People are sharing side-profile selfies on social media to celebrate their unique noses
Considering that rhinoplasty, aka a “nose job,” is one of the most popular plastic surgeries in the U.S., it’s safe to say that there are a lot of people out there who don’t like their noses. However, one woman has started a body positivity social media campaign with the intent to prove that all noses—no matter how big, bumpy or otherwise imperfect—are beautiful.
The Origin Of The #Sideprofileselfie Campaign
Radhika Sanghani, a 27-year-old London-based journalist, started the #sideprofileselfie hashtag. Her intention was to encourage people to “stop hating our noses for not being tiny, little snubs” by posting a photo of their side profile, an angle that people with less-than-perfect features often avoid.
Breaking the big nose taboo with my new campaign on the #sideprofileselfie!! Let’s stop hating our noses for not being tiny, little snubs and learn to love them by sharing a #sideprofileselfie https://t.co/2WpuNQmqmY pic.twitter.com/hL6mZmYEwZ
— Radhika Sanghani (@radhikasanghani) February 20, 2018
Many women, and even some men, responded with photos and praise for Sanghani’s social challenge to break the imperfect nose beauty taboo. As a result, the hashtag quickly went viral, spreading across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Here’s Twitter user @LillieMarie16’s side profile, where she implores others to raise their noses for the cause:
https://twitter.com/LilliMarie16/status/967169222647406593
Meanwhile, Twitter user @Sansomchris says his big nose is a big part of his identity:
https://twitter.com/Sansomchris/status/966267378727378944
Mayim Bialik of “The Big Bang Theory” even joined the campaign, posting a side profile shot of her own:
I'm loving this #sideprofileselfie trend! I'm sharing my Roman nose in solidarity. Lets keep this up! Thanks to @radhikasanghani for starting this movement to end the prominent 👃 taboo. pic.twitter.com/Rdf0aUTgVR
— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) February 25, 2018
Why Sanghani Started The #Sideprofileselfie Campaign
Sanghani explained her motivation to start the campaign in an article she wrote for Grazia:
…I grew up thinking that you can’t be beautiful unless you have a snub little ski-slope of a nose, like Kate Middleton or Mila Kunis—and I know other women have too. There just aren’t enough larger-nosed ladies with stereotypically ‘hot’ roles in movies or ad campaigns to make us think an aquiline profile can be pretty.
But times are changing and fashion and beauty is becoming more diverse than ever…But despite all this, I feel like the only taboo that hasn’t been broken is the big nose, and it’s not right. We’ve seen the ulfiltered spotty skin, the stretch marks, the cellulite and the body hair all being reclaimed as our own and beautiful online. But noses are still hidden in subtle head tilts and awkward poses. We need change. It’s why I’m using this article to launch the #sideprofileselfie.
With hundreds of photos posted and no end in sight, here’s hoping the #sideprofileselfie campaign continues to inspire people to love their noses—no matter what their shape or size.