What is gurning? Definition explored as internet star Jovante Carter sets world record
Internet star, Jovante Carter, has set a strange Guinness World Record for gurning, a phenomenon when someone covers their nostril with the lower lip. The record was announced on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, by Guinness World Records.
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Jovante, better known as “HolyGxd”, held his lips over his nostrils for one minute and 2 seconds in Milan, Italy. He did so on the Lo Show dei Record set and overcame the previous record. As per the New York Post, a Chinese man named Shuquan Tang was in the same set in 2012 when he set the record for gurning for 53 seconds.
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By making the unique face Carter has garnered quite a following of 16.9 million followers on TikTok and another 1.5 million on Instagram.
Jovante Carter, a native of New Orleans, set a new Guinness World Record for gurning for one minute and two seconds on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. As mentioned earlier, Carter broke the previous record which was set at 58 seconds. Jovante set the record at the Lo Show dei Record show in Milan, Italy.
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According to the Oxford Learner Dictionary gurning is when someone can “deliberately pull your face into a silly or unpleasant shape.” In Jovante Carter’s case, he pulled his lower lips up to the top of his nose, covering his nose completely, then holding the face for more than a minute, according to the Guinness World Records.
In the official YouTube video posted by the Guinness World Records, an official from Guinness is seen standing beside Jovante Carter. The official is holding a stopwatch and announces the time after every few seconds.
Carter seemed a bit agitated after more than 20 seconds passed and touched his face a little. The official noticed this and gestured at Carter to move his hand away from his face.
After making a new record, the internet star told the audience: “We turned up, we did our thing.”
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He then walked off the stage after receiving his Guinness World Records certificate, which he now boasts on his Instagram and other social media profiles.
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As per the Guinness World Records, Adjudicator Marco Frigatti an official explained that the person performing the trick is unable to breathe. “Effectively you need to suspend your breath, and also all the muscles involved get really tired,”
According to Wikipedia, people “with the greatest gurn capabilities are often those with no teeth, as this provides greater room to move the jaw further up.” Jovante Carter has no teeth as well, a feat he often quips about on his social media.
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Jovante spoke to Guinness World Records about how he first discovered his unique ability to gurn in third grade. He said that while eating lunch one of his classmates told him that when Jovante ate, his whole face disappeared. “He asked me to chew without food, and I chewed, and I did this thing with my face. Everyone laughed obviously, and my teacher went crazy,” the Guinness World Record holder said.
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Carter also opened up about his bout with bullying and the reason he decided to share his talent on the internet.
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“I decided to turn the tables, show positivity to everyone, and take back control of my uniqueness that was so made fun of. Basically all that I do is try and make people more comfortable with the things that make them different,” Jovante added.
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