Paying Through the Nose

Issue 66 March 2010

Iran has the highest amount of ‘nose jobs’ per capita. Tahereh Hadian meets with women who have put their noses under the knife. 

With an estimated 1 in every 700 people having a ‘nose job’ in Iran, it is the ‘nose job capital of the world’. Popular among women and men from all social classes and cultural, religious and political backgrounds, the 100,000 operations per year range in price from £250 to £4,000, depending on the reputation of the surgeon.

Some analysts relate this epidemic to the state’s imposition of a strict dress code where women have to cover their bodies and hair, leaving the nose as a prominent facial feature. This would not explain the rise of the male ‘nose job’ however. Others relate it to a resistance to the states’ Islamic values, although this fails to explain why many of the wives and daughters of government officials and high ranking religious leaders also go under the surgeon’s knife. Others blame the influence of Western models of beauty streaming into Iranian homes through satellite channels and the internet. Others still put it down to boredom amongst Iran’s youthful population, 70% of who are under 30.

Whatever the reasons, with the post operative plasters having become a status symbol, the story of ‘nose jobs’ in Iran poses a fascinating cultural question which needs to be addressed.

Maedeh, 25, who comes from a religious background notes that she wanted to have a nose operation because she, “Would look more beautiful,” and says, “It was my own, personal attitude. I haven’t been influenced by the dominant Western image of beauty represented through Hollywood films.” Her family was supportive of her decision as long as the operation resulted in a natural looking nose. Maedeh further defends her decisions on religious grounds, “God has given us facilities nowadays to improve our appearances and self confidence.” She refers to the Prophetic saying, “God is beautiful and likes beauty.” 

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