A frivolous interlude in which I doubtless maintain the patriarchy

I have kind of a love-hate relationship with my fingernails. On the one hand, they're usually pretty strong and will grow reasonably long, which are good things. On the other hand, they're kind of wide, on the end of my stubby fingers, so not exactly the epitome of elegance. My mom looked at my hands once - like, within the last 10 years - and exclaimed, "You have spatulate fingernails!" I wanted to say, like they look any different from the way they've looked all my life? Conversely, when my sister was born, my father looked at her fingers and said that she would grow up to be a violinist, and it's true - she has long, tapered, elegant fingers and nails. Of course, she also works with horses - after playing piano for years - so her nails are kept short and polish is kind of pointless.

Recently I've started playing around with nail polish, just because it's something fun and self-indulgent - and a bottle of nail polish is pretty cheap and has no calories. Even painted, my nails still look pretty stubby, but shiny fun colors are cheerful regardless. Usually I stick to cremes, either really dark or quite light, nearly nude, but for the last few days I had fun with a sparkly bright raspberry red. Right now, my nail polish is a kind of mushroom-y taupe-gray - okay, not perhaps what you'd call a "fun" color, but I like it. In fact, I kind match my cat (her dark bits):

I can't keep my nails that long, though - after a certain point, they start to annoy me. Maybe a few millimeters past the end of my fingers. Too short, though, and I go insane - how do you open things with short nails?? Or scratch an itch? I have to have some length.

So, what about you? Short nails or long, or in between? Polish, or no? (And if yes, what kinds/colors do you particularly like?)

Comments

[Notorious Ph.D.]

I've discovered that my typing becomes both slow and sloppy if I let my fingernails grow. So they stay short.

[Anastasia]

short, no polish. No polish is mainly because I don't want to give my kid ideas. I'd end up painting her nails thrice weekly. also, I'm off makeup at the moment. nothing against it, I'm just off.

[Aven]

My fingernails are medium length, and I keep them rounded -- though they sometimes grow longer, since I don't actually ever cut them, I just wait until they break (which they do fairly regularly) and then shape them with a file. I don't wear nail polish much -- but in undergrad, every exam period I would go out and splurge on some very fancy, very outlandish nail polish, and paint my nails while I studied; it was a little indulgence to keep me sane, and it gave me something pretty to look at when I was sitting in the exam room stressed and bored (my basic reaction to exams).

[Katie]

I also keep mine reasonably short. I smiled at Notorious PhD because I'm bothered by the sound of long nails clicking at the keyboard. I am fond of polish, though I tend to pick at imperfections in darker colors. So I go clear or pale pinks or browns. It's strange, but I do feel prettier when my nails are painted. (I've done nothing with them lately.)

[Dr. Crazy]

During the academic year: no polish and somewhere between short and medium as for length. The no polish is because I without fail end up wandering around with chipped nails, and I feel like I shouldn't do that in a professional setting; the length because, as Notorious Ph.D. notes, it's easier to type with shorter nails.

[russianviolets]

First, can I just tell you that I LOVE that color and have followed you down the wayward path all the way to Essie's website to buy it -- and Scarlett O'Hara, too?

I have the classic Russian hands, or so Mama used to tell me. They are small but squarish, including my fingernails, which I long ago stopped fighting and now just file so that they are more square than anything else. I tell myself that this is a happening look, but really, it's the only one that looks decent on my hands. Serviceable, yes? Elegant, no.

And, I'm with you on polish. I'm a polish whore and always have polished toes (it's important when doing yoga, you see). I polish my fingernails once a week, though it peels off about three days later. I've been doing lots of browns lately for fall, but now that Thanksgiving is here, I'm diverging into sparkly reds.

Thanks for the post and the power of suggestion. ;-)

[Dr. Virago]

I let my fingernails grow until one breaks, and then I cut them down to just past the edge of the finger and start the process all over again. But I don't polish them -- though sometimes I use one of those smoothing and buffing systems -- because it always chips immediately and I hate that. But since my whites are pretty white, it kind of looks like I have a classic, subtle French manicure.

Toes, on the other hand, are a different story. I have to have pedicures in open-toe shoe season. And pedicures last a long time without chipping.

[rageyone]

Very short nails and I adore polish. Though they aren't polished for long as I always forget to wear gloves when I am washing dishes. I like deep purples and dark reds. I wear polish on my toes year round.

[kellyinkansas]

Your nails are beautiful and part of what makes you uniquely you! I have some that are so weak they bend backwards . . . Have fun with different shades of nail polish. I mainly have trouble in the summer when I like to do yard work and play in the dirt (garden) and don't like to wear gloves.

[oliviacw]

My nails are very soft - they bend and tear easily. So I keep them pretty short. Technically, they usually don't even extend past the end of my fingers, though I do usually have a couple of millimeters of the white part showing. I went through a polish phase about five years back, but usually don't wear any except for special occasions. The last time I wore nail polish was for my husband's high school reunion in June of this year.

[Janice]

My nails grow amazingly fast so I have to cut them back if I'm not gardening or doing other "heavy chores" much. I can never be bothered to put on polish, however.

But both of my girls think that nail polish is great fun and youngest is even better at growing out her nails than I am.

[Rev Dr Mom]

My fingernails are incredibly weak, so I keep them very short, and no polish.

But I love to polish my toenails--which for some reason are much much stronger. And I love both these colors--especially the raspberry red. Might have to try that one next summer (I don't bother in the winter when I have to wear real shoes).

[Citronella]

I keep mine short (long nails get in my way, for typing, for playing the viola, and for every other thing I do, and I don't think they suit my tiny hands). I polish them more often than not, usually in pastel pink or dark purple.

[Sisyphus]

I keep mine pretty short, and since I have no diswasher they always look thrashed from washing everything by hand, so I've given up on any polish for the time being.

I used to love reds and actually peach colors as well. And did blue --- sparkly blue --- for a while there. I like the idea of polish on the toes but lack the energy to actually do something about it (random pet peeve: I hate french nails on toenails! Especially when it includes long toenails! It creeps me out and I hate seeing it on people. It's kinda popular around here --- or definitely in the summer when everyone had flip flops on)

[michelle]

I bite mine. They're hideous. I have had times in my life when I managed to grow them, and I'm a huge fan of bright red polish. I've used polish as an incentive to not bite, but it' sbeen a while since I bothered.

[Lawgirl]

I have gel nails done in a French manicure. I keep them very short, though, as I type on laptops only.

My own nails will grow like there's no tomorrow, but they are called eggshell nails because they bend and break so easily. Plus, they won't hold polish (something in my nails just won't). So, I feel really professional with this look.

I must have my toes painted year round, but I am too lazy to paint my nails on a regular basis. I like dark reds and purples, and sometimes I'll do nude polish. Polished nails always make me feel pretty, but I get annoyed when I can't touch things because my nails are wet.

My nails are quite nice, actually, so they look fine unpainted. I grow them medium to long, and my whites are white enough that people sometimes think I have a French manicure.

I am totally vain about them. When I was taking piano lessons my teacher used to yell at me to cut my nails, and since at that point in my life I was less than attractive (acne and whatnot) I finally said, "These are the only part of my body that I like, so they are going to stay long no matter what!" He stopped saying anything after my little outburst.

[The History Enthusiast]

Oh, that last post was by me. Oops!

[belle lettre]

Short nails barely past fingertips (usually not even that) so that I can type, unpainted. I like the look, but I find that I pick at the polish and my nails look awful, and I can't stand the process of painting my nails because it looks so bad. I am reasonably good at applying makeup (even if I don't wear much), but I could never get the manicure/pedicure thing down, so my nails look "bohemian."

[Flavia]

My nails are strong and grow fast, so they're usually at a medium length and in danger of getting too long (but it drives me nuts when they get a millimeter past the length that I like); I keep the ends rounded, and try also to keep my cuticles pushed back, etc. I virtually never wear polish, though, because for some reason that strikes me as too "done" with the rest of my look (I wear makeup most everywhere). Also, the polish just doesn't last; even when I get a professional manicure, I'm lucky to have two good days before it starts chipping.

When I was in college and grad school, though, I often painted my nails when I had a long night of paper-writing--it was a nice distraction, and typing meant I wouldn't be doing anything else with my hands to mess the polish up before it dried.

I keep my toenails polished *at all times.* Dark or bright reds/plums.

[phd me]

I keep mine pretty short; when the typing gets sloppy, I usually know it's time to trim. No nail polish, though. I think it would be nice to have pretty polished nails but I use my fingers too much to ever have pretty nails.