Someone on TikTok theorised that red nail paint attracts men — and that’s how a one-minute video led to thousands of girls putting the trend to the test. Though many have reported varying levels of success, there’s little-to-no evidence backing this claim. But the theory continues to flourish anyway. Hailey Bieber’s back-to-back display of the colour on the nails has further fueled the popularity of the nail-art trend, and while the Internet has bought into the narrative, I have a bit of a take on the same. Because I painted my nails red, and it had every *female* in my vicinity going crazy over how pretty they looked on me. Hear me out.
The Red Nail Theory Works On Women?
I’d not meant to put the theory to the test because I don’t endorse the idea of basing your own choices off someone’s preference/s. But I’d just decided that my nails needed a do-over post New Year’s, and my red nail polish happened to have not curdled into clumps like the rest of its counterparts. My manicurist had filed my nails into squares the last time I had her remove my press ons — so they admittedly looked and exuded a salon-like charm. A little after I painted my nails, a barrage of compliments followed — and all of them came from the women in my circle.
My nani had called my mom and I over for a cup of tea the day I painted my nails. I still remember how my aunt walked into the room, plopped down onto the bed next to me, and flattered me with a full-on reaction, “WOW. That’s such a pretty colour,” she glanced at my mother with one hand cupping her mouth. Yes. She’s a raging mani-lover. You’ll never spot so much as a chip or crack on her nails. “I’m going to get this colour next time. Will you come with me?” she exclaimed. I’m downplaying this scenario, BTW. There was a lot of fangirling.
Though the Red Nail Theory insinuates that the colour appeals to men (aka makes you more attractive to them), it just proved to me that gender has nothing to do with the kind of colours you like, and that red is inherently bold — whether you like it or not is not necessarily informed by your gender as so blatantly suggested by the theory. The colour is such that it just springs at you. You cannot ignore it.
But my experience has led me to believe that there’s a sense of relatability with women. It’s possible that women relate to the concept of doing their nails (though Harry Styles is slowly changing that), and this relatability is what appeals to them in the first place.
That’s not it. My mother had hosted a family-and-friends get-together at home the following day. The house had burgeoned into a candle-lit, potpourri-adorned oasis by the time the guests had arrived. But nothing caught my cousin’s attention like my nails (sorry, mom). “Dude. Wow. I love the colour. Where’d do you get them done?” she inquired right off the bat. My nani still looked at them fascinatedly.
The second wave of guests had come in too. My friend’s mother and sister quickly followed in my sister’s steps. The duo are pretty opposed to faux-pas nails because of how purposeful they look (because, same); and they recognise them from miles away. I basked in all the main-character energy of the moment. Though it didn’t strike me to ask them whether it was the colour that caught their eyes, I clarified the same with one of them (for the love of work and research) the next day — lo and behold, it was, indeed, the colour.
The colour is so appealing that it didn’t need a U.V lamp, acrylics, or gel to drive home the point. I spent nothing on them, and that’s something I will not stop talking about. While the clarification might have sounded redundant, there are other factors that determine whether you like something or not — and how much. In their case, if I had gone the press-ons route, it’s possible that the likeability of the colour would have dropped considerably.
I do think that the theory if at all has any validity to it, applies to older men; since it primarily suggests that the attraction exists because their generation had grown up watching their mothers and other female figures of authority like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn sport the colour on the lacquers (pretty Freudian in a way). But these notions are rooted in Western culture, and they don’t necessarily have to apply to everyone. My mother does believe that Rekha turned red into something elegant and aspirational back in the day too. Red has historically been perceived as just that in many cultures anyway — fierce, bold, and passionate. Even going as far back as the Greek ages where the colour was perceived as a symbol of love and fertility.
Many psychologists have denounced the legitimacy of the trend. They say that it’s as simple as red being more eye-catching and desirable than a neutral-toned mani. Though studies suggest that red is amorous in nature, it’s not compulsorily a gender-specific thing. Because I don’t believe someone will look at your nails and think, “Oh! Thank god. I find them attractive now. Time to open with a pick-up line.” Nope. There are so many factors that decide whether you find someone attractive and vice versa. Please paint your nails any colour you like, girlies.
But I know I’m not going to the salon any time soon. Because just like a classic cherry-red lip, this one really makes you feel like a badass.
Featured Image: Author’s Image
