio license plate is off-white with navy blue lettering/numbering.) As DUI drivers have restrictions on when, where, and why they can drive, the distinctive plates help police identify drivers breaking these rules, but they also signal other drivers that the person had driven drunk before and they should be cautious.

* Bangkok Police used to issue colored armbands to police officers with disciplinary infractions to be worn as a mark of shame. However, this move backfired as those armbands looked cool and it gave policemen an even more fearsome reputation which they happily cultivated. More policemen intentionally committed discipline violations to be awarded these armbands. To finally clamp down on this, upper management instead started issuing HelloKitty badges to bad cops. This worked, as street policemen perceived these badges to be emasculating.

* Bangkok Police used to issue colored armbands to police officers with disciplinary infractions to be worn as a mark of shame. However, this move backfired as those armbands looked cool and it gave policemen an even more fearsome reputation which they happily cultivated. More policemen intentionally committed discipline violations to be awarded these armbands. To finally clamp down on this, upper management instead started issuing Hello Kitty badges to bad cops. This worked, as street policemen perceived these badges to be emasculating.

* In ''The Bobo'', Creator/PeterSellers is a wandering musician who accepts a wager where he gets a theater engagement if he can seduce a discriminating courtesan (Britt Ekland). He wins her over but she finds out about the wager, and as retribution forces him at gunpoint into a bath heavily laced with blue dye.

--->'''Rtas:''' That armor suits you, but it cannot hide that mark.\\

* Kratos's characteristic pale white skin in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' is a perpetual reminder of his betrayal: [[spoiler: the ashes of his wife and child, whom he murdered in a blind rage, were grafted onto his skin]]. Even after [[spoiler:ascending to godhood]] they remain stuck to him. [[spoiler:[[Videogame/GodOfWarPS4 Centuries later]], the ashes are ''still'' bound to him.]]

Often overlaps with AScarToRemember, though that trope focuses on the express purpose of {{sadist}}ic [[CreepySouvenir commemoration]], instead of possible sociological effects. If Bob receives the mark after making a DealWithTheDevil, but it's still treated as a shameful, disgraceful thing, this can overlap with MarkOfTheBeast. See also MedalOfDishonor for the "forced to wear" version. The character inflicting this punishment may be ANaziByAnyOtherName: ThoseWackyNazis infamously forced [[UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} Jews]] to identify themselves with yellow badges shaped like the Star of David, and eventually took to identifying prisoners in [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust concentration camps]] with similar badges[[note]]the aforementioned yellow stars for Jewish prisoners, [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience color-coded]] upside-down triangles for other prisoners, and [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs color-coded triangles placed on top of upward-pointing yellow triangles (forming a Star of David) for Jewish prisoners who also fell into other "undesirable" categories]][[/note]] and [[YouAreNumberSix tattooed numbers]].

* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanTheCurseOfTheBlackPearl'': Jack Sparrow is positively identified as a buccaneer when Norrington uncovers a 'P' brand on his right wrist. "Had a brush with the East India Trading Company, did we, ''pirate''?" In the second movie, ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'', it was revealed that this was the handiwork of Cutler Beckett. [[spoiler: Jack may have retaliated in kind. Beckett told Will "We've both left our marks on each other", but made no reply when Will asked "What mark did he leave on you?" The movies never answer this question either.]]

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', after Marietta betrays Dumbledore's Army, she gets affected by a curse that Hermione had cast. It scars the word "Sneak" onto her forehead. [[UpToEleven In pimples]]. There's also "I must not tell lies," put on Harry by Umbridge.

* In the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' series, warriors in the Andalite (centaur-like alien) military who commit an infraction may be punished by having the fur along their flanks trimmed in a specific manner to declare their shame. Unlike most examples, this isn't permanent and it isn't meant to be; when the warrior's fur grows back in, he is considered to have served his sentence. Although fur grows back through morphing, it's exaplined that the Andalites rarely use morphs in battle the way the main cast do, being mostly used for infiltration or escape.

** In the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, FacialHorror, EyeScream, and/or CripplingCastration were common punishments for political rivals. The underlying logic was that, as {{God}}'s earthly representative, TheEmperor had to be physically unblemished, meaning that this sort of mutilation overlapped with CripplingTheCompetition. Additionally, castration prevented victims from producing heirs (which is also why many historical monarchs, including Byzantine emperors, surrounded themselves with eunuchs: they didn't want courtiers who could usurp the throne and found a new dynasty, or impregnate their wives and concubines), and blinding hindered their ability to lead troops. Mutilation was also seen as more merciful than death because it gave the condemned a chance to repent and save their souls while LockedAwayInAMonastery.

** In the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, FacialHorror, EyeScream, and/or CripplingCastration were common punishments for political rivals. The underlying logic was that, as {{God}}'s earthly representative, TheEmperor had to be physically unblemished, meaning that this sort of mutilation overlapped with CripplingTheCompetition. Additionally, castration prevented victims from producing heirs (which is also why many historical monarchs, including Byzantine emperors, surrounded themselves with eunuchs: they didn't want courtiers who could usurp the throne and found a new dynasty), and blinding hindered their ability to lead troops. Mutilation was also seen as more merciful than death because it gave the condemned a chance to repent and save their souls while LockedAwayInAMonastery.

** In the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, FacialHorror, EyeScream, and/or CripplingCastration were common punishments for political rivals. The underlying logic was that, as {{God}}'s earthly representative, TheEmperor had to be physically unblemished, meaning that this sort of mutilation overlapped with CripplingTheCompetition. (Additionally, castration prevented victims from producing heirs, and blinding hindered their ability to lead troops.) Mutilation was also seen as more merciful than death because it gave the condemned a chance to repent and save their souls while LockedAwayInAMonastery.

* During TheMiddleAges and TheCavalierYears, some UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}an communities sentenced convicts to wear "masks of shame", often modelled after a donkey or some other negatively viewed animal. One UsefulNotes/{{Brit|ain}}ish variant called the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scold%27s_bridle scold's bridle]] was used to punish "scolds", an actual legal term denoting women who were considered noisy troublemakers. Along with the humiliation factor, these masks had spiked mouth gags so that the wearer couldn't talk without TongueTrauma.

** In ancient Mesopotamia, this was also done to women who committed adultery, if their husbands chose not to have them executed.

* During TheMiddleAges and TheCavalierYears, some UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}an communities sentenced convicts to wear "masks of shame", often modelled after a donkey or some other negatively viewed animal. One UsefulNotes/{{Brit|ain}}ish variant called the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scold%27s_bridle scold's bridle]] was used to punish "scolds", an actual legal term denoting women who were considered noisy troublemakers. Along with the humiliation factor, these masks had spiked mouth gags so that the wearer couldn't talk without [[TongueTrauma severely injuring her tongue]].

Often overlaps with AScarToRemember, though that trope focuses on the express purpose of {{sadist}}ic [[CreepySouvenir commemoration]], instead of possible sociological effects. If Bob receives the mark after making a DealWithTheDevil, but it's still treated as a shameful, disgraceful thing, this can overlap with MarkOfTheBeast. See also MedalOfDishonor for the "forced to wear" version. The character inflicting this punishment may be ANaziByAnyOtherName: ThoseWackyNazis infamously forced [[UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} Jews]] to identify themselves with yellow badges shaped like the Star of David, and eventually took to identifying prisoners in [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust concentration camps]] with similar badges[[note]]the aforementioned yellow stars for Jewish prisoners, [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience color-coded]] upside-down triangles for other prisoners, and [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs color-coded triangles placed on top of an upward-pointing yellow triangle (forming a star of David) for Jewish prisoners who also fell into other "undesirable" categories]][[/note]] and [[YouAreNumberSix tattooed numbers]].

Often overlaps with AScarToRemember, though that trope focuses on the express purpose of {{sadist}}ic [[CreepySouvenir commemoration]], instead of possible sociological effects. If Bob receives the mark after making a DealWithTheDevil, but it's still treated as a shameful, disgraceful thing, this can overlap with MarkOfTheBeast. See also MedalOfDishonor for the "forced to wear" version. The character inflicting this punishment may be ANaziByAnyOtherName: ThoseWackyNazis infamously forced [[UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} Jews]] to identify themselves with yellow badges shaped like the Star of David, and eventually took to identifying prisoners in [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust concentration camps]] with similar badges[[note]]the aforementioned yellow stars for Jewish prisoners, [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience color-coded]] upside-down triangles for other prisoners, and ([[BreadEggsBreadedEggs color-coded triangles placed on top of an upward-pointing yellow triangle (forming a star of David) for Jewish prisoners who also fell into other "undesirable" categories]])[[/note]] and [[YouAreNumberSix tattooed numbers]].

-->-- ''Branded''

Often overlaps with AScarToRemember, though that trope focuses on the express purpose of {{sadist}}ic [[CreepySouvenir commemoration]], instead of possible sociological effects. If Bob receives the mark after making a DealWithTheDevil, but it's still treated as a shameful, disgraceful thing, this can overlap with MarkOfTheBeast. See also MedalOfDishonor for the "forced to wear" version.

* In Bishop's BadFuture in ''ComicBook/XMen'' comics, the FantasticRacism authorities brand mutants with an M over the eye. Besides Bishop, other main characters who've had it done to them include [[Comicbook/XFactor Jamie Madrox and Layla Miller]].

->''"Branded, scorned as the one who ran,''
->''What do you do when you're branded, and you know you're a man?"''

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* In ''Manga/RoseOfVersailles'' Jeanne Valois is firebranded with the letter "V" (for "voleur", thief) on both shoulders after being convicted for her crimes.
** TruthInTelevision: Until 1832 French criminals convicted for some crimes were firebranded with a symbol or letter signifying their crime or conviction, the most well-known fictional example being [[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers Milady de Winter]]'s ''fleur-de-lys''... [[SubvertedTrope that was actually applied illegally, as, while guilty, she had not been convicted of her crimes yet]].

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''Series/Lucifer2016'' Cain is a walking, undying man still bearing his mark on his right arm. It is a full circle. He cannot die and has been trying a variety of means since the Bronze Age. In modern times, he hides it behind [[spoiler:a Marine Corp tattoo. It is effective as Lucifer, who was working with Cain's current identity for months, didn't recognize it at first. The mark, and the immortality, is lifted when Cain genuinely falls in love with a woman who he thinks could help him die but stops at consummating the relationship because it would be wrong to manipulate and hurt her]].

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* Wrestling/TerryFunk, during his 1980s "evil cowboy" [[TheGimmick gimmick]] in the then-[[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]], "branded" his opponents (almost always, these were jobbers) with a "hot" branding iron following their losses. (In reality, the brand was chalk affixed to a cold iron, although the {{jobber}}'s role was to sell that he was being "branded" with a hot iron.)
* [[Wrestling/ChristinaVonEerie Toxxin]] allowed Jessie Neal and Wrestling/ShannonMoore to give Anarquia a tattoo of their choosing after Anarquia had grabbed her while she was trying to stop a fight between Ink Inc and Mexican America that broke out in her shop.
* In response to Lee Burton's complaint that the SMASH Divas title was a "hot potato" due to a rapid succession of title changes that took place as the promotion came to a close in 2012, Dave Prazak told a story about a promotion in Chicago that had a ''real'' hot potato title: A Championship belt awarded to losers rather than winners, making it a mark of {{jobber}}s.
* {{Subverted|Trope}} with Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam's King Of Dark title, a championship belt only "defended" in dark matches that is also "awarded" and retained by losing. When Gota Ihashi was the man pinned among Hoshitango, Hiroshi Fukuda and DJ Nira to become the first title holder he showed no shame and gave a gracious acceptance speech.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Religion]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'', after one of the eponymous rings was destroyed in the [[VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved first game]], the Arbiter has a rune denoting "Shamed" branded onto his chest after being made a {{Scapegoat}} for the ordeal.
-->'''Rtas:''' That armor suits you, but it cannot hide that mark.
-->'''Arbiter:''' Nothing ever will...

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E28ChangeYourMind "Change Your Mind"]], [[spoiler:when White Diamond [[LuminescentBlush blushes pink]], Blue and Yellow Diamond are visibly disturbed by it, Yellow commenting that she is "off-color." Whether or not White is just blushing and is embarrassed by it or if the pink in her cheeks is an actual flaw in her gem, literally making her an off-color Gem (something she implies earlier) and that she simply has been hiding it all this time is up for debate.]]

** Among the Clans in general, any individual or unit declared ''dezgra''[[labelnote:*]]Clan-speak for disgraced[[/labelnote]] is required to replace any and all Clan markings and insignia with the crest of House Amaris. Stefan Amaris, the last head of House Amaris and the man most personally responsible for the collapse of the original Star League, is the most universally hated and reviled person the entire Battletech universe.

* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', Clan Hell's Horses has the Branding ritual, where a group of warriors are sent out to capture a live Hell's Horse (a genetically modified, carnivorous horse) and brand it, then release it unharmed. There's no penalty for failure because it's so difficult, but if a warrior injures the horse because he was arrogant or didn't cooperate with his teammates he's branded with the Mark of Hell, a tattoo on his forearm that indicates his dishonor to all his fellows.

** In ancient Mesopotamia, this was also done to women who [[YourCheatingHeart committed adultery]], if their husbands chose not to have them executed.