nose

NOSE

Cleopatra's nose: had it been shorter, the whole aspect of the world would have been altered. --Pascal, Pensees, II

Just need a nose job! --Kramer (Seinfeld, rerun of May 2, 2000)

Pepys had a temper, too, unfortunately, and more than once was driven to twist her nose . . . --Charles Elliott (2001:105; on Samuel Pepys' quarrels with his wife, Elizabeth, over beauties he had charmed)

Body part. That projecting part of the human face which contains the nostrils and organs of smell.

Usage: The nose is one of the most defining features of human identity and facial recognition.

Anatomy. Located at the center of our face, the nose is a rounded prominence of bone, gristle, fatty tissue, and flesh. Unlike animal noses, its freestanding shape reinforces the vertical height of our face and accents the stability of its features.

Culture. In the Trobriand Islands, couples may gently bite noses while making love. Among Eskimos, Maoris, and Polynesians, touching another's face or head with the tip of the nose is used as a friendly greeting.

Emotion. When we breathe deeply, or are emotionally aroused, our nostrils visibly flare. They may uncontrollably widen in anger, as well, when we listen to disagreeable comments made by colleagues around a conference table.

Evolution. Our triangular nose evolved in tandem with shrinkage of the primate's bony muzzle. Because early primates depended more on sight than smell, their snouts gradually shortened. Because we have no muzzle at all, our proboscis was left standing high and dry on the fleshy plain.

Gender. The generally larger noses of men give an appearance of "strength." Women's generally smaller noses--which may be further reduced with makeup to keep from upstaging the lips and eyes--give an appearance of "youth." (See LOVE SIGNAL.)

Media. In magazine ads, the feminine nose "disappears" into the flatness of the face to accent the lips, eyes, and baby-smooth skin (Givens 1983).

Respiration. Though our face is flatter today than that of our remote primate ancestors, we still require the air we breathe to be cleaned, warmed, and moistened before it enters our lungs. Thus, our nose projects like an air duct, prominently and for all to see.

See also FACIAL I.D.

NOSE PIERCING

Identity symbol. One or more usually small, needle-created orifices in the bridge, nostril or septum area of the human nose.

Usage. Nose piercings are used to attach pieces of jewelry to the middle of the face. Though small, their prominent placement on the face can telegraph powerful messages about the who, what and why of one's identity. Unlike words which come and go, nose corkscrews, rings, rods and studs broadcast in a continuous manner throughout the day.

Nonverbal semantics. Nose rings may mark major changes in one's psychological or sociocultural status. In the East, nose jewelry may be used to proclaim the onset of adolescence or signal a change in martial status. In the West, nose-wear have fewer cultural and more psychological significance, as in marking hippie, Goth or punk rebelliousness. Biologically, nose piercing spreads via imitation through the reptilian principle of isopraxis (see ISOPRAXISM).

Prehistory and history. Nose piercing may have begun ca. 46,000 years ago in Aboriginal Australia, used to wear handcrafted bones (see ARTIFACT) horizontally through the nasal septum. Jewelry piercing itself began ca. 4,000 years ago in the Middle East, from whence it spread worldwide as an attractive, self-proclaiming identity cue.

NOSTRIL-FLARE

Body movement. Enlargement of the nasal openings at the bottom of the human nose.

Usage. Dilated nostrils work to increase the uptake of oxygen to the lungs.

Meanings. Nostril-flare is a polysemous nonverbal sign with many meanings, some of which are emotional: 1. Dilation may indicate a breathing problem, such as asthma, influenza or pneumonia. 2. To increase oxygen uptake, nostrils may flare during and after physical exercise. 3. Due to interaction of the facial muscles, nostrils may flare when one smiles, laughs or cries. 4. As the body mobilizes in a fight-or-flight response, e.g., anger or fear, nostrils may flare to increase oxygen uptake (see FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT). 5. Bodily arousal brought on by sexual attraction may show in flared nostrils.

Anatomy. Nostril dilation is achieved through contraction of the alar part of the nose's nasalis muscle, aided by depressor septi. These muscles are controlled by the emotionally responsive facial nerve (see SPECIAL VISCERAL NERVE).

See also NOSE.

YouTube Video: Notable Noses