My Jewish Nose

Race is a term that refers to certain visible and very distinctive characteristics. Besides gender, race is the first thing we notice about another person. The real challenge lies in truly identifying the physical traits that differentiate one race from another. In the article, My Jewish Nose, the author discusses how her appearance is tied to her race and cultural beliefs. Growing up, her mother continued to offer paying for her to get a nose job, so she would not be stereotyped as a Jewish girl and be more attractive to the opposite sex. One part even states that her father would not have fallen in love with her mother had she not gotten a nose job. Although she is not a practicing Jew, her nose is her one true characteristic that identifies with her race. With all the pressure from her parents and even the media to have the perfect nose, she felt no need to change her identity to blend in with mainstream culture.  I think having certain characteristics that allow you to identify with your race and culture is what helps us form our personal identities and become unique individuals; rather than conform to what others think you should look like or how the media portrays beauty. ~ Chelsea

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/57913545180057296/

We all have unique characteristics that tie us to our roots and our culture. To relate this back to the article, I dealt with a similar situation growing up. Like her, I constantly felt the pressure to change my look because people kept commenting on how light skinned I am compared to the rest of my family. I’m Filipino (Chinese/Spanish blood mix) but everyone mistakes me for a different Asian race. Even my family points out how different my skin color and my eyes are from my siblings. So growing up, I constantly felt the need to get a tan or to put eye make up on to look less “Asian” because it made me stick out from my culture. However, it wasn’t until high school that I’ve learned to accept and embrace who I am after seeing a picture of my maternal grandmother. She had light skin and almond-shaped eyes as well. So in a way I felt connected to her and my culture because I was able to see that not everyone in my culture has the typical dark skin and non-Asian eyes. ~ Ashley

Source: http://voicesofthephilippines.com/country/cultural-characteristics

Lisa Jervis is an “ethnic Jew” as she puts it. She is not religious, she doesn’t know Hebrew, but she is Jewish nonetheless. She views being a Jew as cultural not spiritual. Even though she isn’t a religious Jew, she says she can be easily classified as Jewish because of her “big honkin’ nose”. She states that growing up her mother has offered to pay for a nose job. Her mother does not find it to be a big deal and says people do it all the time. Even her father agrees and says he would not have ever gone out with her mother if she had not gotten a nose job.

            Lisa views “getting a nose job” as a negative act, which would strip away her culture. Getting a nose job is conforming to a “white, gentle mode”, as she puts it. She states that Jewish women are stereotypically viewed as loud and pushy, which are not viewed as feminine qualities and so women opt for a nose job in order to be viewed as more feminine. In doing so, she feels as though these women they lose physical and emotional ties to their ethnicity and I agree 100%. It is sad to see women being forced into getting nose jobs by their loved ones so that they can “look prettier”. Women from all cultures are beautiful in their own way, cliché as it may sound.  Women have different features that make them beautiful and in this case, the Jewish women are defined by their noses. Women can view it negatively or positively. I view it as a positive. Look at Barbara Streisand. Lea Michele. Their noses make them who they are and without their noses they would not be themselves. ~ Sandy

            I’m glad that the author embraces her nose and is now able to see how important her nose is to her identity. It is heart breaking to see how her family has changed things about themselves so as not to be so Jewish—her mom got a nose job and they changed their family name. But now she realizes how she likes being recognized by her nose. It defines her.

A physical appearance of someone can quickly determine what race that person is. There are several physical traits that have been consistent for some races and help people define others. The article, My Jewish Nose, states that there are people that try to change the way they look so they wont be stereotyped under their race. The way someone looks according to their race helps others have a sense of your identity. Race is also tied into someone’s culture. Culture and race come hand in hand. Being part of a specific race takes you back to  were your ancestors come from and what your family is consisted of.

Personally my race is one of my values and I cherish it. My race, my culture is part of me and has created a huge impact in my life. ~Brenda