-by Ashley Weatherspoon

In my 20’s, I constantly ran into men that had some opinion on how my nails should look.  There’s a guy I used to date that was very particular about his girl’s nails. 

He hated red.

He loved white.

He hated pointy-style nails.

He liked a good, solid square or coffin. 

Nails were his thing, I guess. People have fetishes/preferences, and I perceived those to be his.  

I later got into a relationship with a guy who actually enjoyed tagging along to my nail appointments, but no matter how many times I asked “what color should I get my nails babe?” he would pick the same maroon color, over and over again. 

However, after him, I grew out of asking the guys I date which color I should get because honestly, they always end up picking something I don’t really want. The next thing I know, I have some heinous nail color that isn’t my style just because I wanted his opinion to be considered.

Recently, one of the guys I mentioned above messaged me, trying to re-establish his presence in my life. Over the couple of days that we began talking, I took a trip to the nail salon. Now, some eight to nine years later, I found myself asking him what color I should paint my nails.  

Why? Because I’m a creature of habit & enjoyed the nostalgia, but also, I knew it was special to him. However, this time, instead of asking him blind, I took four screenshots of styles I did like and presented the options to him. 

“Top right corner and top left bottom,” he replied.

To be honest with you, he picked the two least favorite options, but the guilt crept in because I asked his opinion and I felt the need to oblige. So, I did it. I went with one of his options. I chose a colorful design that included five colors and an almond shape. I was nervous, but I was committed. 

Apparently, I didn’t give him enough credit because I’ve received so many compliments based on his choice — from men, from women, from everyone. I’ve gotten more compliments on my nails lately than I’ve gotten in the last three years!

No, really. Compliments right and left. 

He saw something I didn’t see as a woman. And of course, my ever-analyzing brain got going, and it made me want to think about the science behind why some men have a nail preference in the first place. 

After a little digging, I found a few articles that spoke to men about this very idea. Kari Mulvar from Cosmopolitan explains: “Guys usually perceive a difference in your look when it relates to them. So if your nails go from short to long or from square to pointy, he’ll feel a difference when you touch his skin or stroke his back. But when you switch up your nail-polish shade from coral to purple? That doesn’t have an impact on him. It’s that he’s more focused on other aspects of you… like the way your nails make his skin tingle when you run them down his spine.”

That explained his preference for square or coffin nails. My stiletto and almond-shaped preferences must not feel the same.

On one discussion board, a man named Orlando mentioned, “Some guys like women who are well-preened and who look high maintenance. Other guys like the more down-home look.“ 

And another woman shared her boyfriend’s sentiments. “He says women with long, fake nails or long, always perfect nails make him think those women are ‘high maintenance.’”

And I know it’s probably hard to believe, but there’s a website that will tell you, by astrological signs, which men are attracted to what type of nails. 

Another article in Cosmopolitan mentioned: 

He won’t notice…

A change in nail polish.

He will notice…

A change in nail length.

I couldn’t help but think of that classic Katt Williams joke from “Pimp Chronicles Part 1.”

So, ladies, if you care enough about a man’s opinion of your nails, go ahead and ask. He may or may not care more than you think. But the one thing you should know…. It’ll never stop him from trying to get in your pants. 
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