# Okay, Nose Piercings are No Big Deal these Days... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960 "2017-01-12T14:54:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/1 "2017-01-12T14:54:29Z")
…But for god’s sake, if the protagonist in the book you’re writing has a nose piercing, don’t wait until page 171 to mention it! As I read, I usually picture the characters from your descriptions. If your character’s physical descriptions are vague, I will imagine a nondescript ordinary looking person. I will NOT imagine a person with a nose ring unless you mention the nose ring when introducing the character. Finding out the protagonist has a nose ring halfway through the book is jarring. I’ve been visualizing this character differently since the beginning of the story. And since the nose ring has no direct bearing on the story, suddenly inserting it into the prose is unnecessary, and just bad writing. For cryin’ out loud, your cover blurb says you write for _The Atlantic Monthly_ and _The New York Times_, and you pull a stunt like this? What the hell? I don’t mind a main character with a nose ring. I just think it should be mentioned in the main character’s introduction. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/2 "2017-01-12T14:59:50Z")
Depends on the character - Wall Street Banker, worth mentioning. Hippy college girl, nope. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/3 "2017-01-12T15:02:15Z")
Had the writer previously described, in detail, every other aspect of the character’s appearance while omitting the nose ring? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/4 "2017-01-12T15:15:45Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Had the writer previously described, in detail, every other aspect of the character’s appearance while omitting the nose ring? No. That’s the point. I was imagining an average looking person. Nose rings, while not uncommon, are NOT an automatic assumption when visualizing a vaguely described character. Facial characteristics are important in the visualization of a story. Bodily characteristics less so. Had the author mentioned, say, an arm tattoo for the first time on page 171, it would be different. But something distinct about the face? Say it in the first few paragraphs. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/5 "2017-01-12T15:22:50Z")
I guess the author had a different idea what an average person looks like than you did. But isn’t that why we read - to see the world through other peoples’ eyes? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/6 "2017-01-12T15:31:23Z")
Chekhov’s nose piercing! 😉 I get your point. A body mod seems like something that is an essential part of visualizing them. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/7 "2017-01-12T15:32:11Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I guess the author had a different idea what an average person looks like than you did. But isn’t that why we read - to see the world through other peoples’ eyes? It’s still jarring. What’s wrong with mentioning quickly in the first few lines, “As she gazed in the mirror, twisting her hair scrunchie into place, she noticed the florescent lighting gave a odd glint to the gold in her nose ring.” Then it’s out there and done. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/8 "2017-01-12T15:33:58Z")
Ethnicity matters, too. I expect an Indian woman to have a nose piercing, for instance, regardless of locale. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/9 "2017-01-12T15:56:35Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > It’s still jarring. What’s wrong with mentioning quickly in the first few lines, “As she gazed in the mirror, twisting her hair scrunchie into place, she noticed the florescent lighting gave a odd glint to the gold in her nose ring.” Then it’s out there and done. Yes, it is best to get it right out in the open at the very beginning that the book [should be tossed in the garbage](https://www.google.com/#q=mirror+cliche). ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/10 "2017-01-12T16:02:34Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Yes, it is best to get it right out in the open at the very beginning that the book [should be tossed in the garbage](https://www.google.com/#q=mirror+cliche). Okay, fine. I give up. Just forget I ever mentioned any of this. Characters don’t need to be described at all. Doing so is just so fucking old fashioned and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/11 "2017-01-12T16:14:38Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > It’s still jarring. What’s wrong with mentioning quickly in the first few lines, “As she gazed in the mirror, twisting her hair scrunchie into place, she noticed the florescent lighting gave a odd glint to the gold in her nose ring.” Then it’s out there and done. Apart from the clumsy cliche of the character analyzing their own appearance in a mirror, which **Darren Garrison** points out, I think that the casual mention of the nose ring that late in the book is actually making a narrative point–that to this character, her nose ring is not a big deal. So much so that’s it’s barely even worth mentioning. In her mind, having a nose ring can, in fact, fall into the category of “nondescript” and “ordinary-looking.” That says something about the character’s view of the world, and it says it much more elegantly than if the author had flatly stated, “She wore a nose ring, but didn’t think it was any big deal.” But then, I’m famous for not giving a shit what literary characters look like, and I tend to skip over physical descriptions. Occasionally an author will mix things up by using “the blonde” or “the redhead” rather than the character’s name. And I always have a moment of confusion, because I never bother to memorize which character is blonde and which is redheaded. So don’t go by me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/12 "2017-01-12T16:17:20Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Okay, fine. I give up. Just forget I ever mentioned any of this. > > Characters don’t need to be described at all. Doing so is just so fucking old fashioned and stupid. If a writer spends more than two sentences describing a character’s appearance, they’re not doing their job right. And I’m being generous with two. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/13 "2017-01-12T16:30:12Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Apart from the clumsy cliche of the character analyzing their own appearance in a mirror, which **Darren Garrison** points out, I think that the casual mention of the nose ring that late in the book is actually making a narrative point–that to this character, her nose ring is not a big deal. So much so that’s it’s barely even worth mentioning. In her mind, having a nose ring can, in fact, fall into the category of “nondescript” and “ordinary-looking.” That says something about the character’s view of the world, and it says it much more elegantly than if the author had flatly stated, “She wore a nose ring, but didn’t think it was any big deal.” No, that’s not what the character was thinking at the time. And it was not elegant, it was jarring. Period. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/14 "2017-01-12T16:57:13Z")
How exactly did they mention it? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/15 "2017-01-12T17:08:54Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > How exactly did they mention it? The girl is training to be a sushi chef. She brings her knives to be sharpened at a store, and the clerk expresses surprise that a young girl with a nose ring would want to be a sushi chef. This is the first mention of a nose ring. I don’t know if it comes up later. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/16 "2017-01-12T17:35:40Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > The girl is training to be a sushi chef. She brings her knives to be sharpened at a store, and the clerk expresses surprise that a young girl with a nose ring would want to be a sushi chef. > > This is the first mention of a nose ring. I don’t know if it comes up later. I agree with you. The author thinks that the nose ring is unique enough that he would have one trivial character make a judgment statement about a main character. It’s not a plot reveal as the main character always has this visible feature in the book’s universe. Springing that info on the reader this late in the plot is just bad form. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/17 "2017-01-12T17:47:01Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Chekhov’s nose piercing! > > 😉 Is that when you use a gun to do it? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/18 "2017-01-12T18:27:26Z")
Of course, you may not need to be as blatant as the Mavericks in [She Does](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CmXJ5STHEA)! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/19 "2017-01-12T19:38:54Z")
Would you have cared if the author mentioned the character’s earrings? It’s possible that, to the author, the significance is so minute that it didn’t stand out in her mind in any way that merited extra attention. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960/20 "2017-01-12T19:57:42Z")
I fail to see the big deal,unless her nose starting ringing in a theater and disturbed the other movie-goers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-nose-piercings-are-no-big-deal-these-days/776960.md?page=2)