On Noses

Recently, someone close to me got a nose job. She’s been steadfastly disappointed with her nose for years, so I suppose it was the right decision for her to have made - although I liked her old nose very much.

The whole thing has made me notice noses more closely. It seems like most every woman in Hollywood has some version of the ever-popular ski jump, with bridges that start even with the eyes and then turn gently up at the tip. Paris Hilton’s nose is one notable exception, and there are a few others. But by and large I think we are at the epicenter of a great and under-discussed discrimination against what my aunt calls “Roman noses.”

I can tell you that I would certainly not mind seeing some more nasal diversity on television and in the movies, especially among women. One of my favorite noses - predictably enough - is Christina Aguilera’s. It fits her delicately featured face without doing that ultra-predictable Hollywood upturn. It’s just a nice, straight, strong nose.

I don’t know what can be done about the otherwise unrealistic array of noses currently on display to the American populace on screens large and small. Should we call on directors to cast actors with a variety of nose types? Perhaps we could appeal to actresses to stop going under the knife to achieve the coveted upturn. I don’t know the answer, but I do know that something must be done.