Women have been polishing their nails since 3,000 B.C, but it’s not for everyone. My fingernails have always been brittle and thin. Every time I tried to wear nail polish when I was young, a nail would inevitably break, or the polish would chip, even before the day was over. I longed for beautiful nails, but finally I gave up. Clean and filed is about as good as it gets for me, although I envy those who enjoy the luxury of perfectly polished nails. I do paint my toenails when I wear sandals, just because I think toes are kind of ugly, and toenail polish doesn’t chip so easily. In defense of my bare nails, I will report that in all my years of dating and marriage, I never had a boyfriend or husband ask me why I didn’t wear nail polish, or express the feeling that I should.
Now, I’m amazed at the elaborate manicures I see on young women everywhere. Especially the receptionists in doctors’ offices. Maybe it’s a sign of good times–more and more working women can afford manicures. Also, it may be a cultural thing, whereby women of means are expected to have polished, manicured nails. Other women may do so in order to compensate for some perceived deficiency elsewhere in their appearance. After all, almost anyone can have pretty fingernails. (Except me).What is worse than no paint on your nails? Chipped nail polish is tacky. Bitten-to-the-quick nails make you look nervous. But if I tried to wear nail polish all day long, it would always be chipped because I do my own housework and gardening, and I swim twice a week. Sometimes I put on a thin coat of pale pink polish (ala Queen Elizabeth) if I’m going to play cards for a few hours. Wouldn’t want people to think I was too lazy to do my nails!
Generally speaking, I view women who maintain perfectly painted nails as having a lot of time and money to spend on their appearance. Does that mean they’re vain? Insecure? Wealthy? Or simply well groomed? Not sure. It could mean their husbands do the dishes!
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