Turns out the fashion trend involving ear plug gauges could be a problem for a bad guy. They come in all sized these days, and the idea is to make a hole in the earlobe, insert the ear plug, usually hollow, and then let the earlobe stretch until a larger size plug can be used.  The problem with this fashion, besides its yuck factor, is that in hand-to-hand combat, it gives the other guy an edge. Just recently, the heroine in CHECKED OUT managed to break away from her attacker after she slipped a finger through his ear lobe hole, conveniently stretched out by the ear gauge. One good yank, and she had a bloody chunk of his ear and his ear gauge in her hand. He took off, howling, but with the DNA from the ear, and a little forensic help, he’s sure to be apprehended.