Correct Your Nose Without Operation!
Source: The Toronto Daily Star, April 22, 1916. Image credit: jbcurio
The text of this 1916 ad says:
In this age, attention to your appearance is an absolute necessity if you expect to make the most out of life. Not only should you wish to appear as attractive as possible for your own self-satisfaction, which is alone well worth your efforts, but you will find the world in general judging you greatly, if not wholly, by your looks.
Therefore, it pays to look your best at all times. Permit no one to see you looking otherwise. It will injure your welfare! Upon the impression you constantly make rests the failure or success of your life. Which is to be your ultimate destiny?
My new nose-shaper corrects ill-shaped noses without operation, quickly, safely and permanently.
The ad raises several issues. Among them, the importance of looks; truth in advertising; and advertisers that attempt to manipulate the consumer’s emotions and vulnerabilities for making profit.
I found it interesting that the issues that we are facing today were present almost 100 years ago. Indeed, There’s nothing new under the sun.
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Hunter Nuttall responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 10:30 pm →
Any mask that reshapes your nose quickly and permanently must be very painful! Was it legal to say anything you wanted back then? If so, it must have been a scammer’s paradise. Thanks for the link, and a keyword-rich one at that!
Hunter Nuttall’s last blog post..Write For The Web: Drive-by Shooting
Robin responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 10:32 pm →
Oh dear – I guess trying to persuade people (In this case to hand over their money) by inducing fear has been the fashion for quite a long time. Have a good break Vered!
Robin’s last blog post..Feelings Are There To Be Felt
Christina Narciso responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 10:33 pm →
Sad to see that the desire to look perfect and beautiful was a big deal in the past as much as it is now. Personally I would never resort to plastic surgery to beautify my looks.
Christina Narciso’s last blog post..Interview with Paul Zollo – The Ingenious Artist
Clem - Unique Business Opportunity responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 10:38 pm →
Fascinating! Amazing that some things, like society’s obsession with looking perfect, is timeless! And where were the “truth in advertising police?” I can’t imagine this worked!!!
Clem – Unique Business Opportunity’s last blog post..The Law of Compensation – Making Money from Your Home Based Business
Cindi @ Mama Mentor responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 10:48 pm →
My Gram was born in 1901 ~ wish I could have asked here about things like that ~ she lived to be over 101. Happy WW ~ mine’s posted too!
Cindi @ Mama Mentor’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday ~ Almost ~ How Mother of the Brides in Alaska Announce their Daughter’s Engagement
Maya responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 10:56 pm →
Luckily my nose is perfect! But I might get some general facial nip and tuck in the future. It’s not an enlightened thought I know, but in this time and age it’s just so within reach and tempting. So why not?
Maya’s last blog post..Jonathan Livingston Seagull the Movie
Andre Kibbe responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 11:16 pm →
The ad comes prior to the New Deal, when truth in advertising regulations were tightened. It also comes during a spike in interest in “physical culture,” when the first wave of self-help books designed to cultivate model physiques were in demand. People had much lower standards of credulity back then, but I’m sure that people will say the same about us a century from now.
Barbara Swafford responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 11:20 pm →
HI Vered,
WOW! I can’t imagine someone wearing a nose reshaper and believe it will work “quickly”, let alone, have it work, at all. Even back then the scammers were “working their magic”. Some things never change.
I was just thinking, with you running AdSense, it would be funny if one of the ads they placed was for a modern day “nose shaper”.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..NBOTW – Putting His Spin On It
Scott McIntyre responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 11:21 pm →
This is more like an instrument of torture than a beauty aid, Vered.
If people didn’t already poke fun at the wearer before, they’d sure as heck do so now!
What some folk will do for vanity….
Evelyn Lim responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 11:35 pm →
Surely it must hurt to wear a nose shaper. I think a clothes peg will be better; at least it allows for easy breathing…LOL!!
Evelyn Lim’s last blog post..My Abundance Mind Movie
Evelyn Lim responds:
Posted: September 9th, 2008 at 11:38 pm →
Sorry….I meant to say that a clothes peg allows for *easier* breathing (or does it?)…LOL!!
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 1:30 am →
@ Hunter: See Andre’s comment – apparently it WAS legal. RE keyword-rich links, I learned it from Monika Mundell.
@ Robin: Thanks.
@ Christina: It’s true. Looks were always important, and likely always will be.
@ Clem: I do wonder if it worked… how many people actually bought this.
@ Cindi: Wow, over 101 years on this planet. Sounds exhausting.
@ Maya: I hope that I would never get plastic surgery – but never say never.
@ Andre: “People had much lower standards of credulity back then, but I’m sure that people will say the same about us a century from now.” I agree. Ads for anti wrinkle creams , for example. “eyes are visibly lifted after just one week”. Ha. Also ads for diet pills, although they do say in the small print stuff like “results not typical” or that the pill should be combined with a healthy diet and exercise.
@ Barbara: Ah, Adsense… there’s one that I can see that says “candid answers about Lasik”. Wonder how candid they are.
@ Scott: “What some folk will do for vanity” – I know, it’s amazing.
@ Evelyn: Ha. A clothes peg. That’s a funny thought.
Avital responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 1:53 am →
Enjoy your time off!! This advertisement is amazing, as 100 years ago they didn’t bother to make it more subtle. The world is judging you wholly by your looks… It is frustrating, annoying but isn’t it actually true? Isn’t there some kind of truth in there? In the ancient times, women would also paint their eyes and wear jewelry. Has grooming really become a necessity? Great post, Vered.
Tara responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 2:05 am →
Forget the issues surrounding this, who has a nose like the one pictured in the before shot? Looks like they’ve stuck it up with Sellotape
Tara’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: Because we live in the countryside
Lance responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 3:37 am →
More proof that we sometimes focus too much on outward appearance. In terms of the picture itself, I really find it to be quite funny – funny in that we’re talking looks, and yet wearing that mask — not a look I’d want.
Busymama Kellie responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 3:45 am →
I love seeing ads from way back when. Makes me laugh at how gullible people were. I wonder what we’ll think of our ads now in 30 or 50 years!
Miranda responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 5:18 am →
Another great WW post.
I love this one. It’s like braces headgear — but for your nose. Yikes.
Miranda’s last blog post..Election 2008: What’s Important To Me (Part 3)
Chris responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 5:35 am →
You know this nose thing is a very big deal to a lot of Filipinos. Years of colonial brainwashing and colonial occupation from the Spaniards all the way to the Americans have left an detrimental impact on the Filipino psyche that their “flat nose” is not as beautiful as the “perfectly high white nose.”
Now because of the explosion of reconstructive surgery in the Philippines, many Filipinos are opting to “fix” their nose. I’m sure that the reason behind this advertising is similar to the brainwashing that has gone on for years.
Urban Panther responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 5:47 am →
Brings up the whole cosmetic surgery debate. You would not believe the number of women in the boating community who have perfect (read fake) boobs. And perfect (read fake) nails. And perfect (read fake) hair..well, you get the idea. To clarify, for the most part this is the ‘jetting’ crowd. I guess a streamlined body goes with the streamlined boat. And the men swagger about with an air of “look at my perfect boat; look at my perfect wife”.
Urban Panther’s last blog post..Sugar and salt, it ain’t my fault!
Writer Dad responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 6:11 am →
Writer Dad has a big nose. It’s true, you’ll see. When I was little, I had all the nicknames: pinnochio, gonzo, “the nose.” I always wanted a nose job. It was more fact than hope that I would get a nose job when I turned eighteen. But by the time I was eighteen, I no longer cared. I’d grown into both my nose, and my personality. My nose is part of my face and it gives me character. I’d no sooner get a nose job now, then have someone smash my knees with a hammer.
Writer Dad’s last blog post..I Link You!
Monika Mundell responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 6:21 am →
Hi Vered,
This guy in the picture looks like Hannibal Lecter from Silence with the Lambs. I would only ever consider plastic surgery after a bad road accident. I don’t understand why we can’t love and accept people how they are born. After all, beauty is on the inside and after some time even ugly people start to look good.
Monika Mundell’s last blog post..Cash Flow – Are You Aware Of Business Costs?
zoe responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 6:29 am →
At first glance I thought, how strange. But then I thought, it’s really no different from having braces to straighten your teeth. Ug, and you should have seen the headgear I had to sleep in when I had braces. That was 4 years of pain for the sake of vanity. But it was the thing to do at the time.
zoe’s last blog post..When I Walk
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 6:30 am →
@ Avital: It IS true. I don’t think it’s all about looks, but certainly looks are more important than they should be.
@ Tara: I know, that nose is WEIRD.
@ Lance: I think this ad is sad and funny at the same time.
@ Kellie: I’m sure future generations will laugh at our ads too!
@ Miranda: “It’s like braces headgear — but for your nose.” It is!
@ Chris: This is sad. It reminds me of the eyelid surgery that many Asian young woman are undergoing in an attempt to have Western-looking eyes.
@ Urban Panther: Personally, I don’t think people should look perfect. When asked which celebrities I’m attracted to, I always say that I’m not – they are too plasticky to be attractive. Real people with real flaws are attractive.
@ BigNose Writer Dad:
“My nose is part of my face and it gives me character. I’d no sooner get a nose job now, then have someone smash my knees with a hammer.” Amen to that!
@ Monika Mundell: It’s very true that when you love someone, they look beautiful to you regardless of whether they are considered beautiful by society.
@ zoe: I had braces too. That was NOT fun. But braces at least straighten teeth. That nose apparatus in the ad… I don’t think it did what the ad said it would do.
Your Friendly CPA responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 6:46 am →
I am lucky to get my clothes to match each morning or get my haircut every 6 weeks. A nose re-shaping device sounds like something from a sci-fi movie in my world. Just being a good provider for my family, a good example for my children and trying to help out the community as much as possible is good enough for me. The world would (will) just have to deal with the shape of my nose be it 1916 or 2008.
Dave
Workshops, Zombies And Large Noses | The Writers Manifesto Blog responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 6:50 am →
[...] to you for some after hours reading. First up is Vered from Mom Grind. Her Hannibal Lecter style nose job post made me laugh. Check out her comments too as they are always full of [...]
Dot responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 6:51 am →
Having lived through vicious jokes in high school and cruel comments in adulthood about my appearance, which is perfectly normal, I can understand how a parent might want their child to have the ability to correct a noticeably unattractive feature that has led to a lot of ridicule, perhaps huge ears or the nose that Writer Dad suffered with (kudos to you for keeping your nose). The cruel remarks I’ve received about my appearance over the years have stayed with me.
Just to give one small example, I was out at a singles bar in Manhattan with a friend, back when I was in my thirties. My friend was a bleached blonde, very pretty, provocatively dressed and with a great figure. We were talking to a group of three young men, and at one point one of them said to me, “How can you stand it?” Stand what, I asked. “Having to stand next to someone who looks like her,” he replied. People can be so vicious.
On the other hand, when I bleached my hair blonde and wore slinky clothes, I was once compared ot Marilyn Monroe. What’s a girl to believe? Are the blonde hair and provocative clothes more important than the person? Apparently so.
I also believe I once lost a possible job based on my looks. I was interviewed briefly over the phone by a young man who was very effusive and enthusiastic. I waited in a room for him to interview me. As he walked in, he took one look and his face fell. It was downhill from there. I believe he was looking for some “cute young thing” to entertain him during the workday.
So I can see why people feel a need to alter their looks. However, the only time I’ve ever been tempted was when my neck started to sag. Aging really is unattractive, and all those 70-year-old actors and actresses on TV who have no wrinkles don’t make it any easier to bear.
Natural responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 7:18 am →
It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. The pretty people get the jobs, get excused, get the guys/gals. People are treated like books and you are judged by your cover. Advertisers will do anything to make a profit and the first place they start is by getting in your mind and then tickling your ears, telling you stuff they know you want to hear….and nope there is nothing new under the sun.
Have a good weekend Vered!
Natural’s last blog post..If My Life Were A Movie
Cath Lawson responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 7:50 am →
OMG Vered – that looks really painful. It makes surgery sound nice. I wonder how many people fell for these sort of scams?
SpaceAgeSage responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 7:53 am →
Snake oil anyone? I also got a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell ya. Maybe these nice, shiny beads?
As long as ego and vanity rule, so will those who fill the needs of both, yes?
SpaceAgeSage’s last blog post..Even forgotten dreams can be fulfilled
Carla responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 8:48 am →
…the corsets of old is included in that. Not the ones worn for fun or fashion now, but the ones that would have you suffocating. Not to mention rib removal.
Now, we starve to death, have the fat sucked out our waists, cut up our faces and inject poison into our skin.
Carla’s last blog post..Fear of blogging
MizFit responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 8:58 am →
didnt marcia brady try that!?
MizFit’s last blog post..The winner of the Concept2 rowing shorts is (not being presented by Will Ferrell &)….
Suzie responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 9:03 am →
What???? It doesnt work!!!!!! Now what am I supposed to do? Im grabbing my x ray specs and drafting a letter with my invisiable ink pen
Suzie’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday
Mark Salinas responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 9:14 am →
Hmm…I saw that Miz…Marcia Brady did try that!
Mark Salinas’s last blog post..MidWeek Challenge
Kim Woodbridge responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 9:32 am →
I would be inclined to use a device that would deal with the cowlick right in the middle of the forehead. I always look disheveled because I can’t tame it.
Have a great time with your family Vered.
Kim Woodbridge’s last blog post..Stuff This in Your RSS – CSS Newbie – 9/9/08
Marelisa responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 11:39 am →
I seriously doubt that device can alter your nose. I have a great nose, but thank goodness for braces because I had two teeth that definitely needed to be pushed back that were fixed by braces when I was about twelve. I think I might take a picture of all the women at my gym who have enormous (and I mean humongous) fake breasts and post them on my blog. Or maybe I’ll send them to you for next week’s wordless Wednesday
Have a great break!
Marelisa’s last blog post..30 Tips for Getting Along With Others
RC responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 11:45 am →
Do you think I can still write for the free booklet on the nose thingy?
RC’s last blog post..Might as Well Face it, I’m Addicted to…
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 12:45 pm →
@ Friendly CPA: “The world would (will) just have to deal with the shape of my nose be it 1916 or 2008.” I love your attitude!
@ Dot: “I believe he was looking for some “cute young thing” to entertain him during the workday.” Probably. As for aging being unattractive, this is exactly the reason I can’t say I will never opt for plastic surgery. If everything sags and falls and wrinkles, there’s a good chance I WILL have plastic surgery. I hate to say it – I hate to even consider it as an option – but it’s true.
@ Natural: “People are treated like books and you are judged by your cover.” Sad, but true.
@ Cath: “I wonder how many people fell for these sort of scams?” I am very curious about it too!
@ SpaceAgeSage: “As long as ego and vanity rule, so will those who fill the needs of both”. True. Sigh.
@ Carla: “Now, we starve to death, have the fat sucked out our waists, cut up our faces and inject poison into our skin.” Very well said! People – especially women – have always suffered in order to fit beauty ideals. I wonder if a corset that makes you faint is worse than liposuction?
@ MizFit @ Mark Salinas: She did??
@ Suzie:
@ Kim: Disheveled is better than perfect!
@ Marelisa: “I think I might take a picture of all the women at my gym who have enormous (and I mean humongous) fake breasts and post them on my blog. Or maybe I’ll send them to you for next week’s wordless Wednesday” – Please do! Now THAT would be a fun post.
@ RC: It’s probably a tad too late for that.
Sara at On Simplicity responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 1:55 pm →
I have the good fortune to attend a university that has an amazing collection of 19th and 20th century birth control devices in its collection. I can still remember the collective gasp of horror when my class was shown the “cervical stake.” Yeah. That’s what this reminds me of. Good times back in the day.
Sara at On Simplicity’s last blog post..Four Ways to Purge Your Closet
Tom Volkar / Delightful Work responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 2:38 pm →
I think this is the same company that sells penis enlargers now. They’ve grown so much (the company I mean) that they are now responsible for 40% of the worlds spam.
Tom Volkar / Delightful Work’s last blog post..Believe It Or Not
Marsha responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 2:57 pm →
I think you’re right… there’s nothing new under the sun, just how it’s packaged and presented to us!
Seriously though, the nose thing looks like it would be a little painful to me! OUCH!
Happy WW!
Marsha’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday – September 10, 2008
Bamboo Forest responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 4:46 pm →
Our opinions of ourselves should be more important than the so called opinions of advertisers.
I’m not sure which is scarier. The fact that people produced such a contraption or that people actually purchased and used them.
Bamboo Forest’s last blog post..The Stain Demon Can and Will Taint Your Life
Friar responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 6:14 pm →
HAHAHAH!!!
If this is a sample of what people valued and believed in, I think the the 1910′s must not have been a good time to live.
(Any time before that, either..!)
Friar’s last blog post..More Travels with the Bear in Northern Ontario
Randall responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 6:27 pm →
Another great find. I wish I lived in those days… Not that I’d be taken in by quack ads.
Randall’s last blog post..
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 7:56 pm →
@ Sara: “cervical stake” sounds really bad.
@ Tom: Hahaha. It must be the same company.
@ Marsha: It does look painful!
@ Bamboo Forest: Both are pretty scary. And sad.
@ Friar: Yea, I am often grateful that I live now and not then. I imagine people in the future would feel the same about us, unless we manage to destroy Earth completely.
@ Randall: “I wish I lived in those days” – nah, I don’t.
Jamie | WiredParentPad responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 8:29 pm →
Advertisements from 100 years ago pull at the same emotions as today – flawless looks, prestige, sexual themes.
Just the other night I was watching a football game when an ad came on for recliners. The ad showed quick clips of various people going “Ah” as they sat in the recliners. They panned over to the sales clerk who was curiously bouncing up and down just slightly as the “Ahh” sounds continued in the background. I was absolutely amazed, and convinced this was done completely intentionally.
Jamie | WiredParentPad’s last blog post..Today’s Essential Guide to Video Game Ratings for Parents
J.D. Meier responds:
Posted: September 10th, 2008 at 10:31 pm →
How ironic. I nearly posted about how attractiveness impacts your lot in life. I didn’t yet, but I nearly did. The research and results are sometimes surprising.
Bottom line –Good thing beauty’s in the beholder, and durable beauty’s from the inside out.
J.D. Meier’s last blog post..Social Loafing
Kelly@SHE-POWER responds:
Posted: September 11th, 2008 at 5:39 am →
This advertisement makes my nose tingle. Poor thing is just imagining how uncomfortable this contraption must have been. Buit you’ve got me wondering with how you ended this post. You’ve been getting hate mail? Someone hasn’t attacked you for being a bad mother, have they?
What the f**k! I can’t wait for Monday. I want to know now.
Kelly
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 11th, 2008 at 8:29 am →
@ Jamie: Sounds like a clever ad.
I agree that emotions are the same today as they were 100 years ago, and that advertisers are playing those now just as they did 100 years ago.
@ J.D. Meier: I would love to read your perspective on this. Hope you’ll get around to writing about it.
@ Kelly: Yes, I’ve been getting hate mail (via email) once in a while. Nothing threatening, just people that are unhappy with the things that I write. I got several of those after I published my article on fashion mistakes. I don’t take it personally anymore. The particular email that I’ll address on Monday did accuse me of being a bad mom. You’ll have to wait until Monday… I really need to take a few days off.
Sam @ Fix My Personal Finance responds:
Posted: September 11th, 2008 at 9:23 am →
Who ever invented that device surely hates humanity!
Sam @ Fix My Personal Finance’s last blog post..7 Tips on How to Use your Credit Card Effectively
Stacey / CreateaBalance responds:
Posted: September 11th, 2008 at 3:31 pm →
In the background, I’m developing Life Balance tools and resources that I one day will sell online. As I contemplate my marketing pitch, I struggle with promoting my products authentically without manipulating emotions and vulnerabilities. Thanks for pointing this out.
Enjoy your time w/ family!!!
Stacey / CreateaBalance’s last blog post..9/11 Morning Pages
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 11th, 2008 at 10:06 pm →
@ Sam: I have to agree.
@ Stacey: You are very ethical – I admire that.
hyrcan responds:
Posted: September 12th, 2008 at 9:10 am →
Sadly being unhappy with the way our bodies look goes much farther back than a mere 100 years.
Foot Binding
And the “why” behind things like this are, in most cases, the same.
Ellen Wilson responds:
Posted: September 14th, 2008 at 5:22 pm →
Hi Vered,
I used to want a cute little perfect nose. I had a “friend” when I was around thirteen (just the time I should have been turning into a feminist!) tease me about my ski slope nose.
And anyway, isn’t your nose part of your face? I wonder who invented this get-up. It reminds me of that thing Hannibal Lector wore on his mouth.
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..Clean the Toilet and Become a Writer
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 14th, 2008 at 6:55 pm →
@ hyrcan: Foot binding is barbaric. Some say that it’s no worse than modern plastic surgery, but since foot binding turned women into handicapped, I think the comparison can only go so far.
@ Ellen: Striving for perfectionism always backfires.
Shilpan | successsoul.com responds:
Posted: September 14th, 2008 at 8:53 pm →
Vered – I’m always fascinated by your finesse to pick a subject that creates a vibrant community. As you’ve articulated, everything new has been old under the sun.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: September 15th, 2008 at 9:07 pm →
Thanks Shilpan.
D responds:
Posted: October 3rd, 2008 at 2:02 pm →
I think the issues you mention were, if not far worse, then far more obvious back then than they are today.
Most ads today don’t come out and tell you that you’re doing something wrong before they sell you something to fix it. We’re all about making our own choices in bodily mutilation these days.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: October 3rd, 2008 at 2:59 pm →
@ D: “We’re all about making our own choices in bodily mutilation these days.” Haha funny but I guess also sad.