Why Are Men Polishing Their Nails?

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THE HILL: The recent rise in popularity of “male polish” isn’t anything the world hasn’t seen before, and men have been coloring their nails for thousands of years. / Nail polish in ancient Babylon is thought to have represented different classes, and warriors painted their nails to “intimidate their enemies.” / “MANicures” now are often celebrated for their association with gender fluidity and male self-care and grooming.

After Brad Pitt arrived at the Palm Springs Film Festival in 2015 flashing a rainbow manicure, lifestyle magazine Elle lobbed a question at its readers: “are ‘MAN’icures becoming a thing?”

The answer: It’s complicated. Yes, an increasing number of highly visible men are now sporting what some refer to as “male polish,” but men coloring their nails really isn’t anything new. In fact, if you think “MANicures” are something entirely novel, you’re about 5,500 years too late.

According to a 2018 paper from the University of Rochester Medical Center, men have been coloring their nails since at least 3500 B.C., in ancient Babylon.

“Babylonian male warriors adorned their nails with ground minerals as part of a pre-battle ritual designed to intimidate their enemies,” researcher Jeanette Zambito wrote.

Nail polish is thought to have represented different classes at that time — the darker the color, the higher the class. There’s evidence that primitive forms of polish, made from materials like henna, flower petals and beeswax, were also worn by ancient Egyptians and Chinese, regardless of gender. » | Brooke Migdon | Thursday, January 13, 2022

Malepolish: the unstoppable rise of nail varnish for men: Men have long painted their talons, but male celebrities – from Harry Styles to Tyler, the Creator – are making it an essential part of their merchandise »

Guys Are Wearing Nail Polish and We’re Here for It: These guys are putting the “man” in “manicure.” »

Why do Arab Men Hold Hands?

53% of Saudi Men Lazy: Study
SAUDI GAZETTE: JEDDAH – Saudi males are lazy, eat too much junk food and spend excessive time in front of the television, all which means they are only likely to get fatter, an Arab health and nutrition expert has said.

Dr. Abdullah Musaiqir, head of the Arab Center for Nutrition, has warned of increasing obesity in the Gulf states and particularly Saudi Arabia, and cites a Saudi study showing that over 53 percent of Saudi males live a “lethargic lifestyle”, with only 20 percent described as leading a healthy lifestyle and engaging in activities that help keep them in good physical shape. Twenty seven percent were described by the study as having a “partially active” lifestyle.

Parents, Dr. Musaiqir said, are advised to cut down on television watching time for both themselves and their children, and to remove television sets from dining rooms and bedrooms. According to Musaiqir, watching television encourages further unhealthy eating practices as the activity is popularly accompanied by the consumption of snack foods.

Musaiqir said the first steps toward promoting a healthier lifestyle should come with awareness programs conducted throughout the Gulf with media involvement, and that school and university curricula should be improved to address issues of nutrition and public health.

Schools, Muqaisir said, should make greater efforts to support and encourage sporting activities both inside and outside the confines of their campuses. [Source: Saudi Gazette] Okaz/SG | Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The New Face of Plastic Surgery in Iraq
LOS ANGELES TIMES: After a chaotic period helping victims of violence, plastic surgeons now find themselves ministering to a public interested in nose jobs.

Reporting from Baghdad -- There was a time when Baghdad's reconstructive surgeons were rushed off their feet trying to repair the terrible disfigurements caused by war.

These days, they're just as likely to find themselves giving Botox injections or performing nose jobs, as Iraqis take advantage of the calmer conditions to enhance their looks.

"Definitely we are performing more plastic surgery than before, mainly because the security situation of the country has improved," said Rida Ali, a plastic surgeon who estimates that half her patients are seeking cosmetic surgery, compared with less than a quarter a few years ago.

They include men as well as women, and most of them want nose jobs, which cost $600 to $1,000 each. Among the women, breast surgery is also popular, Ali said, but not the augmentations common in the West.

"In Iraq we do more breast reduction than augmentation," she said. "Some of the breasts we reduce in size are huge . . . and they cause back pain."

The trend has been fueled largely by the arrival of satellite television, which since 2003 has beamed into Iraqi living rooms the glamorous Egyptian and Lebanese celebrities who are reputed to keep regular appointments with their cosmetic surgeons.

The results aren't always what the patient expected.

"Our patients get all their ideas from TV, then they come to us and request the operation," said Mahdi Hameed Abood, a senior surgeon at the Wasiti Center for Reconstructive Surgery. "It's good having television as a source of information, but what you see on TV is not always reality. There are special effects, lights. People believe what they see and come to us expecting results that may be unrealistic." >>> Caesar Ahmed | Sunday, July 12, 2009

Wife-Beating in Islam: “Men Have Authority Over Women”

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)