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?

Women can do what they want with their nails.

So remind me of the campaign that you're wanting to start...

Jeez can women do anything without being judged or belittled by their own sex? Believe it or not fake nails, painted nails, make up, hair styles, clothing and ‘tottering’ about in heels is a choice. Its no wonder women lack equality when their own sex drag women down for the choices they make from breastfeeding all the way through to the length of their nails! Some people get fake nails to stop them biting them, some because their own are brittle and it’s easy to cover it up and some because they just like the look of them. Anyone that judges someone based on their nails needs to get a grip

@frusty I’m genuinely interested - why do you say wearing false nails isn’t a feminist choice? Not trying to pick a fight, curious about your point of view.
And yes I said I’d bow out I know but frusty’s post made me come back

So why don't men have painted acrylic nails if they are so wonderful?

Lots of men have highly groomed beards now that they've become fashionable. Dare say that takes time and is also a statement that they choose to make.

Don't see other men judging them for it though and what they choose to do with their own faces.

Mine don’t stop me from doing anything, you get used to them.

I cook, garden, walk dogs feed chickens and have 6 children, all with very long coffin shaped bright red nails!

If you don’t want them fair enough, don’t have them.

Believe it or not fake nails, painted nails, make up, hair styles, clothing and ‘tottering’ about in heels is a choice.

On the other side of the argument it's the fact that choices aren't made in a vacuum. There is immense societal pressure for women to look a certain way. Social media and grooming companies make billions just by implying that something (everything)is wrong with the female body and they have the fix for it.

Everything from head to toe (including the vagina!!) can(and the subliminal message is that it should) be made better,brighter,darker, buffed, invigorated, painted, transformed,removed etc.

There is a discussion to be had, but I don't think some posters are willing to do that. They just want to feel superior and look down on other women .

But what do I know? I have gel nails.

it is a relatively cheap luxury and for a lot of working class women, having amazing, impractical nails sends a clear signal that you don't need to do manual labour.

^ this.

I agree that long nails/heels are obviously impractical (and anyone saying otherwise is clearly deluding themselves - learning to work around something physically isn't the same as it not being impractical/unhygienic/damaging to health). However, I do wear heels in the office. I'm well aware that the patriarchy has done a number on me, but I do feel I look better (and am therefore more confident) in heels.

I don't wear skyscraper heels, because in most professional industries they're not de rigueur, but I do wear heels, even though I'm aware of the health problems they can cause as well as the impracticality of them.

I think with very high heels/false nails though you get into class issues - generally both are markers of working class/lower middle at a push, so there's a lot of snobbery about it that's unnecessary and judgemental. Almost all women in some way bow to patriarchal standards. It is not acceptable (in my opinion) to judge people on whether that's inch-long talons or high heels or "pretty" clothing or dying our hair. We should reserve our anger for the patriarchy, not each other.

Mine are painted. Sometimes they're not. Same with makeup. I might be in full makeup, a dress and heels and then the next day riding my horse, no makeup and hair shoved up. It's fantastic we have the choice, and I like having the freedom to do what I fancy

”those hideous coloured talons are a useful marker for “probably shallow non feminist woman with whom I’d have nothing in common”, so quite handy really!”

How hilarious! You think writing off women with nails you don’t like without knowing anything else about them shows that you aren’t shallow?

I have coloured gel nails. My left hand is very short for playing the violin. My right hand is a bit longer. They don’t scratch at all. Before I was regularly playing my violin I used to have them much longer.

I don’t need anyone to ‘give me back’ my hands, because there is nothing I want to do that I can’t do because of my nails, and there wasn’t when they were longer either. I have no interest in gardening or baking, typing is no problem, can’t think of anything else I want to do that I wouldn’t be able to do. If there was I would have them shorter, obviously!

I like having (what I think are) nice nails, same as I like my hair to look nice, and I like wearing nice clothes. If anyone assumes I must be shallow because of my appearance they are clearly the shallow ones!

I think it’s very odd to think there are thousands of women who are having long nails because of some kind of societal pressure and are therefore restricting themselves from doing what they want to do. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I don’t think there is any societal pressure to have long nails - it’s purely a preference, and I would be very surprised if women are depriving themselves of doing what they want to do in order to have long nails.

'here are your hands. do what you want with them and decorate them as you like'.

Absolutely agree with this, with some conditions based on their work. I had a midwife check up not long ago and she had such long nails, and several diamond rings, that left scratches all over my bump when she was done poking and prodding it (trying to find the head, which I kept telling her was a good 12 inches from where she was jabbing). I left sore and praying I’d never see her again. They’d have ripped right through a pair of gloves should she have needed any.

I once drove past a nail bar titled “jewels not tools” which made me laugh.

I've never had a manicure in my life. I have earned a living mostly by typing very fast and was also a rock climber in the past. Never got the trend for talons or expensive treatments. I use Soap and Glory melty talented on my hands and push back the cuticles with an orange stick daily. I do love having my eyebrows threaded (I'm of Asian descent so this is not a new trend for me) every fortnight.

PP made a good point. This "list" of things we apparently cannot do with long nails has been written by a woman who claims to hate them and hasn't had them.

I can't believe what I'm reading

women cant do anything useful
probably shallow feminist women with whom I'd have nothing in common with

I kind of expect this shit of men, but to hear it from women, in 2019, proves to me we still have a long way to go.

This 'superior' feminism really grinds on me. Why am I only considered a feminist if I look, act and like the same things as you. Are you winding me up?

My belief, as a feminist, is I, and other women, can have careers, children, garden, bake, play musical instruments, be sportswomen, go to the moon and whatever else. And they can do this with or without "nails", with or without dyed hair, with or without high heeled shoes, with or without makeup.

its not a discussion when you start with "can we start an anti xxx campaign" though it is?

I don't tend to put varnish on, as I don't like it when its chipped and I spend all my time peeling it off, and i'm lazy. but I don't judge anyone who does like to wear it.

Where I work you CAN'T have long nails, painted or acrylic.

Long long nails give me the creeps, dont know why.

I dont let my Mum touch food in my kitchen as she has to be reminded to wash her hands so sincerely doubt she uses a nail brush under her talons.

They always look manky

Where I work you CAN have long nails, painted or acrylic.

@mum2jenny and that’s fine. But a lot of people don’t work in those environments and choose to have long or fake nails because they like them.

go to the moon and whatever else. And they can do this with or without "nails

Couldn’t do open heart surgery though? Or cliff hanging, or farming, or building work ......

For what? for who?

For me. The same reason I eat the food I like, read the books I choose and listen to the music I enjoy - because it makes me happy.

For what it’s worth, prior to having my ds I was a prison officer. My gel nail polish, (although admittedly not extensions) in no way stopped me doing my very physical job. And as far as being an ‘ornament’, I worked in a Cat A men’s prison. I’m sure you can imagine some of the vile, misogynistic and overtly sexual things I’ve had shouted at me on the landings. However not once did I hear ‘nice nails miss’ hollered from a cell.

I’m a sahm now. Still with gel nails. I have a vegetable garden. I cook and I bake. I paint, and do crafts and dig for worms with my son. I’ve never scratched myself or anybody else. Please don’t feel like I need you to ‘give me the use of my hands back’.

And as far as incessant grooming, I assure you I spend less time on my nails than my husband does on his beard (incidentally, he also has immaculately groomed nails).

Couldn’t do open heart surgery though? Or cliff hanging, or farming, or building work...

Correct. I can't do any of those things with my long nails. Or without them.

There are lots of jobs you can’t do if you have fake nails or long nails. This is factual not opinion eg healthcare. The reason for this is that fake nails are really unhygienic.
I think it’s disgusting to intentionally create a medium for growing bacteria and fungi on your nails. Clacking nails also set my teeth on edge. I can’t help how I feel and I know I’m right on the hygiene or there would be no restrictions on which jobs you can do depending on your nails.
You can however continue to ignore this and call us all names if that makes you feel better. Or even tell me to fuck off again or accuse me of being illiterate.

Always about this length, all natural, squeaky clean and I manage to do everything. I'm a professional person and I like to have my nails done. It must be awful to be such a judgemental doctor. I thought the good ones liked people.

@kilbranan I take your point but isn’t it the same as some people having to wear hair nets and gloves at work for hygiene purposes to prepare food etc - but 99% of people chose not to do this at home? In terms of hygiene I mean. So in certain jobs you have to follow hygiene guidelines but LOTS of people don’t adopt this in every day life.
I’m not trying to pick a fight just interested. And we are all entitled to our own opinion, that’s part of the problem with this thread - suggesting a campaign to force an opinion on women naturally riles people up somewhat!

My piano teacher would get out the scissors if she heard a nail tap.

Also there was an article in our local paper warning that a number of local salons had failed h&s inspections and that there was a risk of infection from manicures. (I assume snipping the cuticles etc? ). That same week a young woman was admitted with a nasty infection requiring in antibiotics.

So it's a no from me.