“Nobody ‘Nose’ the…..”

If you’ve ever met me in person, by now you’ve noticed that I have a pretty distinct feature on my face.  It’s my nose. It’s not your typical ‘black nose’.  The first time I met a former boyfriend’s mother, she walked off the airplane and the first thing she said was “you have one of those white people’s noses”.  Gee thanks, nice meeting you too!

Growing up, my nose was an easy target for various names.  Pinocchio was an easy one for the less creative.  Back in the old school days I was told I have a smurf nose.  Hmm, maybe I can see it.  Just like grandmother’s love to squeeze cute cheeks, people love to flick my nose (and I hate it!)  It feels like a personal violation of my space and prized possession.

While many in Hollywood and other parts of the nation feel a need to get a nose job, I wouldn’t change my nose for the world.  It’s me and makes me the person I am today.  A friend came to an event recently.  He said he was looking at this girl from across the room admiring her style.  He started walking toward her and then saw her profile and realized (by the nose) that it was me.  My nose is my nose and its uniqueness remains a constant.

Over the years I have been compared to several famous people.  Most recently (when my hair was curled) I was compared to one of the ATL housewives.  Who’s your guess?  They say Sheree.  I think if you squint one eye and quickly blink the other, then you could possibly see that resemblance, but not really.  More than once, but not really often, when my hair was wavy, I had comparisons to Stacy Dash.  To me that’s the utmost compliment because Ms. Dash is beautiful.  However, we really don’t look alike. Her nose is sloped and mine as well – that’s where the similarities stop.

There is one celebrity, though, that I hear often that I resemble.  It’s interesting because right before I started writing this column, one of her movies came one.  I first heard the comment in high school while someone was watching House Party.  Then, my freshman year in college they showed the premiere of the movie The Inkwell.  As we walked out of the theatre everyone told me I was the married lady.  Even at the gym this week, someone mentioned the movie Baby Boy and asked me if he could be my Ving Rhames (yeah, no!).  The actress’ name is Adrienne Joi (AJ) Johnson.  She’s a dark skinned sista with a pronounced nose.  I personally think she’s fabulous. After researching her, I found out she’s now a personal trainer.  Good stuff. If you’re not familiar with her, click photo for a Youtube clip.
Regardless of whom we may (or may not) favor, we need to learn to appreciate our differences.  We need to quit trying to be like someone else, and instead embrace the uniqueness we each have in ourselves.  If you think about it, the people that have made the largest differences in our world are those that sought to do something a little different.

M.Y.  December 2008