What are some facial characteristics of Middle Eastern people?

Question

I'm Lebanese, and whenever I tell people I am they sometimes say, "Oh yeah, you kinda look Middle Eastern, like in your face and stuff."

What does that even mean?

I'm not dark-skinned or dark-eyed or anything that would immediately denote middle-eastern descent.

I'm also Sicilian and Hungarian.

Answer 1

I think when we hear middle eastern we think olive skin, big nose, brown eyes and black hair. Sorry but that is my prejudiced view on things, and I'm not saying I am right it is just how I was raised, meaning the silly ideas we were taught.

I am not so ignorant now as my brother and sister in law (who is Israeli) have produced 4 blonde haired children and only one with dark hair. And guess what....he takes after my brother, looks just like him.

Answer 2

deep set eyes concave nose

Answer 3

Maybe it is the tone of your skin and your hair.  It could be the shape of your nose or eyes.  I use to have a list of common features to specific regions--but I lost it.

For those calling it racist-it isn't racist if used properly.  It is a fact of life that our bodies adjust and adapt to surrounding environements.  Many Arabic people have large flattened noses that filter out the sand particles better than people whose ancestors lived elsewhere in the world.  It is just a natural process that doesn't make us any more or less human.

Forensic Anthropologist rely on these characteristic types in order to make a more accurate facial reconstruction.

Answer 4

You might like to get hold of a book called "Peoples of the World" by Francis Huxley (Blandford Press London). It will be out of print I expect but your library should be able to get hold of a copy.

Answer 5

If you live in America... that's an unfortunate evil.  It's just ignorance of the outside world.  If we weren't so concerned with Britney Spears or Fonda, more people might really know what a middle eastern people look like.