Does anyone else genuinely not care about their nails? At all?

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

I'm pondering this after reading another thread about nails, which made me realise how much I just don't care about my nails.

It's not that I have more important things to think about - I waste oceans of time on trivia. And it's not that I am above caring about appearance - I would kill for great hair, and an often consumed with envy of someone's slender ankles (I have cankles).

But nails? Why do people care about those?

I have perfectly bog standard nails. I might paint them once in a while. But when I see "done" nails all I ever think is "eh." And yet it is a MASSIVE industry, with shops everywhere, and they are well used. But who is it for? Who loves these big nails?

Is this an age thing? It probably is. I'm in my 40s.

The crisps did it for me, the nails had to go

That’s totally where my line would’ve been too! 😆😆

The crisps did it for me, the nails had to go

I’ve bitten mine all my life.

I would hate to have nails put on, it would feel so uncomfortable to me to have anything longer tha. bitten down stubs 😂

I don’t really care about my appearance in general though, I’ve never been added.

Arsed. Not added.

In her excellent autobiography, Victoria Beckham notes that she types texts with the side of her thumb to circumnavigate the “long nails and texting” difficulties. (It’s a gripping read.) So I imagine if you’re used to long pointy nails, you find ways to adjust. I’d have to get extra-long gardening gloves, I think.

I do care about my nails, but I spend no money on them. Like most things, I prefer them natural. I cut them when they are too long, my ideal lenght it 1-2mm of white tip, and I file them in they are a bit uneven or there's a sharp bit. Nothing else and that's exactly how I like them. I think that is the most classy look for nails and it makes me feel clean and well put toghether.

Can't stand the fake acrylic's or the super long fake nails. It looks so cheap to me.

I am also in my 40's btw.

@ISpyCobraKai

Dd's hand on the left, mine on the right, we both have the good nail gene! I generally grow mine longer than that and paint them, she rarely does.

Mine are shorter than yours, just painted with gel polish.

me. I'm 28 and never had my nails done. used to paint them but cba with that either now.

@HollyandIvyandAllThingsYule

And as an aside, I find Caitlin Moran’s brand of feminism shallow and often offensive and poorly thought through.

Absolutely.

Agree 💯

Mine are kept short and clean and that's it.

I know it's weird but I hate the feel of nail polish on my fingers. I imagine I'd hate acrylics even more. So natural it is.

I was exactly the same - my nails were so weak, thin and fragile that could never keep polish looking nice for more than a few hours. My hands always looked raggedy no matter how "made-up" I was, and feeble nails constantly split and broke along the sides so I'd catch and tear them off below the quick so they bled. I didn't even try to make them look nice, totally pointless.

Then a "nail technician" (the gf of a friend) commented that I had nice long nail beds that would look nice with gel on. Gel? Whaddya mean, gel? Won't chip or split? Strengthens your nails, how can it? Mine are like wet paper dear, what nonsense.

But after a bit of badgering I allowed her to do my nails one evening. Firstly I couldn't stop looking at them - they weren't long or bulky, just a flexible overlay over my own nail. But for the next 4 weeks they grew and grew for the first time in my life, without splitting or breaking, the colour didn't chip or peel, and I was converted. No more sore bleeding quicks or raggedy hands, just neat tidy nails in whatever colour I fancied or just nude.

£25 per month didn't seem too high a price, but these days I do my own - invested about £150 in kit and taught myself. Once a month I take myself off to the spare room and enjoy a few hours listening to music or an audio book and dicking around with my nails. I love it, it's like making something. I know how to strengthen them, extend them, repair them, do pretty shit with them. It has no benefit at all other than that I enjoy doing it.

Having false nails put on is completely different to growing your natural nails, you get used to them as they grow.

I get why people do, especially some of the really arty ones, but I hate nail varnish and long nails. Long nails just seem to get more dirt under them and I must be heavy handed or careless because I always break or chip a nail before they get anywhere near as long as some peoples.
Seems a waste of money for me to get them done when they really won't last long on me.

I can paint mine and guaranteed even with a top coat there will be a scratch in the paint on one nail less than hrs later

I just pop into my local nail salon once in 2 months and get then to tidy them up for £10 with no polish. That's about as much as I do now.

I'll paint them for special occasions like going on a date, wedding, bday etc.

Mine are shortish, clean and unpolished. I prefer to spend money on other things, so as long as they’re tidy, that’ll do.

I had gel nails for my son’s wedding. Never agsin.

I don't- rarely have mine uniform length but try and keep them shortish. I don't like drawing attention to my hands (suffer on and off from eczema) and hate the feel of nail varnish.

I don't care about my nails either. Obviously they are clean etc but I don't bother with colours or french tips etc unless it's for an occasion. I probably get manicure once or twice a year and that's it really. I don't have the time to sit there for an hour to get my nails done every 2-4 weeks. I can afford to have them done but I can't justify the time to I have to spend. My eyebrows are more important and I probably have them done once or twice a year at the same time with my manicure and throughout the year, I just pluck them until they go out of shape. I'm early 30's btw.

I think they look great but I’d find them so crippling. I don’t understand how people can do without the tips of their fingers, it would make me so miserable.

Me. So much faff, can’t be arsed with it. I don’t bother with makeup either.

My nails are absolutely bitten to the quick and have been all my life. No interest in giving up biting them. Never worn nail varnish. Feel like people who actually spend money on having nails "done" are like a different species to me. Obviously people can spend money on whatever they like. It's just so far removed from my life.

I used to bite my nails and painting them regularly stopped that (I didnt want coloured polish in my teeth) Then I had jobs that only allowed short nails and no polish.
Now I've left those careers behind I have long nails that are always painted.
Painting helps protect nails and sitting and doing them is my me time.

I don't struggle to do anything, I wash up in gloves and do everything else with my finger tips. Buttons for lifts and the like get pushed with a knuckle. Last night I was the only person who could open the fireworks because I had long nails to get underneath the tape.

@ILiedAboutBeingTheOutdoorType

My nails are absolutely bitten to the quick and have been all my life. No interest in giving up biting them. Never worn nail varnish. Feel like people who actually spend money on having nails "done" are like a different species to me. Obviously people can spend money on whatever they like. It's just so far removed from my life.

I have no interest in giving up nail biting either!

All my life, family have offered “helpful” solutions to stop. Um….maybe I like doing it?

I've always bitten mine and the skin around them so they look pretty awful I suppose but I've never been conscious about it, they're clean. I actually think they look better than really long nails, ugh.

I've been to a nail salon once, before my wedding I grew them and had a natural polish. I hated the salon, the smell of the chemicals made me feel sick!

I do paint my toenails in the summer for sandals.

The thing I hate about long nails is when you accidentally bend them backwards.
Aaaaaaaarghhhhh!

( Hence plain short nails.)

I wear contact lenses and don’t see how long nails would work without ripping out my eyeball, so I stick to short nails.