Big Nose: 10 Reasons Why You Should Love Your Large Nose

It happens. You put on a cute dress, do your makeup, and hit the town for fun Friday with your girlfriends. Dinner and drinks are had, you laugh so hard you cry, and then someone takes a few group selfies. Then next day you awaken and immediately start your damage control, untagging yourself from all the unflattering pictures that highlight your least favorite feature; your nose. Anything other than a picture taken straight on is deleted or removed from your page to hide your large nose or (what you think is) a prominent nasal bump. Why all the worry? Ask most people about the ideal nose, and you'll get similar answers. Noses that are little, cute, button-like, and have a gentle slope upward are prized (picture the classic Disney princess-style nose), while large or unusual proboscises (or "Roman" type noses) are hidden away or undergo a surgical reduction during rhinoplasty to conform. Now is the best time to wear your unique nose with pride. Read below for ten reasons why you should be proud of your look.

If you follow social media (specifically if you've been on Instagram in the last couple of months), you might have seen the hashtag #sideprofileselfie popping up on your feed. Journalist Radhika Sanghani has been working hard to change the ideas around what beautiful is, beginning with her own nose. Sanghani has many stories that those of us with big beaks can relate to; stories of knowing exactly how to turn her head to minimize the size of her nose in pictures, stories of being embarrassed about having a bump, stories of worrying what other people thought of her large snout. At 27 years old, she's decided to do away with the self-hate and embrace her own inner and outer beauty. She's calling on women all over the world to be confident and show off their own side profiles: the silhouette that those of us with big noses hate the most. Women are taking this idea in droves, posting their pictures and stories of being teased and self-conscious over their non-conventional noses. The hashtag has truly taken off, and the more it stays in the limelight, the more acceptance, and encouragement for unique noses there will be. Sanghani hopes that one day, big noses will be lumped in with the recent movement to accept stretch marks, imperfect skin, and cellulite, and she hopes that the idea of a "perfect" body will no longer exist. Until then, rock your #sideprofileselfie and know that there's a whole group of women out there by your side.

Maybe you don't have a large nose, but you think your nose is crooked or you even have a distinctive bump instead of gentle slope, often assumed to be a broken nose. Along with the big nose movement is the move to accept unique noses as well; noses that aren't perfectly symmetrical or don't look like they belong on the face of a Barbie. Women like Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, and Sofia Coppola show with their confident, classy style that you don't need to be afraid of your nose, and that different noses can stand out in the best kind of way.

As the fashion and beauty world moves to become more accepting and inclusive of different and unique looks, models with faces that don't fill the traditional mold appear more often in magazines, in ads, and at photo shoots. There are millions of women who are born with or pay for the same cute little button nose, and people are tired of seeing them. And speaking of buying yourself a new nose, recognize that not everyone is born with that perfect type of beak, and instead undergo procedures to look like everyone else. Your natural nose is beautiful and makes you stand out in the best kind of ways from those who will do anything to feel pretty. This leads to our next reason to love your large nose.

Everyone can agree with the statement that a person who exudes confidence is instantly more attractive than someone who is visibly self-conscious. Confidence comes from knowing that you are beautiful soul inside and outside is intoxicating to be around; this is the person who attracts all the eyes in the room. Once you learn to accept your nose and you no longer worry about every picture, or whether your date is staring at you, you'll become much more comfortable with yourself. And that type of beauty is the type you can't buy your way into.

If you still aren't convinced about your beauty, just take a quick look around the world at other countries and cultures. While the American standard is the "cute" nose, plenty of non-American peoples find large noses to be sexy and beautiful and would choose it over a tiny snout any day. People in Europe, Africa, and Asia regularly rock their large noses or bumps; the Roman people prized them. It is even said that being told by a person in Japan that you have a big nose is a compliment!

Take a stroll through your local art or history museum and pay particular attention to the sculptures and paintings; do you notice a lot of women with tiny, invisible noses, or women who are confidently showing off their big, beautiful beaks? Roman and Egyptian art in particular highlights this feature on many of their models. Think of the classic white marble sculptures you have seen in magazines or on TV. They prominently feature women with the traditional Roman nose. And who would ever think they weren't beautiful because of it? We're just sayin', and if a significant, prominent nose was good enough for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, it's probably good enough for us.

This article is more geared toward the female persuasion, but if you are a male reader, fear not. This all applies to you as well. In fact, big, strong noses on men are a sought-after feature right now. Look at the hashtag #bignose on Instagram. Men are rocking this sexy facial feature, and just like women, the confidence and hotness are immediately evident.

Ok, ok. So some of you might still be struggling to accept your features. Maybe you had a friend who went on summer break and came back sporting a beautiful new snout. Or perhaps you have been searching the internet for what it would cost to finally have the cute and tiny nose you've always dreamed of. But while you are looking at pictures of people who have gone undergone the knife and come out with their dream nose, make sure you're getting the whole story. Rhinoplasty or a nose reduction surgery is not cheap, both in monetary costs, or time investment. The average price for rhinoplasty surgery is around $5000, and that's if there are no complications. Nasal obstruction, scarring, and infection are all side effects of the surgery, among others. Even if you do not suffer from side effects, you're looking at several months for all the swelling to go away. And the biggest risk of all is a disappointment; if you have spent your life picturing your new, perfect nose, you always run the risk of being heartbroken when it does not turn out exactly as you imagined. As you consider surgery, remember that it takes nothing to accept yourself. It might cost you a lot to change yourself through rhinoplasty.

We could give you a million different reasons why your large Roman nose is beautiful and uniquely you. At the end of the day, positive changes can only come from you. You'll need to stop imagining yourself as something different, and accept that you are exactly how you should be, large, lovely nose and all. Once you find this acceptance, either with the help of women like Radhika Sanghani, or you find it from coming to terms with your own self-consciousness, you'll discover it's easier to go through your day with a confidence that is infectious. And once you have that confidence, it will spread like wildfire to other areas of your life.

If you cannot find it in yourself to love your big nose for yourself, maybe you can learn to accept it in the name of future generations. If we continue this tide of discouraging different noses, nothing will change, and the girls and boys that come after us will have the same problems with teasing and self-conscious behavior that we do. If we work on accepting ourselves now, we set the example for the next generation to include more in their idea of "perfect beauty." And if nothing else, loving yourself to improve the future world is a pretty darn good reason to change the feeling about your nose.

As our culture grows to be more accepting of different and unique looks, the support for large noses will also continue to increase. More and more celebrities are choosing to lead their lives with their original appendages, and hopefully, the general public will follow suit. Your nose makes you-you; why would you want to look like anyone else? In the end, if you just can't find it in yourself to accept your large and glorious nose, a rhinoplasty procedure to get a reduction in your bump or reduction in overall size is always an option. Consider this before you do: That while the "ideal" look frequently changes with the times and culture, having true confidence is something that never, ever goes out of style. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - and true beauty comes from within. Be proud of who are and how you were made. #proudofyourbignose