Of all the noses in the world, I’d pick mine

I told the doctor I’d like to shave down the bump on my nasal bridge. We eventually reached the reveal stage of the consultation where I would see what the final product could look like on my face. Show time.

Displayed on the screen in front of me was my face with a straightened nose. To make it appear proportionate and natural, the doctor also recommended chin implants.

After the consultation I sat in my car, staring at the photos and looking at my natural face in the rear-view mirror. I also considered what my nose symbolised. Not just my link to breathing, but also, to my culture.

This beak between my eyes, front and centre of my face (dragging slightly to the left), is the same as my father’s and his mother’s. Generations of nomadic Iranians used this same nose to navigate the sandy desert climate of their locale. A rich ancestry I would be eradicating from my physical appearance with a nip and a tuck. A history that only my nose knows.

In many ways, my experience is synonymous with international supermodel Bella Hadid. After changing her nose (and also securing millions of dollars in modelling contracts), years later she admitted to regretting the procedure. Simply, the nose she inherited at birth represented generations of strong Palestinian lineage.

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For many who have undergone a rhinoplasty procedure (or several consultations), this is not likely to resonate. But leaving that consultation made me realise the power external influence and persistent skewed thoughts can have on manipulating your own values.

Undertaking this nose job would become ammunition serving beauty standards designed to exclude my people. Something I would reaffirm on my face every day that I wake up. An image that could influence others in my position.

I deeply value any connection to my culture and ancestry I have, growing up in this land foreign to my bloodline over 10000 kilometres away. A ‘new’ nose would only make that distance feel greater.

While I have seen greater discussion in beauty reflecting real life and diversity rather than the symmetrical cut-outs once touted in the early ’90s, there’s more work to be done. Why? These procedures are widely popular and cannot be undone.

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Today, I make a pledge to proudly keep my nose, its curves and bumps. I will no longer look at it consumed with thoughts of shame.

More than being a symbol of beauty, my nose is a symbol of pride in my lineage, blood and my family’s story. To me, that is more valuable than the disconnection and disassociation any symmetry could provide.

These are learnings I would not have acquired or been able to share without spending $250 in the first place. No regrets.

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