What do Harry Styles, A$AP Rocky, and Kurt Cobain all have in common? Well, besides the obvious wildly successful music careers and male celebrity-dom…. We may have miscalculated the difficulty of that question. However, the point is: they have all dared to use their fingernails as a fashion statement.
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Men’s nail art isn’t necessarily a new thing, but it’s a trend that’s beginning to take off. As we as a society begin to bend and break gendered stereotypes, men are increasingly willing to stray into “feminine” style territories.
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Think about it: why in 2022 should we refuse to accept male nail polish? Why are men not even “allowed” a creative outlet that has nothing to do with biological sex or sexuality?
I don’t think we should be surprised at this development. We have stylish earrings for men, for instance. Again–earlobes? Nothing to do with genitalia. There’s no reason why men can’t decorate their earlobes, and the same applies to nails.
Not only is it reasonable, but it’s also attractive for men to get their nails done. Going against gender norms is rebellious. It shows that a guy’s masculinity is not easily threatened.
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If he’s comfortable enough with himself to get a manicure, that man is telling the world he’s confident and he doesn’t care if anyone were to tease him for being “girly” or “gay.”
Rock stars seem to have understood the gender neutrality of nail polish going back decades. David Bowie wore it; Steven Tyler wore it; eventually, it was probably always going to bleed into other celebrities’ styles.
Now we have rappers, pop artists, and even actors catching on. You can’t honestly tell me that Jason Momoa is somehow less of a man because he’s been photographed wearing nail polish.
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We have “regular” men’s nail art, now, too. In the UK, nail artist Jess Young has been running the Instagram Boys in Polish since 2017.
Young shows off pictures of her male clients’ decorated nails and hopes to fight against toxic masculinity. As she told Scratch in 2021, everyday men having their nails painted is like “put[ting] a middle finger up to patriarchy.”
Cool nail designs for men are also usually the simplest. That tracks with a lot of style advice for men–simple is sophisticated; minimalist nail art is easier to see as “manly.”
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It’s also easier for men who don’t want to splurge on a manicure to paint their nails simply. Easy male nail art can be solid colors, often multiple different colors across different nails.
Black is a favorite, but it’s far from the only stylish color. Creative color combinations can show off a bolder taste and artistic sensibility.
Minimalist nail art designs are a great second step for men who want to explore more than the solid-color nail life. Think little accents like dots or lines. There are also neat French tips or simple two-tone designs out there that would be perfect for men just beginning with nail art.
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Nail length and shape. Across the board, almost all men who wear nail polish do so with short, trimmed nails. Maybe someday we’ll get to a point of everyone wearing pointy nails, but we’re not there yet.
One of the trendiest men’s nail art styles is abstract or geometric. Tons of designs fall under this umbrella, from wavy lines to simple shapes like circles or triangles.
Often, abstract designs are done in black only or black and white nail designs, with the designs varying across the nails while sticking to a theme. For example, a guy might get simple black wavy lines that range from horizontal to diagonal and vertical.
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Another major trend, thanks to A$AP Rocky, is nail stickers. These tend to feature small, bold designs like words, smiley faces, or flames. They’re perfect for guys wanting to make more of a statement. Or maybe for guys who want an easier way to “paint” their nails!
Gold nails have also been drawing a lot of attention lately. It’s easy to understand why–they mimic flashy gold jewelry. Who doesn’t want to look rich, right?
Gold nails add a touch of extra class to men’s nail art. Interestingly, gold nails are not always just solid gold but are more likely to feature more elaborate 3D elements. Minimalism is not the only masculine style, thanks to men like Bad Bunny, whose nail art tends to more closely resemble jewelry.
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While your style options are opening up enough to allow painted fingernails, you should know that many other historically feminine fashion trends are finding their way into the male mainstream.
Why not wear something bright and silly to work, if it’s safely tucked away in your shoes? You’ll also get the bonus of providing your loved ones with an easy gift idea for every holiday.
Many unisex fragrances accomplish their genderlessness by appealing to both stereotypical genders’ perfumes, with both sweet-smelling and musky or natural-smelling elements. Up your style game by smelling more sophisticated.
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If you want to break the rules, there are men’s skirts out there that look good. Perhaps not a miniskirt, but the Scottish have been pulling off kilts for centuries. Likewise, man purses are gaining traction but have always been around as fanny packs, briefcases, and the like.
Whether you’re personally ready to embrace men’s nail art or not, do yourself and everyone else a favor and at least resist mocking guys who opt for more “feminine” fashion choices.
You don’t have to love the most avant-garde trends (take these crop tops, for example) to recognize that the times are changing, and painting your nails doesn’t make you any less` of a man.
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Driven by a love of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology, we are creating a modern men's magazine that champions good grooming as a route to confidence and self-expression.What do ASAP Rocky, Marc Jacobs, Anwar Hadid and Michy Batshuayi all have in common? Surprisingly, they’re all fans of the newest nail trend to take Instagram by storm: #MaleArt. You guessed it, nail art for men. Men manis, if you will.
Whilst we’ve been experimenting with tortoiseshell and milk bath designs, men have been diving into the world of high fashion nail art. Whether it's Hadid's matchy-matchy pastel mani with girlfriend Dua Lipa, or ASAP Rocky's FROW-worthy monogram designs, it's refreshing to see the world of nail art becoming more accessible to men.
Nail polish for men might have been a taboo subject in the past (with the exception of rockstars for some reason) but it’s 2019, we have male make-up and more men getting botox than ever before. “Brotox” (yes, that’s a thing) are on the rise, so much so that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have seen men getting botox rise by 325% over the past two decades. So #MaleArt is just a drop in the beauty ocean.
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Leading the way for #MaleArt is artist ASAP Rocky, who's nail art has been on point. ASAP tends to use his nail art as a form of expression, case in point: this summer the rapper sported individual art on each finger, containing some explicit messaging and an (ironically?) patriotic American flag. Add to that the rapper's on point choice of jewry (giant pearl rings anyone?) and you've got a nail selfie shot just waiting to happen.
Rocky said there was still a stigma around men getting manicures: ‘I feel like men should be able to do nail art without feeling feminine.'
The designer really takes nail art to the next level. Not a day goes by where Marc Jacobs isn’t sporting an artistic nail art design, all with incredibly intricate details. At his SS20 NYFW show, nail artist Nails by Mei created a 3D cameo design on some of the models and then recreated the look on the designer himself a few days later, with a bespoke twist. Truly works of art.
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Anwar and girlfriend, Dua Lipa, have taken getting couple's massages to a whole new level with their pastel couple's mani. The pair were both spotted with a matching rainbow bright design whilst in New York last week. Hadid went for alternative colours on each nail with the letters spelling ‘APLUS’. You know what they say, the couple that gets nail art together, stays together.
The Chelsea FC player isn’t afraid of a mani or two. In similar ASAP Rocky style, the professional footballer recently debuted a mani which featured individually designed nails, including the Belgium flag, the Batman symbol, black and white slime... and some more explicit messaging as well. Who said a manicure isn’t manly?
Forget Lady Gaga's Russian Doll dresses, this year's Met Gala main event was all about Harry Style's new romantic manicure. Created by A-list nail artist Jenny Longworth, Styles' turquoise and black nail art was the perfect addition to his sheer black Gucci ensemble. The androgynous look went down so well, in fact, that critics and fans alike dubbed the singer's get-up 'the end of toxic masculinity'.
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