In a world fueled by unrealistic beauty standards and overly polished Insta pics, loving yourself can become increasingly hard. Plus, body modification seems to be a hot topic these days, from injections and surgeries adored by so many celebs to face tune apps and TV shows like Botched and Nip/Tuck.
However, when it comes to one of the most sensitive body parts, our noses, more and more people are beginning to appreciate them in their natural beauty. In fact, the number of Americans getting nose jobs has plunged 43% since 2000.
And recently, we've seen a rise in threads where people speak of loving their "unique," "big" and "non-ideal" noses that give them a unique look and authentic charm. Previously, we wrote about women sharing their noses in a thread after one Twitter user went viral, writing “It’s okay if your nose looks like all the 'before' pictures.”
This time, another inspiring "nose appreciation" thread was born after the Twitter user @mooninfirst shared a mood board of nose profiles with the caption “if u have these noses I’m already in love with u u don’t even have to say anything.” More women joined the thread, sharing their profiles and spreading the self-love we all need these days.
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Big noses, tooth gaps, really anything that deviates from the cookie cutter version of "attractive" that is promoted by the beauty industry, should be celebrated.
Bored Panda reached out to Ashley, who shared her selfie on the inspirational "nose appreciation" Twitter thread, who told us what her journey to self-love was like. “I have definitely felt like my nose was not good enough. When I was younger, I used to spend hours staring at myself in the mirror and looking at my nose and crying.”
Ashley said she would look at it from all angles and “mess around with it, trying to squish and shape it into what I wish it could have been.”
Now that Ashley is 25 years old, she claims that no young girl should ever have to feel like that about themselves. “It even held me back from getting contacts until literally last year! And I’ve worn glasses since 3rd grade."
She only started finally loving herself at around 20-21 years old. “I decided to start being kinder to myself when it came to my physical appearance. I realized I wasn’t the hideous monster I always thought I was, and that everyone has things they don’t like about themselves.”
Your nose is beautiful. Very regal, not like the cookie-cutter, one size is meant to fit all, noses that everyone is meant to prefer.
At this point in her life, Ashley always reminds herself of the things she likes about herself. She believes that “there are more important things to worry about than how my nose looks or any other little thing I used to obsess over when I was younger.” Sticking to what you love about yourself makes negative thoughts pass rather quickly.
To everyone who’s struggling to love themselves, Ashley wants to remind them that “we put way too much power in our physical appearance.” This is how we become self-destructive.
“It’s good to care about how you look but only to a certain extent. And how you look on the outside says nothing about the person you actually are on the inside. I know it’s cliche, but it’s true, and it’s something I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older.”
Most importantly, nobody should ever let their insecurities hold them back. We are all beautiful in our own special way, and even though not everyone may think so, Ashley insists that “what these random people think does not matter.” So, “don’t give them the power to control how you feel about yourself,” she concluded.
Thankfully, over the past decade, beauty trends have slowly shifted towards what we commonly refer to as natural beauty, no matter what a slippery slope this definition may be. Today, more than ever do we speak about self-love and acceptance, which seems very paradoxical when thinking of the enormous influence social media and influencers have made on society at large in the same decade.
And although it’d be impossible to draw general conclusions when it comes to particular parts of bodies, our noses, to be precise, the ways we perceive them have changed drastically. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has reported that rhinoplasty is down 43% since 2000.
Many factors have come into play when it comes to this shift, from body positivity movements to the renaissance of all things natural, to horror stories of celebrity nose jobs gone wrong (Michael Jackson, anyone?!), to the financial crisis of 2008, to the fact that face tune apps have done the same job without the need to go under the knife.
Woah! I love the odd arch and then straight down it has! Embrace it! ❤️
Perfectly balances the head. And that haircut really accentuates your face. Great pic.
Lately, Covid-19 and the compulsory use of face masks are also likely to have contributed. Most importantly, more and more people are now willing to openly talk about their anxieties when it comes to appearance, which helps everyone realize they’re not alone.
In reality, there’s nothing more perfect than the imperfect nose. When you think of it from a human standpoint, it’s our uniqueness that makes us who we are. After all, people grow tired of a fake, cyborgian look that looks blank and honestly, soulless.
I never knew how much I liked noses before, but as it turns out, I like noses!
I don’t know this language but I’m guessing it means “this is my moment”
Great pic. The light catches your face and gives it a tremendous depth and power.
Note: this post originally had 41 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
There is seriously nothing wrong with any of these noses! Why are people hating on perfectly normal nose?🤷♀️
I had a giant nose that dwarfed my face - was teased pretty much daily through school, by strangers, etc. I would have traded noses/faces with 99% of these posters, trust me. I had it modified and the angst of my profile vanished and I was so much happier. The meanness of strangers could have made me a mean and angry person but I feel it made me more empathetic to others. My husband (who met and fell in love with me pre-nose job) thinks I am kind and caring and a defender of those less visually blessed. My kids all have my big nose gene but their other features are balancing it out and I have raised them with confidence and acceptance. But I will never deny people their feelings about their own appearance. It can be a really rough road if you're self-conscious to a high degree.
There is seriously nothing wrong with any of these noses! Why are people hating on perfectly normal nose?🤷♀️
I had a giant nose that dwarfed my face - was teased pretty much daily through school, by strangers, etc. I would have traded noses/faces with 99% of these posters, trust me. I had it modified and the angst of my profile vanished and I was so much happier. The meanness of strangers could have made me a mean and angry person but I feel it made me more empathetic to others. My husband (who met and fell in love with me pre-nose job) thinks I am kind and caring and a defender of those less visually blessed. My kids all have my big nose gene but their other features are balancing it out and I have raised them with confidence and acceptance. But I will never deny people their feelings about their own appearance. It can be a really rough road if you're self-conscious to a high degree.
