“When Did Getting A Manicure Become Mandatory?”
After two years of near-constant manicures, ruined nails, and far too much life (and money) wasted in the technician’s chair, The Handbook’s Contributing Fashion & Lifestyle Editor, Astrid Carter, is done. Between the relentless three-week refill cycle and the weird shame culture surrounding undone nails, she’s finally saying no to the mandatory manicure. Here is why she is officially embracing her nails au naturel.
Khloe Kardashian once famously said on an episode of The Kardashians, “If I’m in a coma, I’m still getting my nails done once a week. And that’s in my will.” I do not doubt that Kris would have a full glam team bedside within minutes, but even for us regular folk, the idea of getting your nails done consistently has become so blazé it almost feels mandatory. It’s become Girl Tax.
Take this as an example: a couple of weeks ago, I was at a hen do. I’d joined on the second day, and the previous night, all the girls had had manicures at the Airbnb. I’m sure it was great fun – hooting and laughing, champagne corks popping. I, having vowed to give my nails a break after a roughly two-year stint on BIAB, couldn’t apologise enough for “the state of my nails!”
Having perfect nails feels like a prerequisite for being a put-together woman – as if having them filed and polished and built up with gel makes you a more successful, serious person.
Astrid, Contributing Fashion & Lifestyle Editor
“Don’t look at them! They are hideous! I’m having a break…” is loosely how the conversation went. And while I am sure no one actually gave a toss that I arrived with exposed nail beds and cuticles (none of us is that superficial), I felt deeply ashamed. Like I’d arrived three hours late, or reversed into one of their cars on the way in. I was thankful for the oversized mohair knit I’d chosen to wear, which I could pull down to hide my hands. But why are we so disproportionately embarrassed by our nails, or rather, the lack of having them done?
Although nail painting has become more common among men in recent years (thank you, Harry Styles and Bad Bunny), I can’t imagine a guy ever meeting the lads and apologising for his lack of a French tip. Even with the most groomed of guys, I just can’t see it happening.
Of course, it doesn’t take a psychologist to work out that this beauty routine (along with Botox, hair removal, and dyeing) fits into the broader picture of the impossible beauty standards women are held to. I’ll spare you the patriarchy rhetoric; we know it all too well. But we, as women, also put pressure on ourselves to keep up. I once had a boss who said she preferred when prospective employees coming in to interview had their nails painted. Insane, no?
So, I’m finished. I’m giving in to the pressure by going cold turkey on my nails, and here’s why…
Low-key is cool
I’ve never liked a look that’s too “done.” I like things a little off-beat and messy. I want my hair to look lived-in, my smudgy eyeliner to feel a bit rebellious, and the Clean Girl aesthetic? That just isn’t me. So why have I fallen into the trap of this constant maintenance? Between influencers and red carpet shots, we have become so used to seeing impossibly perfect nails that it has become the default. There’s something quietly cool about saying ‘no’ to the status symbol of a fresh set, and I’m ready to give it a go.
The cost
It’s a no-brainer, but at around £40 per month, you’ll save nearly £500 a year. It’s kind of horrifying when you think about it. If I actually enjoyed the ritual – if it was a bit of me time carved out of my schedule – I’d think it was money well spent. But I genuinely hate it, from the time it takes to that icky feeling the electric file gives me.
There’s something quietly cool about saying ‘no’ to the status symbol of a fresh set.
My nails don’t thank me for it
Imagine being forced to wear your winter coat every day in July. That’s how your nails feel. Constant covering of the nail prevents the natural oils from doing their job, and they become dry, very weak, and thin. Even giving my nails a recommended one-week break between appointments doesn’t give them enough time to really rebuild strength, so I’m fully growing them out and nurturing them in a natural way.
The Groundhog Day trap
Like many, my nail habit started as a one-off for a wedding. But once you start, you create a faux dependency. They look fabulous for two weeks; then, as week three approaches, you hit the grown-out phase. It feels too soon to get them redone – both financially and time-wise – so you eke it out for a few more days. When you do eventually get them off, your nails look so sad and lifeless that you’re ready for a fresh set just to hide them. And so the cycle restarts.
The time it takes
If you love the salon, fill your boots. But I’ve never enjoyed taking time out of my day for it. I’m usually watching the clock to make it back to work or the school run. It’s a chore rather than a treat; it’s hardly a massage, is it?
I’m incredibly boring with my choices
I can see the genuine fun in mixing it up to suit your mood or an outfit, and I admire the dedication to wacky nail art – it really is a little boost of dopamine to look at. The problem is, I’m so fussy that there’s no joy in choosing a monthly colour. I’m classic red, maybe a berry in winter, and I just can’t veer away from it. I also hate length; the technician always looks horrified when I ask, “Can we go even shorter?” While gels can hide a multitude of sins on long nails, trimmed, tidy nails are actually much easier to pull off naturally.
The unrealistic beauty standards
We’re sold this as maintenance, but it’s not. Having perfect nails feels like a prerequisite for being a put-together woman – as if having them filed and polished and built up with gel makes you a more successful, serious person. It’s nonsense. Even the recent nail trend (and there are a lot of them!) of the naked manicure is often only achieved by faking it – the digits’ version of no-makeup makeup. I’m not saying I’ll never get them done again (that’s my prerogative, too), but I’m going to lay off the expense and the damage, and just enjoy being au naturel for a bit.
