Can we start an anti "nail" campaign?

[2rebecca]

As a GP who frequently washes her hands, allotment owner and instrument player I really hate the trend for women to have immaculate nails that cost a fortune, scratch people and mean women can't do anything useful. Where t f did this horrible trend come from and how do we give women back the use of their wonderful hands?

"Male facial hair has nothing to do with prettiness. Lots of men have shaved faces so why aren't they concerned about being pretty?"
What does nails have to do with prettiness? There are plenty of pretty people who choose not to have acrylic nails, and plenty of pretty people who do.

The dictionary says differently about "pretty boy"

"pretty boy in British
(ˈprɪtɪ bɔɪ)
noun
informal, derogatory
if you describe a man as a pretty boy, you are suggesting he is not very manly and too interested in his appearance"

www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pretty-boy

Do you hot desk? I really don't want your bacteria on my key board. Green nails are not attractive.

Well it's also a bloody good job I'm pretty fastidious about keeping my nails clean when I've got acrylics on, isn't it?

There's a few questions you didn't answer and points you didn't address Lass. No surprises there of course.

If men can manage to have nice clothes and food without doing their nails, why can't women?

Why do men not have beauty standards to meet the way women do. They have nails, so why aren't they painting them pink and growing them long or sticking false ones on

Women DON'T have beauty standards to meet. You do you. I'll wear what I like, if people judge me for not having painted nails or wearing any make up, that says more about them than it does about me.
Likewise those saying that they'll judge women who have painted nails.
I mean, why? What's it to you (general you?) Wear what the fuck you like and stop being so fucking judgy and bitchy about others choices (again, general you)
Sorry but this kind of thing really pisses me off lol.

Oh do sod off! I'm 51, my own nails are shite. I love my acrylic, fairly short, prettily painted nails and I'm buggered if I'm going to apologise for it.

I cook, I bake, I garden and manage to hold down a job as a professionally qualified senior manager in the Civil Service. I don't give a shit what anyone else thinks. My nails, my choice.

That "general you" is doing a lot of work for you there Lime Kiwi. I'm not being judgy and bitchy (FFS) about women's choices. I've been looking at patriarchal pressures that are put on women to make us comply to arbitrary beauty standards, which do exist and examples of which we've seen throughout the thread.

And you didn't answer the question. Men have nails, why aren't they regularly painting on nail varnish or sticking on false nails? Why is it almost exclusively a woman and girl thing?

They have nails, so why aren't they painting them pink and growing them long or sticking false ones on? Why is only women who do this.

I actually know 2 men who do. But I accept they are a rarity. But why does it matter?

No woman has said she feels she has to have her nails done. I dont. I have never had a negative comment towards me. I have never heard some make a negative comment about anyone not having their nails done.

Dirty nails, in an environment where they shouldnt be, I have heard comments but aside from that. No.

Men arent expected to paint their nails. Women arent either. Maybe more men do but think they cant because of social convention. That's not great either. Maybe lots of women do it because no one bats an eyelid and in years to come both men and women will feel able to wear nail varnish.

Since Male grooming has become a huge thing I would think it will. Will that stop other women complaining that other women still shouldnt do it. Probably not.

What does nails have to do with prettiness? There are plenty of pretty people who choose not to have acrylic nails, and plenty of pretty people who do.

Oh don't know. You'd better ask them:

www.facebook.com/pages/Pretty-Nails-Chichester/1612638038962805

Or maybe have a poke around here:

www.google.com/search?q=pretty+nails&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi17PeiusviAhVOShUIHUp-CxAQsAR6BAgGEAE&biw=1620&bih=771

It's lucky Mumsnet doesn't run a disingenuity meter. It would have exploded by now.

Slightly edited, Erythronium said: Why do men not have beauty standards to meet the way women do. They have nails, so why aren't they painting them pink and growing them long or sticking false ones on? Why is it only women who do this?

Men do have standards to meet, but not the way women do. It's actually very interesting. Think of the Australian TV presenter who wore the same blue suit for a year, and nobody noticed. For a man, clothing is more like a uniform, and as long as it's worn properly, he's done his job. The price that he pays though, is that he has very little choice, regardless of the season (we just had "Summer work wear") or his taste. For women, the expectation is lots of items to deal with and lots of choice, but to present a constantly changing variety is obligatory. To spend very little time or money on a simple appearance is very difficult to get away with. So who has the advantage? I honestly don't know.

Men aren't expected to have long, beautiful, decorative, coloured nails

Neither are women. Isn't it wonderful when you can please yourself?

Exactly! I've reached the grand age of 40 cough something and not once has anyone commented on my very short, unpainted natural state nails.
Neither have I felt any concealed judgy pantness either.

So the theme seems to be my body, my choice.

Nails - obviously
Makeup - obviously
Hair - obviously
Personal care products - obviously
Clothes - obviously
Age - obviously
Contraception - obviously
Hormones - obviously
Abortion - obviously
Sexuality - obviously

Look there's another one in London. How is it these businesspeople associate painted, false nails with prettiness? There must be money in it too:

www.allinlondon.co.uk/directory/1832/165581.php

Erythronium sometimes the dictionary definition takes a while to catch up changes in language.

Most of my Male friends are body builders. Meads of men at work are. They all tan, shave their bodies, weekly hair cuts, eyebrows, have ghds etc they all feel under pressure to look a certain way.

They like people knowing the effort that's been put in and non of them mind being called a pretty boy.

Will that stop other women complaining that other women still shouldnt do it. Probably not.

Agree with that, women judging other women for what they choose to do still prevalent going by this thread and that's pretty sad really.

Forgot

IVF - obviously

This is in no way a 'feminist issue'. I have my nails done once in a blue moon - and I hate the look of long nails overhanging the fingertip so always keep mine short - but I do it for me, no one else. It certainly isn't because I'm bowing to some societal pressure to look pretty. I just enjoy a bit of colour on my fingers.

"Exactly! I've reached the grand age of 40 cough something and not once has anyone commented on my very short, unpainted natural state nails."

Actually someone called them unkempt further upthread. I'm sure you'll get over it though.

It's equal, men paint their faces and their nails just like women do. Men "pamper" themselves, grow their hair long and have highlights. They wear high heeled shoes and tight skirts with tights. They shave their legs if they're going to wear shorts. Except they don't do they? Why is that?

Because they have different things that make them feel pretty for want of a better word & not all women feel pretty doing the things you mention.

I do all of the things you have listed here (except the tights - I wear stockings with a suspender belt as I find it comfier) - I'm a walking cliche of femininity... does this mean I'm not allowed to be a feminist? Cause you can fuck off with that idea! I won't have anyone - man or woman - telling me how I should look or what I should wear!

Oh wait

Commercial surrogacy - obviously
Porn star - obviously
Sex worker - obviously

My body, my choice.

Actually someone called them unkempt further upthread. I'm sure you'll get over it though

Meh, lucky I don't give a shit then isn't it and I''ll keep doing me
As I said - the judgy pants of other women comes from both sides of whether it's wearing false nails/polish/whatever and it's blah.
Who the fuck cares what other women do with their nails?
Do you. Best way.
Not what someone else male or female thinks you should be doing.

Erythronium

Men might not paint their nails but many of them definitely have complicated beauty regimes. My 25 year old son does way more than I do, as do his friends. Who or what is driving that?

I don't understand the argument that women are being made to do this. We clearly aren't because lots of us on here are saying that we don't do it and the sky hasn't fallen in yet. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. What do you think will happen?

Just noticed I'm swearing a lot. I don't usually swear a lot. Telling me what I should or shouldn't be doing or what is good for a woman to be doing always gets right on my fucking tits lol.

I bite mine to shit so agree 😄

Every single one of those Google images of pretty nails which featured hands were women's. Every single one. Let's pretend though that this has nothing to do with cultural expectations or social pressures on women and imagine instead that those women just out of blue decided to paint their nails, whilst no man did.

Here's another question. Why were none of those women's "pretty nails", natural, unvarnished and short? There was one unvarnished set of nails, a hairy-handed man's with an extra finger.