Kamis, 07 Juni 2012

Nose jobs decline as rhinoplasty's biggest fans no longer fear their defining feature

Nose jobs decline as rhinoplasty's biggest fans no longer fear their defining feature

By Victoria Wellman

PUBLISHED: 16:09 EST, 7 June 2012 | UPDATED: 16:46 EST, 7 June 2012

Young affluent Jewish girls, widely acknowledged as champions of the nose job, are increasingly opting out of the popular surgery.

Though rhinoplasty was once a customary rite of passage around bat mitzvah time, statistics show a 37per cent decline of nose jobs over the past decade.

And while the procedure is growing in popularity among Hispanics and young Asian Americans, cosmetic surgeons say would-be Jewish patients appear to be more content embracing their characteristic features.

Nose more: Rhinoplasty procedures among young Jewish girls are declining as ethnic diversity is celebrated and unique features embraced

Nose more: Rhinoplasty procedures among young Jewish girls are declining as ethnic diversity is celebrated and unique features embraced

Though the decline in numbers could be blamed in part on the frail economy and a tightening of purse strings, a more likely reason is the reaction among would-be patients to the changing ideals of beauty and the celebration of diversity.

But Dr Babak Azizzadeh, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, told Tablet: 'The ideal beauty can be anybody. I think people actually don't want to assimilate as much.'

In the past, when being beautiful meant looking all-American and not Jewish, immigrants who didn't want to stand out from the crowd sought the cosmetic procedure.

Confident: Lea Michele is 'proud' of her Jewish nose

Confident: Lea Michele is 'proud' of her Jewish nose

As physician and anthropologist Melvin Konnor put it, '[this] was why rhinoplasty was invented.'

Historian Beth Haiken noted that in 1936, pioneering plastic surgeon Vilray Blair, chief of that specialty at Washington University in St. Louis, made the observation that 'change in the shape of the pronounced Jewish nose may be sought for either social or business reasons.'

Ms Haiken explained of the time: 'There was a lot of anti-immigration sentiment and a lot of anti-Semitism once the immigration laws changed.'

Nowadays, however, Dr Konnor believes that the decline in nose jobs is 'because of increased ethnic pride and a decreased desire to stop looking Jewish and blend in.'

As our ideals of beauty move away from the fair-skinned, petite features of Anglo-Saxon physiognomy, the once popular scoop-bridged, upturned nose has become less of a standard.

Today's stars and taste-makers are ethnically diverse and women are encouraged to value the features that make them stand out from the pack.

Glee star Lea Michele for one told US Weekly: I’ve always been proud of my body, my Jewish nose and all of that. Hollywood’s Hollywood, but that’s not going to change.'

Now patients opt for the surgery because they just want to be pretty, Miami surgeon, Michael Salzhauer told Tablet.

And at Dr Azizzadeh's office, requests come in not to re-shape but to 'restore' more character and more ethnicity.

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

  • Newest
  • Oldest
  • Best rated
  • Worst rated

It's really a 'semitic' nose shared by most middle eastern and Arab countries. The whole Jewish nose thing is kind of a misnomer,

Report abuse

Good stuff. This is a step in the right direction away from the homogenised beauty ideal imposed by American culture.

Report abuse

I am Jewish and I do not have a big or hooked nose. I know many Jews who don't have big noses. I do know Italians, Native Americans, Germans, Anglo-Saxons, Armenians, etc., etc. who DO have big and/or hooked noses. I find it extremely insulting that Jews are still stereotyped in this way in the year 2012.

Report abuse

I've always thought that Jewish women are extremely attractive. Their unique noses give them a rare beauty that other women do not have. My problem is that I am not Jewish so I don't think I would have a chance otherwise I'd date one of them in a heartbeat.

Report abuse

Incredibly tasteless article. As a Jewish person who has known and lived among Jews my entire life, I can think of only a single person who had a nose job. Perhaps the percentage of Jews having work done is higher in areas like New York and L.A., but for those of us living in areas of the US where looks aren't the end all and be all of one's existence, plastic surgery is no more common among Jews than among other ethnic groups. Also, bat mitzvah time is when a girl reaches 12 years of age. I can say with certainty that NO Jewish mother I've ever known would allow her preteen to undergo a surgical procedure simply for cosmetic reasons. How shallow.

Report abuse

I still want a nose job. I think Lea Michele should get one too but it's good for her that she isn't even though she could. It does broaden what is "beautiful". I think Jennifer Aniston needs one as well. Some celebrities who really look like they had one still keep mum about it but you just have to look at old pictures. These include Michelle Pfeiffer, Salma Hayek, and Halle Berry. Janet Jackson definitely had one done as a teenager as you can see from her original nose on that tv show she did as a child yet does not speak about it either.

Report abuse

Lea Michele looks a bit like Pippa Middleton in that photo.

Report abuse

hurrah for the return of the real nose! whatever the ethnicity

Report abuse

Good. These girls were always beautiful, and this was part of their features. They weren't beautiful DESPITE the nose, nor were they beautiful BECAUSE of the nose, they were beautiful WITH it.

Report abuse

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Diposting oleh di

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar

Langganan: Posting Komentar (Atom)