A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

Biggest Nostril Piercings in the World?

I’m going to make the claim that Pauly Unstoppable has not only the largest nostril piercings of anyone living in Indiana, but I’d say in Western culture as a whole, and I’m also going to claim that he has the largest nostril piercings of any living person.

What do you think? Know anyone bigger? Pauly’s are currently 1 1/8″ each, done in ebony with nice inlays, made to match the large plugs he wears in his ears.

I recently (BMEfest) got to see them in person and they look amazing. His nose is an entirely new shape, and it’s quite stunning… and whether you like the look or not I hope you agree that he deserves a lot of credit for the courage to go ahead and choose an aesthetic that’s radically outside the mainstream.

Comments

178 responses to “Biggest Nostril Piercings in the World?”

  1. Helena Avatar

    A fellow A.L.F supporter and owner of killer modifications to boot! Can’t get more perfect than that. Love the contrast on the plugs.

    Rock on brotha 😀

  2. Helena Avatar

    A fellow A.L.F supporter and owner of killer modifications to boot! Can’t get more perfect than that. Love the contrast on the plugs.

    Rock on brotha 😀

  3. Pauly Unstoppable Avatar

    actually greg if you look closely known of this women appear to have nostrils past an inch……..i am totally aware of this tribe and have been for some time……they were what inspired me as well

    sadly the practice is dying out were the younger generation is no longer practicing it….the influence of baptist missionaries in the area

    not that it matters anyway……its not a contest

  4. Pauly Unstoppable Avatar

    actually greg if you look closely known of this women appear to have nostrils past an inch……..i am totally aware of this tribe and have been for some time……they were what inspired me as well

    sadly the practice is dying out were the younger generation is no longer practicing it….the influence of baptist missionaries in the area

    not that it matters anyway……its not a contest

  5. karl Avatar
    karl

    if you look at pauls nose with the current 1 1/4″ plugs ,youll see that the plugs are a little bigger than half the distance from his bridge to the tip of his nose. look at pictures of apatani women and i doubt youll see one where the plug is as big a percentage of nose size as that,and most of them seem to be about 1/3 of the height.just on proportion of nose height id say pauls plugs are larger than any apatani pictures i can find .i think its unlikely that apatanui exceed 1″ with their nosttrils.and when you add in that these are very small women ,well below the height of a western man(paul), their plugs look deceptively large to us .
    but as paul says ,this snt a competition ,and im certainly not minimising the glory of the apatani ladies.

  6. karl Avatar
    karl

    if you look at pauls nose with the current 1 1/4″ plugs ,youll see that the plugs are a little bigger than half the distance from his bridge to the tip of his nose. look at pictures of apatani women and i doubt youll see one where the plug is as big a percentage of nose size as that,and most of them seem to be about 1/3 of the height.just on proportion of nose height id say pauls plugs are larger than any apatani pictures i can find .i think its unlikely that apatanui exceed 1″ with their nosttrils.and when you add in that these are very small women ,well below the height of a western man(paul), their plugs look deceptively large to us .
    but as paul says ,this snt a competition ,and im certainly not minimising the glory of the apatani ladies.

  7. Lilee Avatar
    Lilee

    simply amazing and wonderful.

  8. Lilee Avatar
    Lilee

    simply amazing and wonderful.

  9. J Avatar
    J

    any one of these mods on their own would be amazing, but to have all of them together and how they compliment each other is mind blowing, it really looks great. On another note picking crusties and boogs out of your nose must be alot easier now

  10. J Avatar
    J

    any one of these mods on their own would be amazing, but to have all of them together and how they compliment each other is mind blowing, it really looks great. On another note picking crusties and boogs out of your nose must be alot easier now

  11. Eric Stevens Avatar

    Pauly, I’m a BIG fan of yours. All your mods are truly tribal.

    As far as the biggest nostrils in the world… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as you have seen in other posts, the Apatani tribe in Arunchal Pradesh, Northern India, still possess the largest nostril plugs on the planet. Some of their plugs measure two to three inches in diameter as evidenced by this photo:

    http://www.aborcountry.com/gallery/images/locals_11.jpg

    That said, the Apatani tradition of nose plugs is dying out and given time, Pauly, you will be king!

    Pauly, have you considered a larger lip plug… or maybe two? You would look awesome with an upper and lower lip disk. You could start with Lobi sized plugs (a tribe in Africa, which wore 1 to 2 inch plugs in both lips) and then move up to Sara Kaba sized plates (my favorite tribe in Africa, whose lip plate measure up to 1 foot or more). All of these tribes can be found in the following Yahoo Groups:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tribalnose/

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/omolp/ (Lip plates group)

    Even more tribal body mod groups can be found at:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tribalgroups/ in the LINKS section under: “TRIBAL BODY MODIFICATION & ADORNMENTâ€?

    It’s always nice to see where some of these traditions started.

    Thanks Pauly for keeping them alive!

    Eric Stevens
    Tribal Groups Owner

  12. Eric Stevens Avatar

    Pauly, I’m a BIG fan of yours. All your mods are truly tribal.

    As far as the biggest nostrils in the world… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as you have seen in other posts, the Apatani tribe in Arunchal Pradesh, Northern India, still possess the largest nostril plugs on the planet. Some of their plugs measure two to three inches in diameter as evidenced by this photo:

    http://www.aborcountry.com/gallery/images/locals_11.jpg

    That said, the Apatani tradition of nose plugs is dying out and given time, Pauly, you will be king!

    Pauly, have you considered a larger lip plug… or maybe two? You would look awesome with an upper and lower lip disk. You could start with Lobi sized plugs (a tribe in Africa, which wore 1 to 2 inch plugs in both lips) and then move up to Sara Kaba sized plates (my favorite tribe in Africa, whose lip plate measure up to 1 foot or more). All of these tribes can be found in the following Yahoo Groups:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tribalnose/

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/omolp/ (Lip plates group)

    Even more tribal body mod groups can be found at:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tribalgroups/ in the LINKS section under: “TRIBAL BODY MODIFICATION & ADORNMENTâ€?

    It’s always nice to see where some of these traditions started.

    Thanks Pauly for keeping them alive!

    Eric Stevens
    Tribal Groups Owner

  13. Pauly Unstoppable Avatar

    like i have said many times

    i know of this tribe

    and are very much what made me want to start stretching my nostrils

    i still have yet to see photo evidence of nostrils past about an inch

    your link isnt working

    though i dont care anyway…..i am doing it for me not for a contest or glory or whatever

    on another note i am currently at 1 3/8 and am working for 1 1/2 now

    eric if you have some photos of the tribe with nostrils that big if you could send them to me at [email protected] i would apprecitate it…..and it you or anyone has any questions or whatever they can be directed there as well

  14. Pauly Unstoppable Avatar

    like i have said many times

    i know of this tribe

    and are very much what made me want to start stretching my nostrils

    i still have yet to see photo evidence of nostrils past about an inch

    your link isnt working

    though i dont care anyway…..i am doing it for me not for a contest or glory or whatever

    on another note i am currently at 1 3/8 and am working for 1 1/2 now

    eric if you have some photos of the tribe with nostrils that big if you could send them to me at [email protected] i would apprecitate it…..and it you or anyone has any questions or whatever they can be directed there as well

  15. Pauly Unstoppable Avatar

    that posted sounded sort of short haha and wasnt suppose to

    i would like to see the photos though

    i know that in the modern world mine would be the largest

    and just like with bear and his ears his are the largest in the modern world but its hard to account for the tribal world

  16. Pauly Unstoppable Avatar

    that posted sounded sort of short haha and wasnt suppose to

    i would like to see the photos though

    i know that in the modern world mine would be the largest

    and just like with bear and his ears his are the largest in the modern world but its hard to account for the tribal world

  17. Kaos Avatar
    Kaos

    dude. it is so fucking wierd how pauly gets praised for his huge nostrils(which by the way are FUCKIN’ AWESONE) and freakboy got alot of shit for his temp. wolverine claws(also awesome). i think the mindless should be taken into a field and shot. but hey thats just me

  18. Kaos Avatar
    Kaos

    dude. it is so fucking wierd how pauly gets praised for his huge nostrils(which by the way are FUCKIN’ AWESONE) and freakboy got alot of shit for his temp. wolverine claws(also awesome). i think the mindless should be taken into a field and shot. but hey thats just me

  19. Korpi Avatar

    I hate to think this is all I can think of but.. If pauly did do drugs, imagine all the ways he could sniff them. He could make a straw design that looks like the water slide in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

  20. Korpi Avatar

    I hate to think this is all I can think of but.. If pauly did do drugs, imagine all the ways he could sniff them. He could make a straw design that looks like the water slide in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

  21. Neilsuarez Avatar
    Neilsuarez

    What I would give to nibble on those ears… but yeah, the nostrils are pretty fuckin righteous. This is my favorit pic of him mainly because of the jewelry and I really like his hair.

  22. Neilsuarez Avatar
    Neilsuarez

    What I would give to nibble on those ears… but yeah, the nostrils are pretty fuckin righteous. This is my favorit pic of him mainly because of the jewelry and I really like his hair.

  23. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    Wow, and to think I spent a fortune for a nose job. Beauty comes in many forms!

  24. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    Wow, and to think I spent a fortune for a nose job. Beauty comes in many forms!

  25. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    I absolutely love the ears and the nostrils. The only problem I have with his scalpeled labret – or any scalpeled labret for that matter – is that it forces the mouth into a somewhat permanent “sad” look, and I would like to think that anyone who has the courage – and the willpower – to stretch their ears and nostrils to greater and greater sizes should have a look of satisfaction about themselves . . . a look of pride and confidence.
    Other than that, I like everything else he’s done, and I hope he continues stretching his ears and nostrils. It’ll be interesting to see if there is a limit to just how large the human earlobe and nostril will stretch. I hope there isn’t.

  26. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    I absolutely love the ears and the nostrils. The only problem I have with his scalpeled labret – or any scalpeled labret for that matter – is that it forces the mouth into a somewhat permanent “sad” look, and I would like to think that anyone who has the courage – and the willpower – to stretch their ears and nostrils to greater and greater sizes should have a look of satisfaction about themselves . . . a look of pride and confidence.
    Other than that, I like everything else he’s done, and I hope he continues stretching his ears and nostrils. It’ll be interesting to see if there is a limit to just how large the human earlobe and nostril will stretch. I hope there isn’t.

  27. karl Avatar
    karl

    maybe we will just have to redefine what a look of pride and confidence is like,because i think that thats exactly what paul has.
    as he should

    and speaking of labrets ,its immaterial whether its stretched from a piercing or scalpeled,the “sad mouth ” comes from the height of the plug.as lips get bigger in the next couple of years ,we will just have to stop associating the mouth shape with sadness

  28. karl Avatar
    karl

    maybe we will just have to redefine what a look of pride and confidence is like,because i think that thats exactly what paul has.
    as he should

    and speaking of labrets ,its immaterial whether its stretched from a piercing or scalpeled,the “sad mouth ” comes from the height of the plug.as lips get bigger in the next couple of years ,we will just have to stop associating the mouth shape with sadness

  29. Darkest Night Avatar
    Darkest Night

    your nose so amazing !!

  30. Darkest Night Avatar
    Darkest Night

    your nose so amazing !!

  31. Karl Sturman Avatar
    Karl Sturman

    You’re all idiots

  32. Karl Sturman Avatar
    Karl Sturman

    You’re all idiots

  33. bob fox Avatar

    cool nois tunils rad or whot ithink boday modifications look cool

  34. bob fox Avatar

    cool nois tunils rad or whot ithink boday modifications look cool

  35. SinCityDave Avatar
    SinCityDave

    Them’s great holes, but what’s even CUTER is the way his nose looks like a little bum-bum!

    Did he foresee this occurring, or was it a “happy accident”?

    BIG props to permanent facial mutilation!

    THAT takes gorilla balls!

    :¬D

  36. SinCityDave Avatar
    SinCityDave

    Them’s great holes, but what’s even CUTER is the way his nose looks like a little bum-bum!

    Did he foresee this occurring, or was it a “happy accident”?

    BIG props to permanent facial mutilation!

    THAT takes gorilla balls!

    :¬D

  37. armylad Avatar

    YOU FUCKING WEIRDO…OU LOOK LIKE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO SIT OUTSIDE NURSERY AND WATCH SCHOOL CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!
    FREAK

  38. armylad Avatar

    YOU FUCKING WEIRDO…OU LOOK LIKE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO SIT OUTSIDE NURSERY AND WATCH SCHOOL CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!!
    FREAK

  39. SleevedScenester Avatar
    SleevedScenester

    armylad…what the hell are you doing on this website? this is supposed to be a website to help bring people together, not criticize people for following their beliefs and reams in the world of modification

  40. SleevedScenester Avatar
    SleevedScenester

    armylad…what the hell are you doing on this website? this is supposed to be a website to help bring people together, not criticize people for following their beliefs and reams in the world of modification

  41. JevonMastrangelo Avatar
    JevonMastrangelo

    Armylad your the kid of person that is so insecure about themselfs that you have to judge other people to give you a false sense of supperiority, its people like you that are the racists, killers, and rapists of this wolrd (i dont only mean that in a litteral sense). People like you are destroying this world, i know for a fact that paully would have nothing bad to say about you and would act kindly towards you, even though you would only show ignorance in return. Please try directing your comments toward yourself next time.
    Paully keep doing your thing, this world would be so much better if it were full of kind, caring, unselfconcious people like you. I have nothing but respect and admiration for you paully!

  42. JevonMastrangelo Avatar
    JevonMastrangelo

    Armylad your the kid of person that is so insecure about themselfs that you have to judge other people to give you a false sense of supperiority, its people like you that are the racists, killers, and rapists of this wolrd (i dont only mean that in a litteral sense). People like you are destroying this world, i know for a fact that paully would have nothing bad to say about you and would act kindly towards you, even though you would only show ignorance in return. Please try directing your comments toward yourself next time.
    Paully keep doing your thing, this world would be so much better if it were full of kind, caring, unselfconcious people like you. I have nothing but respect and admiration for you paully!

  43. ianxkiller Avatar

    haha man-o-man his nose is the size of my ears

  44. ianxkiller Avatar

    haha man-o-man his nose is the size of my ears

  45. ianxkiller Avatar

    but really i love it and i admire you for it

  46. ianxkiller Avatar

    but really i love it and i admire you for it

  47. SAM Avatar
    SAM

    do you reckon you could take ALL your plugs an piercings out then take a pic for us to see?!

    xo

  48. SAM Avatar
    SAM

    do you reckon you could take ALL your plugs an piercings out then take a pic for us to see?!

    xo

  49. english guy Avatar
    english guy

    Hi,

    Its fantastic. I have been wanting to do that thing you have done with your sack for years. What do you reckon is the best way to start? I was wondering about plugs in the cheeks as no one else seems to have done it.

    Cheers

  50. english guy Avatar
    english guy

    Hi,

    Its fantastic. I have been wanting to do that thing you have done with your sack for years. What do you reckon is the best way to start? I was wondering about plugs in the cheeks as no one else seems to have done it.

    Cheers

Latest Tattoo, Piercing, and Body Modification News

  • Twelve Points to the Sky
    There’s a particular kind of magic that happens at your first big suspension gathering when you arrive with nerves, an open heart, and the quiet hope of flight. Guided by the encouragement of mentor Lynn Loheide and driven by the quiet confidence of belonging, Alex… Read more: Twelve Points to the Sky
  • Ontario SusCon 2025
    In March 2025, BME attended the Ontario Suspension Convention in Hamilton, hosted by the Kevin Donaghy and the Ontario Suspension Collective. We had the pleasure to take part and help document the event, but also run a booth to sell a bunch of old (but… Read more: Ontario SusCon 2025
  • Welcome Back to Body Modification Ezine
    Dear BME Community, We’ve been gone far too long, but BME is back to give people a voice, a space, a community. With time everything evolves, and BME may be different than you remember. Our goal is to stay true to Shannon and Rachel’s values… Read more: Welcome Back to Body Modification Ezine
  • BME Social Media
    Word of mouth has been our method of reuniting the community, and it has brought a substantial amount of us together. I am inspired by your loyalty and I want to remind more people of BME’s existence. In 2020 we gained control over @bmezine on… Read more: BME Social Media
  • BMEShop
    Despite the hurricanes in 2015 which destroyed almost all of what Rachel owned, she managed to save the original inventory from BME. We have relisted some of the stock on BMEShop.com with the hopes you may be interested.  Our first drop includes a selection of… Read more: BMEShop
  • Rachel Larratt 1980-2022
    Unfortunately, when we lost some of the ModBlog content, it included the post about Rachel’s passing. (Original Post) Rachel passed away on June 22, 2022. She died in her sleep. Even now, it’s extremely difficult to write this post. Rachel meant so much to so… Read more: Rachel Larratt 1980-2022