Doctor Despite his Nose

The Jewish nose, also known as the Jew's nose and the Middle Eastern nose, is an antisemitic ethnic stereotype referring to a nose with a prominent convex bridge, downward nasal tip and relatively broad nostrils. It was singled out as a hostile caricature of Jews in mid-13th century Europe and has since become a defining and persisting element of the overall Jewish stereotype globally. In modern times, it has also been adopted by Jews as a part of their identity to spite historical antisemitism. Research has found that the nose design outlined by this ethnic stereotype is most prevalent among humans living in the Mediterranean Basin, and that this nose is far less prevalent among Jews than popularly supposed. Among some Jewish communities, such as those in the United States, the so-called "Jewish nose" has come to be effectively "reclaimed" by some Jews as a defining characteristic of their Jewish identity, with general Jewish attitudes toward the trait having changed from mostly negative to mostly positive since the 1950s.