Why do women use nail polish?

[Gharbad]

Something I always wondered: Why do women use nail polish?

I understand the purpose of lipstick. Women who paint their lips in a deeper shade of red simulate sexual excitement. Men find that attractive.

But the color of the finger- and toenails does not change with sexual excitement, so why simulate that? The majority of men also don't have a fetish for women with blood on their toes and fingertips, so I don't think it's supposed to represent blood.

The most sensible argument I have heard so far is that nail polish hardens the nails. But if that was the only or even the main reason for its use, there would be no reason to use unnatural colors.

I have also tried to find the historical/cultural roots of this custom, but I couldn't find anything. Maybe I looked in the wrong places.

Can someone please enlighten me?

 

[RedheadedSpdFrk]

Why? because it makes me feel pretty.

 

[B_Danceswithlamps]

My girlfriends (female friends, not dating) use it because it, like readhead said (haha), it makes them look nice. Why do women wear earrings? Why do men (and women) get tattoo's? They think it looks cool/nice.

 

[Gharbad]

Thanks for your replies. I appreciate your input, but so far, it wasn't helpful. Probably because I didn't make my actual question clear enough. Sorry 'bout that.

I understand that a good manicure is important. I prefer women with pretty hands, too. And I have been told several times that I have nice hands, myself. But as men exemplify, you can have well-manicured nails without painting them.

My question, specifically, is: Why is it that red (or green, blue, black, whatever) nails are considered pretty / attractive?

I think by now it is obvious that I am not a fan of colored nails. That doesn't mean that I oppose it per se. Women, crossdressers, transsexuals and metrosexuals can do whatever they want and I won't judge them.

I'm just curious. How did this custom culturally develop? How/why did it start, etc.?

 

[Pecker]

Nail polish is the female's equivalent of duct tape.

How many of you women have stopped a stocking run with nail polish? Or color coded a key? Or disguised a scratch on a prized knick knack? Or decorated a comb or a mirror? Or painted a child's name on his/her lunchbox?

etc., etc., etc.

 

[MsLulu]

I feel pretty!
oh so pretty!
I feel pretty and witty and BRIGHT!
And I pity...
any girl who isn't me
tonight

la la la la la la la la la la!

To answer your question on nail polish, because I'm a big girlie girl who loves feeling feminine, sexy, and sassy. And nothing says sassy like having apple-red nails.

That said, I'm more of a toe-nail polish kind of girl as I usually keep my fingernails cut short. Writing and typing as much as I do doesn't really allow for terribly long fingernails. Not to mention, those big ole claws get in the way of so many things.

I do like a manicure now and then, to keep them looking nice and usually go with a clear polish. My toes are another story: red, bright pink, purple, sparkley blue, you name it.

Why does red, pink, burnt sienna look good? Because it's bright, different, glossy. And sometimes? it doesn't look that much better. It's just fun. We do it for the same reason guys wear cuff-links in this day and age or why they have tie-pins or why they HAVE to have that shiny red car instead of the gray one.

The world is full of color.

 

[BobLeeSwagger]

To me, plucking eyebrows down to little barely-there lines is way weirder than nail polish.

 

[MsLulu]

Yeah, the thin line-brows are kind of creepy. I do keep mine in good shape, but I would feel like Joan Crawford if I shaved em and just drew a line across the top of my eye.

I did burn my eyebrows off when I was 17 years old. Accident with a gas-grill at work. My eyelashes and bangs were gone as well. I felt like such a freak for a few weeks. Burnt hair smells so nasty.

 

[ClaireTalon]

I don't pluck my eyebrows, I'm blessed (or not blessed) by nature with thin eyebrows anyways. And until not so long ago, I didn't even put on much nail polish, since it looked definetly funny, together with a flightsuit. But for Class-A events, or dates, I always put on red, on finger and toe nails. A darker shade of red, crimson almost, no screaming red. Why? Well, It looks better, of course! also, it accentuates the nails, especially if they're short.

 

[Gharbad]

red is used because paleness was greatly admired and redness in the skin is taken away by the color red so it makes your hands look pale. this was probably in the early 1900's

Thanks Helio! Now it finally makes sense to me. I had suspected that it was something like that. Also thanks for the female opinions.

 

[D_Barbi_Queue]

it helps to make your nails stronger and it helps to stop a run in pantyhose - oh, and I like the way my nails look when they are not so bland looking.

 

[naughty]

Hi,

I never use color on my nails. I generally get a french manicure and call it a day. It is just step above natural but with a little extra polish ( no pun intended) For me it just helps me feel a bit better pulled together.

Naughty

 

[Atia]

To hide the dirt under our fingernails. J/k

:yikes:

 

[Dr. Bubbles]

To answer your question...

1) because I like color;
2) because I want to feel sexy;
3) because I like to feel coordinated with my outfits;
4) because I like attention; and finally
5) because I (we) can!

People have personal preferences... It is like a man with a tie - why not choose a plain solid color silk tie rather than one with designs or multi-colors in them? You choose pretty ties because they make a statement in your attire that day... I choose various shades of nail polish because it too is an accessory.

Oh, and Pecker... I have definitely been guilty of using polish to stop those runs in my hose and to paint keys! Also been guilty of using it to pen a note to someone...

bb

 

[Lordpendragon]

Why is it called polish? isn't it more like a varnish?

Just wondering.

I adore well manicured hands, so elegant, so sexy. Eyes then hands then shoes - will tell you more than the person themselves usually.

 

[Dr. Bubbles]

Why is it called polish? isn't it more like a varnish?

Just wondering.

I adore well manicured hands, so elegant, so sexy. Eyes then hands then shoes - will tell you more than the person themselves usually.

Why would you call it varnish? That makes it sound so... "furniturie" (yes, that is my made-up word).

Social norming and societial values have dictated various demands on women in the last couple of centuries that delegates what is beautiful, what is stylish and what is appropriate. Granted, although nail polish is not typically one of those things, it is an "accessory" that completes the look. As young girls, many of us probably played around with nail polish, make-up and dressing up to look "pretty." It was encouraged and naturally became something of a learned behavior. As we got older, those mentalities stuck with us and thus, carried over into adulthood.

I have been wearing nail polish since I was a little girl. It started off as clear and then to softer, more natural colors. Today, I wear subtle colors (soft pinks) to BOLD colors (fire red, burgandy, etc) depending on my attire and what I am doing (meetings, speaking engagements, etc.). I am also a huge fan of french manicures and do my own! It is all about being versatile and about our personalities.

And, like you said, you can learn a lot about a person through their eyes, hands and SHOES (jumbo... he said shoes, not me)!

 

[vinny_spiruccino]

There was a time, many moons agao, when I wore nail polish (but chipped it all up so as not to have it perfect) just to be outlandish... I had big hair too, & lots & lots of eyeliner. Oh the 80's...

 

[Dr. Bubbles]

There was a time, many moons agao, when I wore nail polish (but chipped it all up so as not to have it perfect) just to be outlandish... I had big hair too, & lots & lots of eyeliner. Oh the 80's...

Ah... the 80s. I, too, had big hair, when I teased it (my hair was below my hips, but I wore many hairstyles then) and did wear a lot of eyeliner (brought at the richness of my eyes, I thought). Thank God none of you will ever see any of those pictures. ha ha

 

[vinny_spiruccino]

Ah... the 80s. I, too, had big hair, when I teased it (my hair was below my hips, but I wore many hairstyles then) and did wear a lot of eyeliner (brought at the richness of my eyes, I thought). Thank God none of you will ever see any of those pictures. ha ha

Yes yes, my "rebellious" years...I grew up in a really religious family (Pentecostal) & they were WWWAAAAYYYYY strict. Oh they LOVED my big hair & eyeliner... hahaha And Doc, your eyes are beautiful I think!

 

[Dr. Bubbles]

Yes yes, my "rebellious" years...I grew up in a really religious family (Pentecostal) & they were WWWAAAAYYYYY strict. Oh they LOVED my big hair & eyeliner... hahaha And Doc, your eyes are beautiful I think!

Vinny, babydoll... are you my brother?!?! We are also Pentecostal... go figure (although my parents did allow me to participate in lots of pageants...)

And thank you... you are a very handsome man.