Why Are Filipinos Obsessed With Nose Shapes?

For many Filipinas, Western beauty standards still reign supreme. Along with this comes the notion that nose shapes must be generally narrow, pointy, and elevated. What’s left for a Filipina girl to do? Whip out the contouring brush and bronzer to camouflage her “flaws”, of course. But what if she ditched the contour and embraced her pango nose?

Whether it’s plumping one’s lips or softening a jawline for the sake of ethnic ambiguity, the obsession with altering or concealing features that connect us to our roots – nose included – is a burgeoning issue for many Filipinas. Read about some possible reasons Filipinos care so much about nose shapes and why the most beautiful nose shape is the one you’re born with.

Aside from helping you smell things, the human nose filters, warms, and moistens the air you breathe. A person’s ethnicity is reflected in their skin and eye color, or height, but sometimes you can also tell where someone is from by the shape of their nose.

Asian nose shapes, or those belonging to individuals of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Malaysian, and Indian descent, originate from the Mongolian race. Although each nationality’s nose shape varies in size and appearance, the most common nose shapes in Asia predominantly have short bridges, round tips, broad roots, and wide nostrils.

Like Chinese and Koreans, Filipinos typically have noses that are much shorter than their other features, which is a stark contrast from the Western-centric type of nose that’s narrow and pointy.

From ancient Greece to the Renaissance, humankind has measured beauty against specific standards. A study on facial attractiveness examined perceptions of beauty measured against a “golden ratio” which measured the distance from the hairline to the eyebrows, the distance from the Cupid’s bow to the tip of the mouth, and finally, the width of the nose compared to the width of each side of the face.

But beauty encompasses mere proportions. Individual tastes, cultural influences, and the media all play a role in what the world considers attractive today. When it comes to Filipino standards, having a sharper or smaller nose is a feature that’s too often desired.

It’s not just Filipinas who want new noses. The hashtag #nosecontour has 89K posts on Instagram to date. It makes you wonder, with movements like body positivity, diversity, and racial representation trending, when will noses get their beauty awakening?

For years, Filipinas have been conditioned to compare themselves to specific beauty standards influenced by colonialism. Recently, there has been a shift towards celebrating morena features, such as less-defined noses, which were previously not given as much attention.

While there’s nothing wrong with experimenting with makeup hacks to enhance your features, seeing an unfiltered selfie is a breath of fresh air. Wash your skin with Dove Facial Cleansing Mousse Brightening Care, which has 40% Active-boost Serum and hyaluronic acid to leave your skin naturally radiant and moisturized for up to 24 hours.

Meanwhile, if you have oily skin, use Dove Facial Cleansing Mousse Oil Control Care. It balances oil production and helps minimize the appearance of pores for clear skin.

If you’ve ever felt insecure about your nose at one point, you’re not alone. A body image survey conducted by the Women and Equalities Committee in 2020 showed that 69% of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) respondents rarely feel represented on social platforms. When the beautiful faces in mainstream media don’t look like you, it’s easy to jump to conclusions and think, “Maybe I’m not attractive.”

While this clearly needs to change, you can, too. As Bretman Rock once said in a speech, “Girl, change the channel.” If you don’t see yourself in what you’re watching, watch something else. Tell your algorithm that you’re ready for something new.

Learning to accept features like nose shapes will take time, but it’s not impossible. If your nose really bothers you, by all means, do something about it. No judgment! But if you can find it in your heart to embrace what you have, it would be so much more empowering – for you and Filipinas who have ever been nose-shamed.