Professionals Credentialed in Eating Disorders<\/a>Lifeline on 13 11 14Suicide Call Back Service \u2014 1300 659 467Kids Helpline \u2014 1800 55 1800MensLine \u2014 1300 78 99 78Social media, celebrity culture driving trend<\/p>\nKnown colloquially as the “ski-slope” or “Barbie” nose, this delicate, upturned rhinoplasty is “everywhere” according to Professor Gemma Sharp, the founding director of the Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders.<\/p>\n
Social media is a major driver, she said, with more people posting before-and-after videos that normalise the procedure.<\/p>\n
“You’ve got influencers who’ll talk about having the procedure done and how much it has improved their lives, which is very, very powerful,” she said.<\/p>\n
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An increasing number of people are seeking a “ski-slope” rhinoplasty. (Supplied: TikTok\/selinadasilvaa)<\/p>\n
Professor Sharp said selfie culture is also a factor, with phone cameras making noses appear larger than they actually are.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile photo filters are changing people’s facial structure and shape even when they don’t ask for it, further fuelling dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n
University of Hong Kong philosopher and cosmetic surgery ethics expert Dr Yves Saint James Aquino said celebrity culture is also a “really strong” influence.<\/p>\n
“There is a sort of narrow view that if we achieve the physical ideal, we might be able to achieve all the other social ideals, including wealth, fame and popularity,” he said.<\/p>\n
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Yves Saint James Aquino. (Supplied: Dr Yves Saint James Aquino)<\/p>\n
Australian cosmetic surgeon Dr Namrata Anavekar said she has seen an almost 20 per cent increase in patients seeking this look in the past year.<\/p>\n
However, the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons board member said any “trend-associated” surgeries like these are a concern.<\/p>\n
“As opposed to a fashion trend where you can throw out your skinny jeans and buy a pair of boot cuts, surgery is permanent,” she said.<\/p>\n
“What’s a trend now may not be in about 10 years.”![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3959f283073a924372a7ea5019062833.jpeg\")
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Namrata Anavekar has seen an increase in patients seeking a “Barbie nose”. (Supplied: Dr Namrata Anavekar)<\/p>\n
Barbie nose suits ‘very few faces’<\/p>\n
In addition to cosmetic changes, rhinoplasty can be performed for health reasons, such as to correct breathing problems or repair damage from injury of congenital defects.<\/p>\n
While traditional rhinoplasties aim to refine the nose so it blends in, the Barbie nose look generally suits “very few faces”, Professor Sharp warns.<\/p>\n
“People get that Barbie doll look and they go, ‘My nose looks lost on my face’. So they’ll end up seeking more facial procedures just to try to make it look balanced again,” she said.<\/p>\n
The “Barbie nose” procedure removes much of the structural integrity of the nose, increasing risks of breathing difficulties and even nasal collapse.<\/p>\n
It can take “significant revisional procedures” to restructure the nose, including using rib cartilage.<\/p>\n
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A before and after example of the “Barbie nose” rhinoplasty. (Supplied: TikTok\/dr.ferda.erol7)<\/p>\n
The recovery process can also be long and painful.<\/p>\n
“It feels like a bus has hit you in the face,” Abbi said.<\/p>\n
For two weeks, the then-18-year-old struggled to breathe past the splints up her nostrils and had to use a douche bottle to clear the mucus and blood out of her nose.<\/p>\n
It took about two years before the swelling fully subsided.<\/p>\n
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Abbi Dib hasn’t regretted her rhinoplasty. (Supplied: Abbi Dib)<\/p>\n
Dr Namrata says it’s crucial people seek advice from a qualified cosmetic plastic surgeon prior to any procedures \u2014 particularly those driven by trends.<\/p>\n
“Don’t look for a budget price,” she said.<\/p>\n
“You want to engage with a surgeon who’s not just going to say yes to a procedure, but they want to ensure your safety in combination with your goals.”<\/p>\n
Professor Sharp also advised people see a mental health professional prior to a nose job, to explore their motivations.<\/p>\n
“Is there an underlying mental health condition that would be better treated through psychological therapy rather than surgery?” she said.<\/p>\n
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Gemma Sharp says people should see a psychologist prior to getting a nose job. (Supplied: Gemma Sharp)<\/p>\n
Pressure to erase ‘ethnic’ nose<\/p>\n
The Butterfly Foundation’s Helen Bird says trends like these allow industries to prey on people’s insecurities.<\/p>\n
“This pressure can build and build until people start to believe that changing their appearance will bring them worth and happiness,” she said.<\/p>\n
The trend also shows how Western beauty ideals continue to dominate globally, Ms Bird said.<\/p>\n
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A beauty trend of small, upturned noses is widespread on social media. (Supplied: TikTok\/thatsleah)<\/p>\n
For Abbi, this feels like nothing new.<\/p>\n
“I think the pressure to [not have] an ‘ethnic’ nose has always existed,” she said.<\/p>\n
“There’s literally people who rub their baby’s nose when they’re really tiny [to] get rid of the bump.”<\/p>\n
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Social media is playing a key role in reinforcing the trend. (Supplied: TikTok\/jasminiaura\/hope_schwing)<\/p>\n
Professor Sharp said she had seen “quite a bit of regret” from some patients who changed their so-called “ethnic” features to keep up.<\/p>\n
“They go, ‘I don’t look like anyone in my family anymore’,” she said.<\/p>\n
“That’s something people really need to consider before undergoing a rhinoplasty.”<\/p>\n
Dr Aquino emphasised that cosmetic surgery is not something to be ashamed of, adding that race isn’t defined by a single facial feature.<\/p>\n
“People should have the right to do whatever they want with their body. However, I believe people should do it in a safe way,” he said.<\/p>\n
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Abbi Dib urges people to do their research before they get a nose job. (Supplied: Abbi Dib)<\/p>\n
‘People do it to turn into someone else’<\/p>\n
Seven years on from her nose job, Abbi says she doesn’t regret a thing \u2014 however, she urges people to do their research.<\/p>\n
“Some things are irreversible,” she said.<\/p>\n
“Allow a few years to think about it and try not to make the decision when you’re 18 or 19.”<\/p>\n
She also encouraged anyone seeking a rhinoplasty to ensure it fits their face \u2014 rather than fitting a trend.<\/p>\n
“People want to act like plastic surgery is to enhance your natural features,” she said.<\/p>\n
“But I think a lot of the time, people do it to turn into someone else.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Abbi Dib was 13 years old when she first considered getting a nose job. Tiny, sloped noses were…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238429,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[120947,80565,3269,61,60,3270,120949,120948,120950,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-238428","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-barbie-nose","9":"tag-celebrity-culture","10":"tag-cosmetic-surgery","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-plastic-surgery","14":"tag-rhinoplasty","15":"tag-selfie-culture","16":"tag-ski-slope-nose","17":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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