Whether it’s a simple manicure or an elaborate, three-dimensional look, the art of painting and decorating one’s nails is a much loved and celebrated practice.
The origin of nail polish and the tradition of painting one’s nails is unclear; some attribute the tradition to ancient China around 5,000 BCE, when upper class women would decorate their nails as a symbol of their power and status in society. At the time, nail polish was a concoction consisting of ingredients including egg whites and beeswax, with dyes from flower petals for color.
Historians have also discovered earlier instances of people painting their nails: a gold painting kit found in ancient military supplies indicates that Babylonian soldiers decorated their nails with gold polish before going into war, and Egyptian mummies dating back to 3,200 BCE have been discovered with painted nails. Henna, which is still used for body art today, has also been utilized to paint nails in Asia and the Middle East for thousands of years.
Evidently, nail art is not a new phenomenon—people have been decorating their nails for much of human history, whether as a symbol of their power or a depiction of beauty. For much of history, though, the practice was a luxury of the rich, who flaunted their delicately manicured nails as a sign that they did not have to participate in the menial labor characteristic of the lower classes.
Even in cases where the art of painting nails was more widespread, certain colors were off-limits depending on one’s status in society: red, for example, was the preferred color of the rich and members of the nobility, and therefore not commonly seen among the lower classes. The color was thought to symbolize strength and power; Cleopatra was known to don a deep blood red color on her nails, likely made from plant extracts and henna.
But thousands of years later, manicures have evolved to become more than just an activity for the rich. Head to any drugstore and you’ll find dozens of types of nail polishes available, in all the colors of the rainbow. In accordance, there are tens of thousands of nail salons in the United States where people go to paint their nails.
It’s no wonder that 100.89 million women used nail polish in the United States in 2020, a figure that has likely increased since. It’s important to recognize that this statistic doesn’t tell the whole story: while women make up the majority of people who paint their nails, there are also men and nonbinary people who engage in the practice.
Nail art has been around for a long time, though the popularity and availability of polish has increased over the years. In the United States, manicures boomed in popularity with the turn of the 20th century. Manicures had been growing in popularity in Paris, and this trend quickly spread to the United States.
Mary E. Cobb is recognized as the first American manicurist, having opened the first nail salon in the United States in New York City in 1878. Her salon, called Mrs. Pray’s Manicure Parlors (she used her husband’s last name for the business), was a place where women could go to get their nails done in the fashions of the time. Reportedly, a manicure cost $1.25 when her salon first opened, which is about $40 today when adjusted for inflation. Ms. Cobb had a wide range of clients who came to her for the well-designed manicures she became known for.
Especially in the 1920s, when women started cultivating more feminine appearances, manicured nails became an important part of women’s everyday looks. Makeup companies started to advertise their products related to nail care as a “necessity,” proclaiming that a proper manicure was essential to one’s nail health. The validity of that marketing technique is questionable, but nail polish did eventually become a part of many women’s daily lives and beauty routines.
One of the most common ways of wearing nail polish during this time period was known as the moon manicure, in which only part of the nail was painted and the rest was left unpainted in a crescent shape. In addition to being economical due to using only a little polish, the manicure was stylish and became popular among young women.
The most popular colors during the 1920s were various shades of red; the vibrancy of the nail polish complemented the flapper style well and showcased women’s independence and style. Even today, bright red nail polish is associated with boldness, independence, and romantic love. It remains a symbol of power for many, while more neutral shades like light pink and white have more mild connotations.
For the rest of the 20th century, manicures remained steadily popular for women. They became fun ways to express one’s individuality, and as nail polish became more readily available to the average consumer, they were more common to be seen. One didn’t need to go to a salon to access nail polish as they could buy it from their local drugstore. For women who did go to salons, the rise of beauty parlors and specialized manicurists made their visits convenient. Cosmetology schools also began opening in the 1900s, giving students training in styling hair, makeup, and nails.
More recently, the early 2000s saw a boom in popularity in manicures, with many people favoring a more complicated look. While the simple manicures of the past are still popular, especially among people who paint their own nails at home, nail designs involving acrylics have also become in style. Acrylics are long extensions applied to one’s natural nails, and have become many celebrities’ manicures of choice.
Cynthia Erivo, for example, has cultivated a tradition of wearing long, beautiful acrylic nails over the length of her career. Most recently, she showed up at the Oscars with nails inspired by her role as Elphaba in the movie musical Wicked.
The nails were several inches long, adorned in gold decorations, and had symbols from The Wizard of Oz, including emerald designs to represent the Emerald City and the clock of the time dragon, a clock that plays an important role in Elphaba’s story in Wicked. Interestingly, Elphaba’s nails also change throughout the movie to reflect the character’s development and growth. This inspiration was lifted directly from Erivo herself. The intricate designs of Erivo’s nails reflect a greater purpose for nail art than beauty; nail art can also be a powerful tool of self-expression.
In accordance with nail art being used as a tool of self expression, it has also been a method of protest. Several nail salons in Ukraine have remained open over the past few years, serving as a symbol of morale and strength for many of the women who frequent them. The act of painting one’s nails can seem frivolous, especially when there are more pressing matters to attend to, but it is a common beauty ritual that gives many people a sense of normality and stability.
In uncertain or tumultuous times, there are often a limited number of things under one’s control. Exercising some degree of control over one’s life, even through something as small as painting one’s nails, can be empowering. By continuing their daily operations and bringing women joy through painted nails, the nail salons in Ukraine show that the ritual of painting one’s nails can be powerful in many ways.
It’s strange to think that something as simple as painted nails could be a protest when one considers the societal views around nail polish: it is often dismissed as an unimportant beauty ritual, something for little girls to busy themselves with at slumber parties and with no real purpose.
But if it is so innocuous, why did Babylonian soldiers paint their nails gold before heading into battle? Why did Cleopatra’s blood-red nails help her signify both power and femininity? Why are we still talking about her nails—and, of course, Cleopatra herself—two thousand years later?
Methods of beautification and makeup styles have long been used as a form of communication. Red lipstick, for example, has gained a reputation similar to that of red nail polish: it signifies female independence and power.
But how did red lipstick gain this association? It has been used for protest in many instances around the world. One of the most well-known examples is when suffragettes, including Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wore bright red lipstick when marching for the right to vote in New York City in 1912. Before the 20th century, red lipstick was associated with ‘immoral’ women and poor virtues. By reclaiming the makeup look, suffragettes were showing their willingness to break societal norms and their desire for change in the United States.
During World War Two, many American women took to wearing red lipstick to express their patriotism and discontent with the Axis Powers. When lipstick wasn’t available, they would stain their lips with beet juice, showing their dedication to the cause they were fighting for. Rosie the Riveter posters featured Rosie with bright red lips, as well, further motivating the cause.
It is evident, then, that makeup and nail polish can be more than what meets the eye. What may seem like a simple style choice can have deeper meanings running below the surface.
For many adolescents, this rings true as well. A bold nail polish color can highlight aspects of one’s personality. A sparkly, shimmery color can show off how they are feeling. At a time when identity is at the forefront of one’s mind, nail art can offer adolescents a way to communicate who they really are.
The significance of nail polish can be seen in many different facets of life. It can be a beauty ritual to complete one’s look, a way of showing the world who they are, and a method of communication or even protest. It is evident that there is more to a manicure than what meets the eye.
The significance of nail polish can be seen in many different facets of life. It can be a beauty ritual to complete one’s look, a way of showing the world who they are, and a method of communication or even protest. It is evident that there is more to a manicure than what meets the eye.