Halle Bailey responds to fans who are saying she has ‘pregnancy nose’

Halle Bailey is clapping back at fans, and for good reason. Lately, there’s been a lot of speculation online that the Little Mermaid star looked like she had “pregnancy nose” in a recent photo. Now, she’s taking to social media to tell fans to shut up about her nose, and good for her.

On Snapchat, Bailey shared a video, saying, “Listen, if I see one more person say something about my nose one more time, it’s going to be hell to pay. You know why? Because I’m Black. I love my nose. What are you concerned about my nose for? Leave me the hell alone.”

No kidding. Not only are fans not entitled to any information about Bailey’s personal life, but comments saying she has “pregnancy nose” are just plain rude.

In case you aren’t in the know, “pregnancy nose” is a phenomenon that can happen when estrogen dilates blood vessels, causing swelling around the entire body — but especially in the nose. This causes it to broaden at the tip. People who have more nasal soft tissue can experience more swelling, simply because they have more room in their nose for the increased blood flow. Their nose becomes red and swollen — pregnancy nose.

We tend to think that commenting on anyone’s “pregnancy nose” is the same as commenting on anyone’s baby bump: Until they tell you they’re pregnant with their own mouth, don’t. You don’t know what’s going on in their life, and if you’re wrong, you look like a huge jerk for making a big assumption about a physical feature on someone’s body.

When she accepted an award at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards last month, Bailey spoke about how hard it can be to have people watching you all the time.

“It’s been an adjustment to live my life under the scrutiny of that spotlight, but in the age of social media in some way, we all live under that same scrutiny — from our bodies, what our bodies look like from what we wear to who we love to the things we care about, it’s all open to scrutiny,” she said.

“So here’s my honest advice: Turn it off when you need to find inner peace, OK. But also, live your life for you. Don’t waste time living it for social media. Everyone has an opinion, but the only opinion that matters is your own, and you already know deep down what’s right for you.”