Meet the woman encouraging others to love their big noses

'Society deems small noses as more attractive than larger ones because it fits into the patriarchal idea of women being small, delicate, feminine and not taking too much space'

Much like stretch-marks, acne and large feet, women have long been told that big noses aren’t beautiful.

It’s been instilled in us that small noses - whether button-shaped or like a little ski-jump - are cute, feminine and attractive.

But one woman is fighting to change this.

(Radhika Sanghani (Radhika Sanghani)

Journalist Radhika Sanghani from London has launched a campaign urging women to love their larger noses and to share a picture online using the hashtag #sideprofileselfie.

“I’ve hated my nose for most of my life,” Sanghani explained to The Independent. “I always felt I was ugly because of it just because there are so few actresses and models who have big noses.”

It was something she was conscious of from a young age too.

(Radhika Sanghani (Radhika Sanghani)

“My friends would say well meaning things like ‘you’d be so pretty if you had a smaller nose’ and a few times I had kids in the street yell ‘big nosed Indian’ at me,” Sanghani says.

“It all made me feel like a big nose was definitely not an attractive physical quality and so I spent my whole life hiding from side profile photos.”

Now, however, she’s calling on women to stop trying to hide their profiles, and rather celebrate their noses.

“I know how it feels to hate your nose and I hope I can inspire people to embrace theirs,” Sanghani says. “I’ve already received so many beautiful #sideprofileselfies from women who say it’s so wonderful to finally hear big noses discussed in the media.

“I want to break the big nose taboo and get people to see big noses as beautiful - then hopefully the fashion and entertainments industries will start to cast larger nosed ladies into high profile roles.”

Sanghani believes the stigma attached to big noses on women comes down, as is often the case, to the patriarchy.

“My theory is that society deems small noses as more attractive than larger ones because it fits into the patriarchal idea of women being small, delicate, feminine and not taking too much space,” she explains.

“But big noses are powerful, and having a Roman nose used to be seen as strong and attractive, so let’s bring that back!”