From millennial pout to the peace sign, there have been several poses that have hung around for decades. However, now the “nose cover” pose has left a lot of adults scratching their heads over what it might mean. Gen Z children everywhere seem to be hopping on this trend, including Tyson Fury’s 14-year-old daughter Venezuela, who has been seen covering her face in a family picture posted on mum Paris Fury’s Instagram along with Paris’ niece Valentino.
In her Instagram story Boxer Tyson Fury’s wife, Paris shared a photo as she celebrated her niece’s 13th birthday. Ms Paris posted a family photo to mark the occasion but her niece Valentino, and her eldest daughter Venezuela hid their faces behind their hands with the “nose cover”.
Now, according to the New York Post, parents have been left baffled by this latest trend with many asking if it’s a secret sign or a “traveller thing”. One parent, Michelle Harris, infuriated by the family photos at Christmas being ruined by her teenage son using the ‘nose pose’ even decided to confront him. “Is everything OK? Why won’t you show up in family photos for the handsome boy that you are anymore?’ Are you being bullied?” she asked her son, as per the outlet.
But her son’s response was a “surprise”, Ms Harris recalled. “‘No, but I will be if you post pictures of me online without my consent!'” her son told her.
The outlet explained that teenagers nowadays are active online and often seek out embarrassing photos of each other on social media to “roast” them. Covering their faces, then, is a way to potentially evade teasing, the Post reported.
“As parents, we want to capture it all,” Ms Harris said. “Their first step, every tooth, the braces, the spots and then we proudly post in our online social circles mindlessly without stopping to think how damaging this can be to our youngsters within their own online social groups,” she continued.
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Separately, speaking to The Sun, parenting expert Amanda Jenner also attributed the budding trend to teenagers’ acne-riddled awkward phase. “It’s important to remember that this phase is a normal part of growing up, where seeking independence and establishing personal boundaries are key developmental milestones,” she explained.
However, Ms Jenner also said that the online landscape can be “hard” for teens especially when unfiltered or unedited photos of them are plastered on a parent’s Facebook feed. Therefore, the “nose cover” trend allows Gen Z to be in a photo to make their parents happy while still maintaining harmony. “It’s very sad that we can’t share and be proud of family photos, but unfortunately this is the way it is today,” Ms Jenner said.
Now, going forward, Ms Harris said that she aims to be more mindful of the content she shares online and urges other parents to ask for consent before sharing a seemingly innocent photo.
