I got my nose piercing September of my junior year of high school. Getting my nose pierced was a deliberate and intentional decision on my part, and I continue to be proud of this decision. For me–and many other women with nose piercings–my simple stud and my golden hoop symbolize my desire to be independent. My nose piercing represents my liberal attitudes and desire to have control over my own body. More than just a piece of decoration, my nose piercing serves as an intentional means of expression.
First, my nose piercing was edited out of my high school graduation picture. Then, my sorority Composite. While both of these instances annoyed me greatly, it didn’t become angry until I thought about the ideas they perpetuate.
Most obviously, my nose piercing–or any other body modification or expression–is a personal choice that reflects intentional thought. For another agency–whether that be my sorority’s nationals, my high school, or the photography company hired by these organizations–to remove this from my body is inappropriate and simply unnecessary. This goes against what sororities stand for, namely the genuine and unconditional support that exists regardless of it’s members’ physical features.
Moreover, the idea that someone, or some policy, besides myself has the agency to decide what can and cannot be on my body perpetuates the harmful ideas that objectify women. Too often, women are valued only for their appearances. In the media and especially in ads, women are reduced to objects (and specifically, sexual objects) for others’ viewing pleasure. This objectification of women–this idea that no matter what a woman likes and dislikes, no matter what she thinks and no matter what she does–her physical beauty is the most important thing about her is dehumanizing, and leads to a culture where violence against women is tolerated.
I am not necessarily suggesting that the removal of my nose piercing in a sorority composite or high school graduation photo has objectified and dehumanized me. Rather, I am saying this this behavior contributes to a culture in which it is okay for someone to alter a woman’s physical appearance. This culture is a product of the gross objectification of women, and has serious health and safety implications.
When women’s physical appearances are altered without their consent, it emphasizes not only that women are not in a position to control their bodies, but also that there is one, narrow standard of beauty that all women must adhere to and it is justifiable to force women into these standards even if they chose to deviate from them. This idea oppresses women, takes away important agency, and contributes to a culture where young girls are not immune from struggling with self-esteem, body image, and eating disorders.
This example may seem insignificant to some, but it represents larger issues at hand. Forcing women to look a certain way and altering them when they do not teaches women that their looks are more important than their choices and thus contributes directly to cultures that objectify women, reduce agency, and tolerate gender-based violence.
Next year, I am certain that my nose piercing will be present in my sorority’s composite.
Image courtesy of Etsy