The house comes loose at the hinges when the blue stockings come out...
Author James Salter understood the imperative of a strong nose. His protagonists expressed their inclination towards permanence by virtue of their noses- “a mark of commitment to life” is how Salter described a big nose. The manifest brilliance of a unknown face as apprehended through the nose- the face’s “keel”.
An unfold-able character requires only one physical feature to keep from bending- a strong nose, one which cannot be forced into falseness. The strong nose which remains signals resistance against the cultural prefernences for small noses. The nose’s job being to keep things real, to anchor us to a complicated genetic past.
Not a diminutive nose- not a precious “button” inferior enough for endearment- but an ardent nose, nostrils curved like torches. At least, that's the story I'm trying to tell about why I'm comfortable when told my nose is "massive" or "big" or "interesting" or "Romanesque" or "large" or "buxom", all those words being more affirming than the hidden barb of "your nose isn't THAT big", implying that big is bad.
