femmenietzsche:

The ladder of promotion was marked out in a straightforward, arithmetical way: the taking of captives – in single combat, and scored as to quality – for presentation for death on the killing stone. The first captive so offered made one a ‘leading youth’, a ‘captor’, marked by appropriate face paint, the right to wear a breechclout with handsomely long ends instead of the brief boyish affairs of the novices, and a cape bearing a design in place of a plain mantle: no small reward in self-conscious and narcissistic youth. The ‘leading youth’ also enjoyed perfect powers and privileges within the warrior house, and could anticipate marriage, as his parents began to cast around for a suitable wife and to save against the expense of the elaborate feast which would buy his release from the full jurisdiction of the House of Youth. (It is possible that marriage could end commitment to the warrior house for some men, but it remained the locus of male social action, excitement, and reward.) Two captives presented to the gods brought further elaboration in dress and privileges. Three, and the way was opened to the office of Master of Youth, authorized instructor in the warrior way, with the privilege of wielding authority over the junior warriors, and of dancing, displaying, and even drinking at certain festivals. Four captives taken, and one entered the select ranks of the ‘seasoned warriors’, the ‘veterans’ or ‘professionals’ as we might say, privileged to have their own unchallenged seat within the warrior house, and to wear the most coveted warrior insignia: the long lip-plugs and the headbands with eagle-feather tassels which spoke of their great deeds.

At that point the upward trajectory could falter if one were to capture mere Huaxtecs, or other unregarded barbarians. Rewards, honour, and the delights of re-animated reputation came only with the taking of captives from Nahuatl cities – tough warriors, with much the same system shaping their training and aspirations. If a man took his fifth captive from among these formidable opponents he was acknowledged a quauchic, and distinguished on dress occasions by his vivid red netting cape, blue lip-plug, and most dramatically by his head, naked of hair save for the single warrior lock bound with red cord floating above the shaven pate. Two such distinguished victims, and he could wear at will either the long blue or the yellow lip-plug, the breechclout with the eagle-claw or marketplace design, the red or orange leather sandals, the elaborate headdress. When so arrayed ‘he filled everyone with awe’. These were the greatest of warriors, ‘each of whom was considered [equal to] a battle squadron, who did not hide themselves behind something in war; they who turned [the enemy] back, they who wheeled them around’. From among such legendary warriors the ‘general’ and the ‘commanding general’ were selected.

The fundamental human desire to unlock new outfits like in a video game

For a while the US Army Special Forces got to wear a unique hat, the “green beret”, but after the Army standardized berets generally they’re more visually distinguished by uniquely maintaining bushy beards, facial hair being a well-precedented mark of elite troops.